The Anti-Seasonal Wardrobe

The transition from late summer into fall has always been one of my favorite times to get dressed, but also one of the more confusing. You’re ready for fall before the weather is. Full linen suddenly feels a little too vacation, but committing to knits before the temperature drops below 75 degrees feels irresponsible.

I’ve been thinking less about dressing for a specific season and more about building a wardrobe that can move between them.And unexpectedly, men have entered the chat.

Borrowed From the Boys

I’ve randomly been so inspired by menswear lately. Dominic Sessa as Anthony Bourdain and Antonio Banderas as chef in Tony. They don the kind of seventies wardrobe that makes you wonder why everyone stopped dressing like that in the first place. Incredible graphic T shirts. Gorgeous sweaters. Pants that actually look better after they’ve been worn for a while.

Then there’s Jacob Elordi, which shouldn’t really surprise anyone. A man who has developed such a close relationship with women’s handbags was inevitably going to make his way onto my moodboard. What I keep coming back to in all of these references isn’t necessarily the individual pieces. It’s the ease of them. A great white T shirt. A slightly oversized button down. Carpenter pants that can survive a coffee spill and honestly look better for it. Vintage Levi’s that have already lived one life before entering yours. A really good sweater.

Obviously this is our king Matthew Mcconaughey but I know Jacob would wear this fit and I would too so im including <3

Everything they wear is like, nothing revolutionary which has sort of been the ongoing theme running through my brain. The older I get, the more convinced I am that the best wardrobes are less about owning a million interesting things and more about owning really really good versions of ordinary things. Beautiful basics….if you will.

The Shirt You Wear Three Ways

I want almost everything I buy right now to pass a very unofficial test: Can I wear this now, in two months, and again six months from now without feeling like I’ve wandered into the wrong season? A button down should work open over a tiny top now, tucked into trousers later, and layered underneath a sweater when it finally gets cold.

The same goes for something like the Kotn Sahra Tie Blouse, which has enough detail to feel special without locking itself into one specific look. The A Room London Lise Knit Top scratches a similar itch. It’s a knit, yes, but not the sort that immediately sends you mentally to November. It can live in that murky little weather window we’re currently occupying. And then there are pieces that do a good amount of the styling for you. The Mode Mischief Studios Amber Mini Dress feels like that. Throw it on with bare legs while summer is still hanging around, then start adding a jacket, tights, or a heavier shoe once fall decides to actually show up. That versatility has become much more appealing to me than chasing something purely because it belongs to a particular season.

The Sexy Little Top

One of the more useful things I’ve learned about getting dressed is that finding a silhouette that really works for your body is far more valuable than finding twenty trends you vaguely like. For me, that silhouette has been halters and sleeveless blouses that show off my shoulders. There’s something about the exposed shoulder and higher neckline that feels minimal without being boring, feminine without becoming overly precious. And because halters come in so many iterations, I’ve realized they aren’t exclusively a summer piece!

I recently came across the Of Planet Earth Pompeii Top and it’s exactly the kind of piece I want right now. Something that can stand completely on its own during those aggressively warm September afternoons, but still looks intentional under a jacket later.

Somewhere Between Femme and Masc

The most interesting part of getting dressed lately has been finding that sweet spot between traditionally masculine and feminine references. A worn in pair of vintage Levi’s with a halter. Carpenter pants with ballet flats. A chore jacket over something tiny and delicate. A romantic blouse with a pair of sunglasses that feel almost severe. There is something much more satisfying to me about the tension between the two than dressing entirely toward one side.

The CCS French cropped chore jacket feels perfect for this. It has all the utility and structure of workwear, but cropped into a proportion that changes the whole attitude of it. Same with the Brooke Callahan tie pants. Relaxed and practical, but not devoid of personality. And the Mais x Frida Rita Skirtgives you the inverse. Start with something inherently feminine, then rough it up a little with an old T shirt, menswear inspired jacket, or something you found after scrolling far too deep into eBay at midnight. Which brings me to vintage Levi’s. eBay is the fucking best for this. In fact while I was writing this I came across the perfect pair for $10 that I will absolutely be watching with hawk eyes until I can safely order it upon my return from a long trip. There are few things I enjoy more than finding a pair of light wash Levi’s that have already been broken in by somebody else. Denim is one of the rare categories where I actively prefer evidence of a previous life. The fading, the softness, the occasional imperfection. New denim spends years trying to manufacture what vintage denim simply has.

If the Clothes Get Quieter, the Jewelry Can Get Louder

The irony of leaning into simpler clothes is that I’ve become much more interested in accessories. Specifically, statement necklaces. Jewels. Stones. Color. Slightly ridiculous things hanging around my neck. If I’m wearing a monochromatic look, a plain tank, or a white T shirt with trousers, suddenly there’s room for something decorative. It feels like the easiest way to bring femininity back into the masculine pieces I’ve been gravitating toward without disrupting what I liked about them in the first place.

The Verified Calf Hair Cafe Mini Bag brings texture to an otherwise simple look. The Jimmy Fairly Aela sunglasses give you shape without needing another layer. And the Zara ruffle leather ballet flats are almost comically feminine in the best way, especially when paired with something tougher or more utilitarian up top.

It’s less about matching and more about creating friction.

The Anti Seasonal Wardrobe

I’m not particularly interested in having a summer wardrobe and a fall wardrobe anymore. I just want a wardrobe where the pieces change context depending on what’s around them. The same tank that lived with a skirt in July can end up underneath a chore jacket in October. The button down gets rolled up, buttoned up, tied, tucked, layered, and probably stolen back out of the laundry pile.

The transition into fall doesn’t necessarily require becoming an entirely new person who suddenly wears oxblood loafers and carries a novel everywhere. Though, admittedly, I support her. It can be smaller than that. A better T shirt. A fantastic pair of pants. An old pair of Levi’s. A tiny bag. A giant necklace. A halter you already know makes you feel good. Pieces that don’t belong to a season so much as they belong to you.

So that’s kinda where I’m at right now. Slightly masculine. Slightly feminine. Seventies obsessed. Accessorized within an inch of my life.

Aaaaaand still checking the weather app before I leave the house :)