The end of summer is a funny, conflicting time. As a hangover from my school and university days, I'm filled with both new season hope and new term dread. I'm plagued by nightmares of school exams yet eager for crisp mornings and cosy evenings. Sartorially speaking, I mourn the loss of breezy summer outfits but excitedly welcome the return of layers and my favourite jackets. Unleashing your new season wardrobe has all the thrill of a shiny new uniform without the inevitable and depressing realisation that, shit, it's just that same old shapeless blue jumper again.
Autumn/Winter is the maximalist's time to shine. You can layer to your heart's content; piling on the prints and textures as the mercury drops. Warm weather is great but gingham against stripes against leopard print is far more exciting. Despite this summer's best attempts to hold on, losing just a few degrees to September's grasp has significantly broadened the horizons of my wardrobe. Double, and even triple, layers are on the cards again, satisfying my need to squeeze as much into any given outfit as possible.
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| L - Jeans (both): Monki, T-shirt: Vintage, Dress: & Other Stories via charity shop (customised), Boots: Zara, Scarf & Bag: Vintage | R - Shirt: Vintage via Depop, Halterneck: Charity shop, Necklace: Vintage via Depop, Shoes: Paul Smith |
Defying custom and starting on the right, the halterneck over shirt combination was this season's first foray into layering. It may look like the height of summer in the photo - it was gloriously golden and perfect lounging on stairs weather - but the extra layer was perfect for the chills that tentatively loitered in the shadows and on the breeze.
Moving on, the outfit on the left is my favourite thing I've worn in a long time. I lusted after the Memphis-esque graphic print dress when it was first available in & Other Stories but I was unspeakably poor at the time and so doomed to admire it from afar. Luckily, I happened upon it in my local Oxfam for only £8 a couple of weeks ago; a win for historical me. It was a slip dress but, as an irregular dress wearer, I decided to slice it up and turn it into the most perfect layering piece I have ever owned. Paired with my favourite vintage space t-shirt, my Marge Simpson does Chanel jacket and current go-to jeans, it made me briefly wish I was the type of person who interested the paparazzi just so that it was fully documented. (When they failed to show, I deployed my Instagram husband and reassessed my ego.)
So, yes the nights are drawing in and cold days are edging closer but the scope of my wardrobe is expanding by the day and that seems like a fair trade to me.
