Unless you live in a year-round tropical place some things, like bikinis and sarongs, need to be retired at the end of summer. But just because it’s starting to get a bit chilly, doesn’t mean you have to pack up some of your warm weather favorites. Adding in a few cold-weather accessories extends the life of your summer faves (like your maxi dresses) and gives you a much larger fall wardrobe to boot! So get creative with your layering, try out the unexpected, and you might be in for a lovely surprise.

In this edition, I wanted to show you how to take the ever so comfortable and versatile maxi dress from summer to fall.

Maxi Dresses in the Summer

Maxi-Dresses-Summer

This knit maxi dress from Styles For Less was perfect during the summer months. It was lightweight and breathable, great for beating the heat in style. I loved it paired with flat leather sandals and a woven hat – chic and summery, but still a bit edgy. Side Note: what I love most about maxi dresses in the summer is that they are lightweight enough to wear during the day and the heat, but adding a cropped jacket or blazer can easily dress it up for the night.

Maxi Dresses in the Fall…

Maxi-Dresses-Fall

It’s all about layering in fall, and to take my maxi dresses into the colder months, I switch out my summer accessories for some that are more cold-weather appropriate. Black booties took the place of sandals and my woven hat was replaced by a cool clutch. To stay warm, I layered a cashmere dress over the maxi, long enough to stay warm but short enough to have the hem of my dress show through. You can also wear it with a cropped sweater and add stockings or leggings if it’s really cold. To give this look an additional warm twist, add in a leather biker jacket or military style coat.  If you really want to “fall it up” you can switch out the black for other fall appropriate colors: browns, burgundies, burnt oranges, deep purples, and my new favorite the army green.

Photos by Andy Viernes