Time to think autumn?

Now, I’m not for one moment suggesting you pack up your summer gear because if you’re anything like me, you’ll still be overheating constantly during the day, but dare I say I have noticed a little nip in the air come the evening time.

In my downtime, I’m still very much committed to my summer looks and wearing flippy little dresses and shorts but there is one area of my life where I do feel a more natural move towards my autumn style. There’s something about this time of year where I start to want to get back to a little bit of a more structured workwear look and start making plans for my autumn work style wardrobe.

The trick is to gradually transition over your work clothes from summer to autumn and realistically you’ll be wearing these transitional items a lot more as the seasons stay in this sort of 'in-betweeny' moment. Take a look at what you’re currently wearing and think about where these seasonal tweaks can be made.

If you’ve been investing in your capsule wardrobe, then you really only have a little bit of work to do. Workwear doesn’t have to be boring, and in fact it shouldn’t be when we spend most of our time in workwear. See what you already own and experiment and introduce texture, print, and colour to your looks. Colour is a great way to update a look; pair bright and light summer blues with burgundy and wines and add khaki green to warm weather whites for an instant refresh.

This week was the first week in a long time that I’ve worn jeans, and depending on your work style, you can definitely add denim to your work wardrobe. I have a pair of deep indigo straight leg jeans that look smart enough for the office and for my autumn workwear I’ll be styling these with some great oversized shirts.

I love a classic white or a blue and white striped shirt, but I popped into H&M the other day and spotted some really lovely shirts in a variety of great colour combinations. I’ve seen a gorgeous wine and pink striped one and a red and white one which had an interesting silhouette that would absolutely dress up the denim. Wear now with flats or with a heeled boot in mid-autumn/winter. Tie a knit around your shoulders if the office aircon is still at full blast and you need another cosy layer.

Keeping the shirt as one of the central pieces to your work wardrobe, you can also swap out the denim and add in a midi skirt to give a whole other look. I’ve seen some lovely linen midi skirts in a range of easy to wear neutrals and these will pair perfectly with oversized shirts for now but come the autumn, you can add in your silky slip skirts in jewel tones and also pop on a little fitted light knit cardigan.

The cardi is also a great piece for now and can be worn layered, is practical, and also works so well with denim, skirts, and with oversized, tailored trousers. I also have spoken about my cream a-line skirt that I have lived in for many a summer and I’ll be bringing this into the new season with me with the addition of a number of items from a khaki cardigan to a cropped, short, cotton jacket.

While I do love the summer, it is also exciting to get creative and be inspired with a new season.