Shop Your Closet Part 1: How to Use Summer Pieces in the Colder Months
It’s a new year so that means it’s time for a new blog series! I know a lot of you loved the Vintage Lookbook Spotlight series so stick around this fall because it will definitely be back! It was exciting to see how people found new ways to thrift, or even tried it for the first time!
With this new series called “Shop Your Closet: How to Use Summer Pieces in the Colder Months”, I will highlight three pieces that I wear when the temps are higher and give you tips and tricks on how to style them in the winter. This can hopefully help you be a little more creative with your closet (and get you excited for summer). I want to advocate for more sustainability in 2020 and show you that you don’t always have to go out and buy the next trendy sweater or feel like you have to buy a dress with sleeves because it’s cold out. When I do go shopping, whether it’s at a thrift store or the mall (which I’m trying to cut back on in general) I try and look for pieces that are already what I’m looking for, go well with other things that I own, and can work in any tip of weather. These are a lot of guidelines but it can be done and you can find the perfect outfit this way! Hopefully this will give you ways to shop your own closet and give you some more variety with the pieces you already do have.
The Tank Top
I know for sure that in the summer you can find me in all kinds of dresses, but on a more casual day, I go for a tank top. T-shirts always feel too baggy on me so I usually go for a more fitted tank top. One way you could use a tank top in the winter is to throw it on top of a long sleeve turtleneck or top to add more layers and textures to your look. You could also put it under an off-the-shoulder sweater so it peaks out and adds some color to your outfit. However, my favorite way to style a tank top in the winter is with a cardigan; as a proud museum/library/archive person, I definitely have plenty of cardigans in my closet so the options to mix and match are endless. I especially love this black and white striped tank top from Express because it can literally go with anything and I gravitate to it a lot since it is not quite a normal length tank top but also not quite a crop top. To me, this is the easiest way to style a top like this and still stay warm and cozy.
The Dress
Many dresses I have in my closet are strictly for summer - strappy and short! However, with a little creativity, they can be used in any and all seasons. You can find me in a dress practically year round, everyone who knows me knows I wear jeans maybe 3 times a month, I just don’t love them! I feel like dresses are a super easy way to look really put together when in fact you only put on one article of clothing. To make a dress winter friendly, you can do what you did with the tank top and throw a cardigan over your shoulders, but my favorite unique thing to do with dresses is to put a sweater on top! This gives the dress a whole new look, and can help you double your dresses as skirts. I have maybe one or two long sleeve dresses because of this hack, I know I never really have to buy dresses that have sleeves because I have so many sweaters. You can even knot the sweater if it’s longer to help it sit higher and help create a different silhouette. This dress from Banana Republic is perfect because it’s a longer length, so it’s tall-girl-friendly, which makes it perfect for summer and winter. If it’s really chilly out, you can even throw on some fun tights under the dress to keep you warm and stylish.
The Ball Cap
When I think of summer, I think of baseball, pool parties, and soaking up the sunshine. However, the older I get the more I realize I need to be protecting my skin more, especially the delicate skin on my face. And speaking of baseball, this ball cap totally reminds me of summer! I’m sure some of you wear these kinds of hats year round but I’m more of a beanie girl in the winter so I loved styling this hat for this post. I got this cap from Kittenish while visiting Nashville a couple of weeks ago and now I want all the ball caps! This can easily make an outfit much more casual, especially if you’re having a not so great hair day. I love the versatility of ball caps and I really want to start incorporating pieces that seem like menswear into my wardrobe. I kept this look casual with my pink ball cap and denim jacket for the perfect outfit to run around town to do errands in.
