The summer-winter wardrobe switch!
I unloaded all the summery clothes from my closet and sweater drawers, and packed them away into the boxes under the bed that held the winter clothes. I do this every fall and spring since, a) Dressing seasonally is very important to me, and b) I have way too much clothing. I get rid of stuff all the time! But I still have more than I can easily store. I did a big wardrobe assessment when we moved to the new house on September 1st, giving away tons of stuff, and am pretty happy with what I've ended up with, but I didn't realize until I did the summer-winter switch that I have way more summer clothes than winter!
Summer is my favorite time of year, so it figures that I love brightly colored cotton dresses and floral tops. Winter fashion is okay by me, too, but I hate being cold so I usually just stick to jeans, riding boots, and a cozy sweater over a tee. Thick, chunky sweaters. They take up a lot of room so I only have a few in neutral colors.
So far this fall we've had cold, clear nights followed by blue sky, cool sunny days. It's beautiful weather, but brrrr, I am cold!
Like I said, I'm all about dressing seasonally, so I try to coordinate with the fallen leaves on the ground and wear fall-ey plaids and earth tones, putting away many of my cheerful pinks and greens. I'm going to Florida for a cousin's wedding next week and will have to put together some cute outfits within the confines of fall fashion! I know, I'm a little crazy sometimes.
What about you? Have you switched out summer and winter clothes before? Is it time yet, where you live? And for you Florida residents, packing tips are always welcome =)
i like having all of my clothes together, so I don't switch out. I agree 100%. I have waaay more summer clothes than winter. Tank tops are so cheap, but a good sweater is very expensive. I also have too many clothes and am constantly giving them away or selling them. They're mostly from Goodwill, so at low prices I wind up getting a lot.
ReplyDeleteHere in Wales I switched my clothes 2 weeks ago! I live in a very small flat so there is no way I can have both my winter and summer wardrobe out, so I pack half of my clothes in a hige plastic bag with loads of little lavender sachets to keep the damp smell away!
ReplyDeleteI layer a lot in winter- roll neck tshirts teamed with sleeveless 60s-style dresses, or jumper dresses with thick tights, or skirts with a cute wooly cardi! xx
I live in Vancouver, BC. I did the switch last week. I don't have enough room in my closet to have all my clothes at once, so I store the out of season clothes in those plastic bags that you can vacuum the air out of, for optimum space, and in a suitcase in my basement storage.
ReplyDeleteIt was about time I took the winter clothes out: temperatures have dropped a few degrees in the past couple weeks. It's fun to take out clothes you haven't seen in months and rediscover them.
I've also realized that my winter wardrobe has a LOT of black, brown and not a lot of color, and this time I think I,d like to add some color with some home-made garments...
i am halfway thru my summer-winter switch...i changed out the dresses, but not the shorts/skirts/sweaters. i have too many clothes to keep everything out all the time, but for the casual layering pieces i swap the tank tops for long sleeve shirts (i keep the short sleeved ones out year-round) and i put away all but 2 pair of shorts.
ReplyDeleteas for florida advice.....depending on where you're traveling, i'd pull out some of those summer things again! my family is from the sarasota area and they wear summer-type clothes all year. it's still in the mid-80s during the day, but down in th elow 60s (F) at night. have a great trip!
I have always like the idea of switching around for the seasons - but we don't have very well defined seasons in Australia. I put a few jackets up high a couple of weeks ago, only to be hit my a cool snap this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a wardrobe clean-out though. I am tempted by the idea of starting an ebay or etsy store, with the thought that I might be more willing to part with things if I get an income from it? What do you do? Donate your old stuff?
The weather her in Tampa Bay is beautiful. I don't know your destination, but in SE Florida, layering is a must. Lows are in the mid to high 50s, which highs in high 80s, low 90s. The temperatures are pretty consistent throughout this region. Once it warms up, it's absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteJust made the switch Friday night. I love this biannual ritual - I always forget what things I've got packed away, so it's like getting a whole new wardrobe without spending any money. Hurrah!
ReplyDeleteI also made my switch this week-end. It was time, fall is already here since a few weeks. Here in Switzerland it's already very cold, about 45 degres Fahrenheit during the day... :-((( I also prefer wearing darker colors like blues, greens and greys during the winter period. I look foreward to see your wardrobe in the next weeks!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a separate summer and winter wardrobe; I tend to wear the same things but just add more layers for the winter, and wear my skirts with tights and boots. Instead of wearing camisoles, I'll change to long sleeve tops. Perhaps it's because it doesn't get very cold in the UK during the winter, but I've always done this. Obviously there are some exceptions, but I tend to mix and match everything throughout the seasons.
ReplyDeleteI did that closet change out for years when I lived up north full time. It was fun, even though a lot of work, to have an "all new" wardrobe but like you, I do not like to be cold so now I only live up north for the best 3 months of summer and in FL the rest of the year so same wardrobe all year. It's gorgeous here this time of year - days in the low 80s and nights in the 60s (depending of course which part of FL you're going to). I'm central FL and it's a long state so temps. can vary quite a few degrees from southern FL to northern but no matter where, better than cold and snow and grey skies. Have a great trip to FL!
ReplyDeleteActually I never put anything away...summer dress + cardigan + sweater tights + boots = my version of fall fashion :)
ReplyDeleteI live in St. Paul, MN, and right about the time it got brisk out (so... 50s), I decided to go through my entire wardrobe and get rid of what I didn't wear. I reorganized my closet, and now my sweaters are right there, easily accessible on a shelf. I'm a big fan of the thin-knit sweater, tailored to fit with a chunky crocheted scarf, jeans and a pair of cute shoes.
ReplyDeleteHere in Texas I don't really make a switch. My winter wardrobe consists of a few cardigans, long sleeve tops, one sweater, and some knit tights. Even in December you might get a week where it's in the 70's/80's. So only the shorts and swimsuits really get packed up.
ReplyDeleteno wardrobe switch for me! I live in the Dominican Republic and it is almost always summer here! Don't get me wrong, I love summer more than most seasons, but just the thought of cuddling up in a sweater in the fall makes me tear up a bit. Sometimes I do miss America. At least I have my sewing machine here with me.
ReplyDeleteI'm making the switch from Winter to Summer! Alas, this being NZ (four seasons in one day...and all that), I never really get to put away the sweaters and coats. Boo. Summer is my favourite too.
ReplyDeleteFlorida girl here, though I'm in North Central Florida and temps change dramatically based on where in FL you're going, but we've been having 50s in the morning and evenings and mid 80s in the heat of the day. Every morning I dress my kids in shorts or lightweight pants and a tee shirt for school and have them slip on a pullover or zip-up jacket for the walk from the car to their classroom! ;)
ReplyDeleteFor a wedding here, I'd plan on bringing a cute dress (with a sweater handy) and fun shoes.
As far as wardrobe changeouts go here, I do the same thing, only I never put anything really away, except maybe shorts and sundresses. Capris and tee-shirts are year round possibilities. Sometimes in the winter here it's super cold--last year we had 2 weeks in the teens and 20s at nights which is ridiculous for Florida, but less than a month later it was in the 70s during the day! I have to admit, I hate being cold and am so glad I live here where a stretch of 2 weeks is enough to make us complain a year later!