How To Stretch Your Wardrobe Between Seasons – A Guest Post

My 5 year old Mia loves her dresses.  Most are sweet summer numbers that she wears throughout spring and summer, but with some easy layering she’s able to wear them all year long.  I realized that I don’t do this as often for myself, but could easily apply the same approach to my own closet.

So, I figured why not give it a shot and actually show you how to wear one dress through all four seasons!

Mia and I are each wearing one of our favorite and fairly basic dresses.

I got Mia’s on clearance from Old Navy.

And mine is also an Old Navy purchase (I snagged mine on sale for $19.00 plus a 30% off coupon code online).

We seem to go from winter to summer overnight here in Albuquerque, but in those few weeks that truly feel like spring, we simply add some leggings and a short sleeve hoodie to Mia’s dress for a look that easy and playful on a breezy spring day.

I like to throw a light sweater over this dress and add some bright colored accessories to keep it feeling like spring.

As it warms up, we swap Mia’s leggings for some legging type shorts about the same length as her dress.  This way she can freely play and remain modest.  She likes to go bare foot whenever she can, so flip flops are the quick and easy choice for summer.

This light-weight cropped cardi is a summer staple for me.  And I especially seem to be drawn to turquoise during the summer months.

My absolute favorite season in ABQ!  It starts cooling down in October and we have several weeks of beautiful 60-70 degree weather.  It also means I can don my favorite fall boots.  On days that are too warm for a sweater, I just throw on a long sleeve shirt over my dress.

For Mia, we have fun with leggings again, layer a long sleeve t-shirt under her dress, and bust out the fall boots for her too.

Mia has the same white t-shirt under her dress, but we’ve added some cable knit leggings and warm boots, in addition to her hat, coat, and mittens.

Mia was such a patient and fun little partner in crime for this shoot!  And the photographer was extra charitable as two girls went through multiple outfit changes….while there was football on…..I owe you one, Babe

And here’s just a few final tips for taking your clothes into another season….

-Don’t dismiss clothes in seasonal colors.  Just think about pairing them in new color combo’s.  For example, if you paired yellow with pink, coral or turquoise during the warm months, think about wearing it with greys, plums, and more saturated blues during the fall and winter.  Even summer’s pastels can be worn into fall just by pairing them with darker hues like navy and burgundy.  One of my favorite color combo’s right now is mint and navy….great for spring or fall!

-Capris and ankle length pants can pull their weight in winter too!  The length can be hidden under tall boots, but don’t be afraid to do a cropped pant with some ankle boots.

-Don’t pack up the long maxi dress or skirt (or any dress/skirt for that matter!) that you wore throughout the summer.  Throw some tights or leggings underneath, pair it with a long sleeve top, add a cropped jacket, or throw a sweater over the top….think layers.  Lots of cozy layers!

This blog has been a wonderful place for the inspiration I’ve needed to stay the course   Thank you so much to Kendra and Emily for having me today!  I would love to hear how all of you stretch your wardrobe and how you decide what comes in and what goes when it comes to your clothes!

I’m Deme, a catholic mama to three bambinos ages 5, 3, and 2, and wife to a government contractor, football coach, and devout Fighting Irish fan. Military life and work have moved us all over West/Southwest but we’ve finally landed in Albuquerque, NM.  We’re busy removing the iridescent 80′s wallpaper from our new/old house and blog about our adventures in totally inexperienced DIY over at Fresh Coat Of Paint.  I also blog about family/faith/fashion at Crinion Clan.