Transition Essentials : The Ultimate Guide To Transitional Dressing

Navigating the minefield that is transitional dressing can be one of the most difficult conundrums any fashion minded person can face. Christmas has been and gone and you realise you’ve forgotten that there are at least three months more of cold weather before summer graces us with its presence.

On top of that the sales hit and our wallets are pulling us, as if magnetised, towards blinding bargains and idle minutes are spent checking out the final reductions online. We reason with ourselves that 25% off a neon peplum top in a size six is a great idea even though better judgement tells us that it’s probably not a shrewd investment.

It’s become clear that some sort of guidance is required to help style conscious folk out there get the most out of their winter wardrobe as we slowly approach warmer climes, so we’ve put together a little guide to make the challenging sartorial transition from fall to spring a little bit easier.

Clean Start  -

So before you rush to pack away your winter garms remember that it’s probably a little early to be donning flimsy summer dresses with bare legs, unless you’re thinking hypothermia is going to be in vogue this season. Alternatively use the change in weather as an opportunity to go through your clothes objectively, think of it as a spring clean for your wardrobe. Learn to be discerning with your clothes; face up to the fact that you’re never going to wear that floor length dress that you found in a thrift store or your favourite jeans from last year that have ripped at the crotch. Ideally try and work out those items you rarely or never wear and think about donating them to a friend or charity shop; it’s so much easier to decide what to wear each day without those items distracting you.

Once you’ve culled the redundant items of your closet and put your winter clothes into hibernation you can start to think about how to transform what’s left into ideal transition ensembles! Identify wardrobe staples that have staying power to remain on trend from season to season, these items usually include a perfect pair of jeans either skinny, boyfriend or cropped, a white shirt, a Breton tee, lightweight cardigans or sweaters and a jacket.

        Breton Tee, Acne Pistol Boots, Cheap Monday skinnies,  Equipment shirt,  Steve Alan hat,   Long leather jacket 

Refining and editing your wardrobe at the end of the season will give you a clear idea of what you have to work with and makes it easier to identify what you might want to invest in avoiding any unnecessary purchases.

Purchase Plan -

Make sure you take the time to try on anything that you’re thinking about buying to work out whether it will go with the rest of your clothes before you get your cash out. Make purchases wisely and aim to buy individual pieces that will mix and match perfectly to create brilliant new spring outfits without having to fork out your whole pay check!

Fresh Touches - 

A couple of easy tips for how to pull your winter clothes into perfect transitional outfits include adding some more seasonal colors into your getups, wave goodbye to the berry shades and oxblood that were predominant throughout the winter and say hello to pastels, neon and even some florals. Even something as simple as choosing a mint green scarf to go with an outfit can make it feel more appropriate for the coming season.

Layer Love - 

Never underestimate the wonder of layering, layering holds the key to unlocking seasonal dressing; wearing layers means that however warm or cold it is you can always adapt your outfit accordingly. Some essential layering items for the winter to spring include tights (one of the most important items in any woman’s arsenal), a singlet in black or flesh tones, a shirt, a scarf and a lightweight jacket like a trench. If you’re getting bored of your winter wardrobe or you’re just desperate to slip into some more summery numbers then one way to avoid chilblains in January is to layer up your favourite summer dress. Add a pair of tights and some knee high boots as well as a chunky knit cardigan and jacket to keep you warm.

Nail It  -

Colour is obviously worn much more vibrantly in the summer months and as spring edges closer those beautiful bright colours start to seep back into our make up as well as our wardrobes. This winter dark berry lip shades and peacock colours for the eyes have been the predominant tones, it’s always sad to put your favourite winter lippies into hibernation but fear not! This season colour is going to be seen in abundance from sweet pastel shades to sharp hits of neon and everywhere from hair colour to the hue on your nails. Adding a splash of summery colours is one of the easiest ways to transition your wardrobe subtly from winter to spring in one fell swoop. If you don’t fancy heading to Bleach Salon in London and dying your whole barnet a stylish sorbet hue why not just grab yourself some new nail varnishes instead!

So after all that transitional dressing really isn’t as complicated as we had feared, hopefully having a thorough sort through your wardrobe and being conscientious about your new season purchases will avoid any embarrassing trend transition fails. Enjoy getting stuck in to some outfit experimenting and by the time you’ve got that down the sun will be out in full force!

P.S. - This blog post was written free of charge by Lucinda Bounsall, fashion writer at farfetch.com

It's a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It's all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together.
- Alexander McQueen