Seasons

Lessons from my fall wardrobe transition

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As much as I hate to see summer come to an end, I have to quit denying reality and accept the fact that fall is here! The days are getting shorter, the furnace is coming on in the morning, coloured leaves are falling, and the farmers around us are finishing harvest. I actually love autumn, but it’s a bittersweet season because it means that our long, cold winter is just around the corner.

Another sign that fall is here is the fact that I recently found myself reaching for the warmer items in my closet. As a result, I finally made the switch from my summer wardrobe to my fall/winter one this week. As I moved my summer clothes into storage and brought out warmer ones, I tried to do a better job of purging than I’ve done in recent years. So, what went into the donate pile and what, if any, lessons can be learned?

  • Items that I bought because someone else said they looked good on me, but that I didn’t wear very often because they never really felt like me. Lesson: Don’t dress to please others. I need to consider my 5 style adjectives (classy, casual, comfortable, confident, and authentic) when I’m deciding whether or not to buy something.
  • Thrifted items that were too good to pass up, but that I’ve seldom worn.  Lesson: A bargain is only a bargain if you’re actually going to wear it.
  • Garments that no longer fit the way they should. Lesson: Dress for the body that I have today, not the one I used to have or wish I still had. My aging body is changing; there’s more around the middle than there used to be and that’s okay.
  • Items that I have too many of.  Lesson: A woman who hardly ever wears leggings doesn’t need 7 pairs!
  • Pieces that I’ve hung onto for sentimental reasons.  Lesson: I don’t need a closet full of nostalgia for my kids to clean out someday.

Now that I’ve finished sorting clothes, I need to do the same with footwear. Once that’s done, it will be time to take a close look at my wardrobe and decide whether or not there are any gaps that need to be filled before the really cold weather arrives. In the meantime, I’m hoping that our beautiful fall weather lasts for awhile longer!

How can it be fall already?

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Do you remember when you were a kid and summer seemed to go on forever? Me too, but now it seems to fly by in a flash. I have a love/hate relationship with fall. I love the crisp autumn air and the changing colours, but fall means winter is just around the corner and I’m never ready for that!

I try to hold onto summer for as long as I can, but the signs are all around me. Days are getting shorter and leaves are beginning to change colour. Teachers and students are back in school and soon our regular fall/winter activities will be in full swing again. Still, I have a hard time accepting the changing season. Reality definitely hit this morning though. When I first looked out it was -1ºC (30.2ºF) and there was frost on the roofs across the street! Frost in the first week of September!

For me, summer seemed to go by faster than ever this year. Perhaps that’s because with all the traveling we did to far flung places like Armenia, Germany, and Alaska, we didn’t spend as much time doing the things we usually do during the summer months. We did manage to fit in a fair amount of golf and we hope to do more of that in the few weeks before the course closes, but we’ve only spent 11 nights in our trailer, less than half our usual 25 or more. We are planning to get out for one more short trip, but after that it will be time for hubby to winterize the trailer. We’ve only had the kayak on the water four times, so I sure hope we can do that again too.

As a retired teacher, the beginning of September always feels like the start of a new year to me. As such, it’s a good time to set some goals or make some “new years” resolutions. Sharing them with you will make me more accountable and help me actually accomplish them, so thank you for that!

When I think about this summer’s golf and kayaking season, one thing that stood out to me was the fact that over the past few years, I’ve lost strength in my shoulders and upper arms. No surprise, as I used to lift weights all winter. Doing that is more than I can handle now, but I need to do something, so I’ve decided to add some work with dumbbells to the morning exercises that are already an established part of my year round routine. This website has some good information and exercises for seniors, so I’m going to do a set of the 5 upper body weight training exercises every morning Monday to Friday.

It’s been ages since I last published a Fashion Friday post, so that’s also something that I plan to resume doing on a semi regular basis. I haven’t shopped for clothes in quite awhile, but I have been paying attention to what’s on trend for fall and here are a few things that I’ve been noticing…

  • chocolate brown, lots of chocolate brown
  • off-white and neutral tones
  • blazers with jeans
  • bulky, oversized sweaters
  • capes
  • dark wash jeans in almost any style, but not torn or distressed
  • suede boots, shoes and handbags
  • loafers and mary janes
  • statement belts
  • statement necklaces
  • scarves, both silk and knit

While lots of these are very wearable and make me want to rush out and start shopping, my first step will be my semi annual closet changeover (but not until after that last camping trip!) At that point, I’ll take a close look at what I already have, then figure out what, if anything, I actually need. Then I might look for a few pieces that fit with my existing wardrobe and that I’m likely to wear for more than one season, pieces that fit my style adjectives… classy, comfortable, casual, confident, and authentic.

What about you? Are you happy or sad that summer is over? Do you have any goals or plans for the new season? Will you be wearing any of this season’s trends?

Choosing 10 key wardrobe items for fall

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logo-by-samI was scrolling through Facebook recently when I came across this reel by wardrobe consultant and blogger, Sarah Kelly who calls herself The Haute Homemaker. In it, she shares the ten pieces that she would include if she were starting her wardrobe off from scratch this fall. With them, she says that she could create endless outfit possibilities.

At the time, I was about to begin my seasonal wardrobe switch from spring/summer to fall/winter and I was also thinking about what I would pack for the trip that we’re now on. That led me to ask myself which items I would choose from my fall wardrobe if I had to limit myself to just ten. As I packed away most of my warm weather clothes and brought out the cooler weather ones, I worked on my list. Socks, underwear, and pyjamas didn’t count and unlike Kelly, I decided not to include coats or footwear in my ten. Considering the climate and my lifestyle, I would probably need to include a couple of coats and at least two or three pairs of shoes. That wouldn’t leave me much else to wear!

I seriously thought about including my denim military jacket because it’s new and I love it. It was on the list and off again more than once, as were my dark brown corduroy pants, but neither of them made the final cut. I decided that if I had to I could get away with just two pairs of pants as long as one of them could be dressed up or down. In order to create a variety of outfits that would suit my lifestyle, I decided that the rest should be tops and layering pieces. Most, if not all of my choices, have appeared on the blog before. After much thought, here’s my list:

  1. jeans
  2. navy pinstriped pants
  3. sleeveless top
  4. 3/4 sleeve top
  5. long sleeve t-shirt
  6. long sleeve shirt
  7. pullover sweater
  8. cardigan
  9. lightweight hoodie
  10. Uniqlo ultralight down vest

Depending on where you live and what stage of life you’re at, if you were to make a similar list, yours might look entirely different from mine. I’m retired, so mine didn’t have to include items that would be suitable for a work environment although some of them probably would be. On the other hand, until the snow flies, I want to be able to continue to enjoy outdoor pursuits like hiking, so I needed to take that into account.

Now, here are some of the outfits I created with the ten pieces. I’ve included both casual and dressier looks. As you can see, I could easily create more by mixing and matching. I could also vary these looks with different accessories and footwear.

I’m faking! Hubby was raking leaves when I interrupted him to take photos for the blog.

The key word in this exercise is if. I’m not actually going to limit myself to only these ten items and while I did pack most of them, I also have a few other pieces with me on this trip. I do, however, remember my self-imposed fashion fast during the fall of 2021 when I wore only six items from my closet for 30 days. I definitely learned to be more creative in coming up with different ways to combine the same pieces and I also put a lot of thought into how to use accessories to add variety.

Just doing this exercise, thinking about which pieces I wear most often and which are most essential to me, has had two definite benefits. It has reminded me that I, like most people, have way more clothes than I really need and it’s shown me a gap in this season’s wardrobe that I’d like to fill. Maybe more about that in a future post, but for now, I have miles to go and people to see!

Shopping our closets for fall 2024 trends

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logo-by-samI’m always reluctant to admit that it’s time to think about fall or to talk about fall fashions, but days are getting shorter and nights are getting chillier. Whether I like it or not, there’s a hint of autumn in the air. With that in mind, I thought I’d take a look at some of the fashion trends for fall 2024, not because I plan to go shopping anytime soon, but because I want to shop my closet to see which ones might already be there. Perhaps you’d like to do the same.

When thinking about trends, keep in mind that just because something is popular at the moment doesn’t mean that you have to wear it. A stylish woman knows what’s trending then chooses what to incorporate into her wardrobe based on her own taste, personal style, body type, and lifestyle.

Fall is a time to get cozy. Wraps, shawls, oversized scarves, and capes are definitely having a moment. I’ll be pulling out two pashminas that I bought in the market in Siem Reap, Cambodia in early 2009 as well as a couple of wraps that feel like warm hugs. I especially love this one which was a gift from my son and his family who reside on the BC coast.

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Like wraps and shawls, turtlenecks are warm and cozy. Never completely out of style, they’re especially popular this fall. I used to love wearing them and wish I still could, but since I had major neck surgery to remove a cancerous tumour I no longer find them comfortable.

Denim dresses and skirts will be popular this fall and double denim, once considered a fashion faux pas, is actually on-trend this season. I don’t have a dress or a skirt in this always popular fabric, but I do have both dark and light denim shirts. When I do go shopping, I’ll be on the lookout for a denim shirt dress, something that’s been on my wish list for awhile already.

Wide leg jeans are still on-trend, but so are straight legs and is it possible that skinny jeans are also coming back? Actually, I don’t think they ever completely went away.

This fall’s blazers have a nipped in at the waist hourglass shape and classic tweeds, herringbone, and suiting fabrics are popular. I’m thinking that this one, which you’ve seen on the blog before, fits the bill fairly well. Leftover from my teaching days, it’s a bit snug now, but as long as I don’t try to button it, which I wouldn’t do anyway, I think it works. For a classy casual look, try pairing an on-trend blazer with jeans, a tank top or t-shirt, and a ladylike shoe.

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Speaking of shoes, there’s a move toward elegance in women’s footwear. Ballet flats continue to be popular, but Mary Janes, kitten heels, pointed toes, and slingback styles are back in vogue. Did you happen to notice the elegant kitten heels that Michelle Obama wore with her MONSE suit when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention last week? If not, check out the photo in last Friday’s post. I have a similar, but probably much less expensive, pair that I haven’t worn in ages. Perhaps I’ll wear them again this fall.

Popular colours this fall will include soft buttery yellow, warm browns (toffee, chocolate, expresso), burgundy or wine, deep green, olive green, teal, and navy. There was a time when brown was my go-to neutral and my closet was full of it. Over time, however, I’ve gravitated more toward navy. I still like brown though, so perhaps this fall or winter when it’s still readily available would be a good time to add a bit more brown back into my wardrobe. A pop of red is also on-trend for fall. Think a red handbag, scarf, or red shoes. This pair ticks three fall fashion boxes… kitten heels, slingback, and red!

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Finally, animal prints, especially leopard, are still in style for fall. I definitely have a few tops in that print that I will continue to wear.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list and as you can see, there’s plenty of crossover from last fall meaning that, like me, you can probably find some of these trends in your closet without having to go shopping.

Changing seasons

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Logo by SamThe seasonal closet switch that I mentioned last week actually happened this week. Almost. I did leave a few pairs of summer pants in the closet in case we get some more warm days, but the shorts have all been put away. Most of my summer tops are now in storage too, although I do leave a few sleeveless tops in my closet year round as I’ll wear them under jackets and sweaters during the colder months.

These twice a year seasonal switchovers are an excellent time to evaluate and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. As I put the new season’s clothes into the closet, I turn all the hangers around. Then, when I wear an item, I turn its hanger back the right way. At the end of the season, if an item is still hanging backwards, it’s a clear signal that I need to consider whether or not to keep it. This year there were several spring/summer items that I hadn’t worn, but I didn’t feel ready to let go of some of them yet, so I separated them from the others in storage. I’ll reevaluate in the spring and decide then whether to keep them for another season or not. I did get rid of a few things though. Two pairs of capris that were too worn out to keep or to pass on to anyone else went out with yesterday’s garbage and a few other pieces are destined for the second-hand store. Bringing the new season’s clothes back into circulation almost feels like having something new to wear. There were even a few pieces in my fall/winter wardrobe that I’d forgotten all about over the summer!

But how do we dress for this “wear a sweater in the morning and regret it in the afternoon” shoulder season without constantly changing clothes? After all, the temperature can be barely above freezing in the morning, above 20ºC (68ºF) in the afternoon, and chilly again as soon as the sun starts to go down.

As always, layering is the key.

In this example, my base layer consists of a sleeveless top and a pair of mid weight chinos. In the morning, I added warm socks, sneakers, and a cardigan. In the afternoon, I shed the socks and sweater, rolled up the cuffs of my pants, and switched out the sneakers for a comfortable pair of flats.

Everything I’m wearing in these photos has been in my wardrobe for at least three years and has appeared on the blog before except the sleeveless top which is new to me. It was part of the cabi Fall 2018 collection. I have no idea where it’s been hiding for the past five years, but when I found it in our local thrift store recently, it looked like it had never been worn. It originally sold for $99 CAD and I bought it for $2.50! Is it any wonder that I love thrift store shopping?

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And, totally off the topic of today’s post, you may remember that on May 1st, I challenged myself to walk and/or hike 350 kilometres by the end of October. I’m excited to report that I crossed the imaginary finish line yesterday afternoon, a full month early!

Wear what makes you feel good

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Logo by SamTomorrow is officially the first day of fall. Today’s post was supposed to be about my seasonal closet switch from spring/summer to fall/winter, but life happened and the transition didn’t. Actually, I had a choice between spending time in my closet or packing the trailer for one last camping trip and you can probably guess which one I chose!

I’ve been trying hard to hang onto summer for as long as I can, but hubby has been raking leaves all week. Mornings are crisp and evenings chilly. Harvest is well underway all around us and geese are flying overhead. Whether I like it or not, they’re heading south! Though my summer clothes are still in the closet, the days of wearing shorts, sandals, and sleeveless tops are over and I’m reaching for warmer things.

As much as I try to resist the coming of winter, there are things that I’m looking forward to wearing again, especially cozy sweaters and boots. One pair of boots in particular! So, the transition will happen this coming week, or at least that’s my plan. We all know that plans are flexible though, especially in retirement!

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this thought.

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Regardless of what season it is where you are, wear what makes you feel good!

Always try it on

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Logo by SamAt this time of year, as we wait for spring to finally arrive here on the prairie, I grow very weary of my winter wardrobe. As a result, I recently picked up a couple of new-to-me tunics at our local thrift stores to add a bit of variety to my end of season closet. I shared one of them with you last week and today I’m featuring the other one.

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Two of the tips for successful thrift store shopping that I shared with you in this post are “try everything on” and “don’t limit your search to the size you usually wear.” Following my own advice definitely paid off this time. When I checked the label, I was surprised to see that the tunic was an extra large. It didn’t look that big, so knowing that size isn’t consistent from one brand to another, I decided to try it on anyway. I usually wear a medium, sometimes a large, but never XL. Never, until now, that is!

As I headed for the dressing room, I was skeptical about whether or not I’d be bringing this garment home with me, but I knew that at this time of year, I’d want to wear it over something with sleeves. I was pleased to find that, while it fit fairly loosely, it didn’t look too oversized.

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Here I’m wearing the tunic over a lightweight sweater, my dark brown button front skinnies from cabi’s Fall 2022 collection, and my tall brown boots, all pieces that have appeared on the blog before. The pants are the only item that I purchased brand new!

I recently read several comments on a British fashion blog from readers who absolutely hate the colour brown and would never wear it. They all agreed that their loathing of the colour originated in childhood when they had to wear drab brown school uniforms. Thankfully, I didn’t have that experience. In fact, my memory of brown is quite different. Although she often wore brighter colours, brown was my mother’s favourite colour. She would have loved today’s outfit! Isn’t it interesting how early associations affect our fashion choices later in life?

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I’m not sure if this tunic will stay in my wardrobe long term or not, but I’m glad I tried it on and brought it home. For a whopping $2.50, it’s added something new to my late winter/early spring wardrobe and the three large buttons on the cowl collar and the pockets are worth more than that!

What do you want to read?

/ edebock / 9 Comments

Logo by SamA lot of the fashion blogs that I follow are writing about fall already and, of course, fall fashions have been in the stores for awhile, but I’m not quite ready for a change of seasons yet. Our summers are much too short and our winters too long. I always like to hang onto the last days of summer for as long as I can before I think about making that inevitable seasonal switch.

I am, of course, thinking ahead to topics for future blog posts though and today I thought I’d ask for your input. When I introduced Fashion Friday back in the spring of 2016, I wanted it to be more than just a “look at what I’m wearing today” feature. That seems terribly superficial and my closet wouldn’t sustain something like that for very long anyway. I wanted to present content with a little more substance than that. Many fashion blogs have become what might better be referred to as “shopping blogs”, but I have never been interested in encouraging that level of consumerism nor am I into blogging as a source of income. My intention was to be inspiring and to explore various aspects of personal appearance and how what we wear affects our daily lives. As time went by, I also became interested in topics related to ethics and sustainability in the fashion industry and have written a number of posts along those lines.

Those are some of my guiding ideas, but I’m also interested in knowing what you, my readers, would like to read. Do you want to know what’s on trend? Do you prefer instructional “how to” posts… how to put together outfits in new and interesting ways, how to dress different body types, how to dress on a budget? Are you interested in what’s going on in the fashion industry? Are there specific fashion related questions that you’d like me to try to answer. I have no formal fashion training, but I’ll do my best to search out answers. Where else do you look for fashion inspiration? Do you read other fashion blogs? If so, which ones are your favourites? Why? What do you like about them?

Of course, Following Augustine is more than just a fashion blog, so in addition to your thoughts and ideas about what I might write about on Fridays, I’m open to suggestions for the rest of the week as well. Whether you respond directly on the blog or prefer to comment on Facebook, whether you’ve ever left a comment before or not, please let me know your thoughts. A blog is nothing without its readers!

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Stripes for spring!

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LogoI used to write a blog post twice a year about the trends for spring/summer and fall/winter based on the looks that ruled the runways for that season. I’ve quit doing that because they were a lot of work and amongst the women who read this blog, who actually dresses like a runway model? Probably no one! I know I don’t. Real women do, however, want to know how some of those looks translate into the clothes that we’ll actually see in our favourite retailers; things that we would actually wear.

That leads me to one of the biggest trends for the upcoming season… stripes! That’s right, though some of us have been wearing stripes forever, they’re going to be especially popular this season!

A classic Breton top, first introduced in 1858 as part of the uniform for navy seamen in Northern France, is an easy pattern to wear and a favourite of mine. The original design had long sleeves and featured 21 horizontal stripes, one for each of Napoleon Bonaparte’s victories. Apparently, the distinctive navy and white stripes made it easy for rescuers to spot sailors who fell overboard!

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Nowadays, Breton striped t-shirts are available in both long and short-sleeved versions and a myriad of colours. Since they never really go out of style and can be worn year round, I’d like to add a couple more to my wardrobe this season while they’re easy to find. I much prefer to shop in person, but I’ve been doing some looking around  online and thought I’d share a bit of what I’ve found with you. Please keep in mind that I’m not affiliated with any of the companies represented here and I don’t benefit in any way if you choose to order something. Since I have readers in wide variety of locations, I’m showing retailers from the UK and US as well as Canada.

The Original Breton Shirt  –  The Breton Shirt Co

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In addition to the traditional Breton top shown here, The Breton Shirt Co offers a variety of colours and styles.

Striped Oversized Long Sleeve T-shirt  –  Uniqlo

This one is also available in several colours.

Three-Quarter Sleeve Criss-Cross Sailor Top  – Blair

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I really like the sleeve detail on this one. Though it also comes in a variety of colours, teal is a colour that flatters every skin tone.

This is just a small sampling of the Breton type tees that are available this season, but stripes are not limited to this one style.

Square Neck Button Front Tank  –  Cleo

Stripes aren’t always horizontal!

Prep School Shirt  –  Cabi

This cropped shirt is a cute and casual look for summer.

Washable Linen Pull-On Pants  –  L.L.Bean

These look a lot like pyjamas to me, but they would be light and breezy on a hot summer’s day.

24/7 Sweats, Dress Stripe  –  L.L.Bean

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I had just about finished writing this post when this dress popped up on my Facebook newsfeed. Isn’t it interesting how Facebook knows exactly where we’ve been on the internet? Not always a good thing, but in this case I didn’t mind!

Trend or not, stripes may not be your thing. If that’s the case and you really can’t see yourself wearing any of these, why not add a just a touch of the trend in a scarf or a handbag?

Colour Joy Floral Striped Scarf  –  The Bay

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Stripe Shopper Bag  –  Nordstrom

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We’ve just come through another incredibly cold snap and it looks like winter will be with us for awhile longer, but it’s nice to start thinking about spring and about what we might be wearing when the weather finally does warm up. What about you? Will you be wearing stripes?

Transitioning to fall

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LogoHow do you dress for this golden shoulder season known as autumn? I saw a headline this week that read, “It’s wear a sweater in the morning and regret it in the afternoon weather!” That pretty much sums up fall in my part of the world. When we get up in the morning, the temperature is generally hovering just above 0°C (32°F) and there might be frost on the ground, but by afternoon it has warmed up to anywhere between 18° and 25°C (64° and 77°F).

While running errands early one afternoon this week, I decided to take note of what other people were wearing. A man, sitting in front of the post office reading his mail, was wearing shorts, sandals, and a heavy fleece vest over his t-shirt! That kind of incongruous outfit isn’t as unusual as you might think. I also saw one woman wearing a quilted coat and a toque while another was working in her yard in shorts and a t-shirt!

In spite of this confusion, I decided that it was time to begin my seasonal wardrobe switch this week. Since I found myself reaching for the warmer items in my closet every morning and the true hot weather pieces were no longer seeing the light of day, I knew it was time to put most of those away and bring out my fall/winter pieces.

If you live where the weather is more uniform year round, you probably don’t have to go through this twice a year ritual, and I guess if I had a bigger closet I might not have to either. As it is, however, it’s much easier to have only one season’s clothes to choose from every morning and these seasonal switchovers are an excellent time to evaluate and decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

So, how do I go about doing that? Unlike some who advise getting rid of anything that hasn’t been worn during the current season or in the past year, I sometimes hang onto items that are excellent quality or that I love even if I haven’t worn them for quite awhile. Over the years, I’ve occasionally enjoyed resurrecting some of those items and have even shared a few of them here on the blog. This time, however, I knew that there were things in my summer closet that simply had to go. This required discipline because some were pieces that I really liked, but they were too worn out to keep or to pass on to anyone else. Others that don’t fit well or that I no longer enjoy wearing are destined for the second-hand store.

As I put the new season’s clothes into the closet, I turn all the hangers around. Then, when I wear an item, I turn it’s hanger back the right way. At the end of the season, if an item is still hanging backwards, it’s a clear signal that I need to consider whether or not to keep it.

There are, of course, some items that stay in my closet year round including sleeveless tops that can be worn alone in summer or under sweaters and jackets when the weather is cooler. This time, I also left a couple of pairs of favourite capri pants for those 25° afternoons. They won’t stay there all winter, but for now, we’re still transitioning!