How To Reuse Your Summer Dress For Autumn

As the days get shorter and the mornings get colder, the sad reality is that summer is officially over. Before you start to pack away your much-loved summer dresses, stop and read this blog post. This blog post aims to show you four ways that will allow you to keep your favourite summer dress in your outfit rotation year-round without freezing when you step outside. At the time of writing, everything mentioned in this post is available on our website. If what you were hoping to purchase has sold out, you can find alternatives under our women’s clothing tab.  

Layering

This may come as no surprise, but layering is one of the best ways to keep warm during autumn. The layering technique can be done either over or under your garments. Wearing a large coat is the most effective way to layer above your outfit. The coat will then act as a barrier and cover areas of your body that may otherwise be exposed to the cold such as your arms. A discrete option is to layer below your outfit using items such as thermals and tights. Layering underneath your outfit is great for staying warm without changing how your outfit looks.

Some advice for the layering technique is to use pieces that are thin and smooth as they will leave a flat texture to your outfit, this is especially important if you are layering underneath your outfit. You should also use a limited colour palette of no more than three colours and a maximum of one pattern. This will allow you to avoid colour and pattern clashes and give your outfit a more streamlined look.

To show how simple the layering technique can be, layering has been used when creating the Cloudy Skies outfit. Mixtures of the two layering techniques mentioned above have been used to maximise warmth. This works so well because of the combination of accessories and the coat. The coat is great for keeping the body warm, the beret is perfect for keeping the head warm and the tights insulate the bottom half of the body. With this outfit, you are guaranteed to be warm from head to toe.

Products in this outfit: The Beau Belle Dress in Green, the Promenade Coat in Grey, a Pure Wool Beret in Grey and a pair of tights with nude seams.

Pair with Knitwear

Whilst this information is hardly ground-breaking, one of the best ways to keep warm in the colder months is to wear knitwear. Adding knitwear to your outfit can be done over your garments or by using knitted accessories. The best way to incorporate knitwear into your outfit is to add a cardigan or jumper to a pre-existing outfit. The jumper or cardigan will then act as a barrier to the areas that would typically get cold such as the arms and shoulders. A more subtle option to add knitwear to your outfit is to accessorise. This can be done by adding knitted accessories such as gloves and a headband. This is a great option for staying warm whilst not altering the look of your outfit.

Some advice for adding knitwear to a pre-existing outfit is to ensure that the colours remain cohesive with the rest of the outfit so that the knitwear looks like a well-planned addition as opposed to a second thought. When adding knitwear to your outfit, the focus should be on the thickness of the materials which will maximise the warmth and benefit.

To show how easy adding knitwear can be, this method has been used when creating the Harvest Gold outfit. The reason this outfit works so well is because of the cardigan selected. The cardigan adds that extra layer that is needed in the colder months whilst complementing the colours of the pre-existing outfit. This makes the cardigan look like a well-thought-through choice as opposed to a last-minute thought. With this outfit, you can remain warm and stylish by making only one small change to the outfit. To further maximise your warmth, you could add knitted accessories such as gloves.

Products in this outfit: The Alpine Cardigan in Harris, the Vintage Style Mustard Yellow Shirtwaister Dress, the Nostalgia Bag in Blue and a pair of tights with nude seams.

Utilise Accessories

The third method for transitioning your summer dress into an autumn-appropriate option is by adding accessories. Adding accessories can be done using a variety of pieces such as hats, tights and gloves to name a few. The best way to choose accessories is to prioritise thermal and knitted materials that will cater to the parts of your body that get cold the most often. Whilst this method may not be ideal for the coldest days of the year, it is a great method for transitional weather days. One of the best things about this method is that you can cater your choices to exactly what you need.

To show how simple adding accessories to an outfit can be, accessories have been added when creating the Apple Cart outfit. The reason this outfit works is because all of the accessories work well together and make the overall outfit look sleek and sophisticated. This outfit may not be perfect for the coldest days, but it is great for transitional weather. To make it more suitable for colder days, layering with a coat is recommended. This outfit will allow you to look stylish and sharp whilst targeting the areas of your body that get cold and maximising warmth in the colder months.

Products in this outfit: The Palais Dress in Red, the Pure Wool Beret in Green, the Forest Green and Red Check Half Moon Vanity Case and a Red Flower Brooch.

Use Colours Wisely

The final method that can apply to the above methods is to stick to a colour palette. This can be done by choosing a feature piece and building the rest of the outfit around it with a focus on the colours within the feature piece. When adding multiple garments together, it can be easy to combine colours that don’t necessarily match but by referring back to the feature piece, you can ensure that the outfit you are creating will look cohesive and structured.

To show how easy using a colour palette can be, the Toffee Apple outfit has been created with this in mind. This outfit was created with the dress as the starting point. The bag was then added as it is a near match to the dress. Then the Alpine cardigan in Jade was brought in as one of its key colours matched the already present colour palette. Once the cardigan was added, there were many more colours that could be introduced and so the Jade beret got added as it brought every item in the outfit together to create a cohesive look.

Products in this outfit: The Lumber Jill Check Dress in Yellow, the Alpine Cardigan in Jade, the Vintage Look Glossy Patent Frame Bag in Cream and the Pure Wool Beret in Turquoise.

Hopefully, this blog post was interesting and will allow you to increase the lifespan of your favourite summer dress by making simple adjustments! If you use any of the methods mentioned in this blog post, don’t forget to let us know in the comments or tag us on Instagram @revivalvintageuk for your chance to be featured on our page!