There’s a very specific point in August when getting dressed becomes slightly confusing.
It’s too early for full fall. Too late to pretend summer is going to last forever. The afternoon says sandals. Dinner says bring a jacket.
Welcome to the in-between season. Also known as our favourite time to get dressed.
Because this is where a wardrobe gets interesting.
Instead of packing summer away and suddenly emerging in head-to-toe fall, we’re keeping the pieces we love in rotation and adding just enough texture, structure and depth to make them feel new again.
Start With Something You’d Wear Right Now
The best transitional outfits don’t start with fall clothes. They start with the pieces you’re already wearing.
A great button-down. Your favourite denim. A little knit. A satin skirt. The dress you’ve lived in all summer.
Citizens of Humanity is particularly good at this. An easy shirt with relaxed denim feels perfectly right now, but add a blazer, loafer or lightweight knit and suddenly you’re halfway to October without trying very hard.
That is exactly the point.
Burgundy Is Having a Moment
We love a neutral, obviously. But this season, the colour making its way into our wardrobes is deep, rich burgundy.
Consider it the more interesting cousin of black.
We’re especially into the new A.L.C. pieces arriving in this palette. Satin, lace, draping and deeper wine tones give you that first hint of fall without feeling remotely heavy.
Wear the top now with denim. Wear the skirt with a simple tee. Wear the set together when you want everyone to think you made significantly more effort than you actually did.
We support that.
The Shirt Is Doing a Lot of Work
One of the hardest-working pieces in a late-summer wardrobe is also one of the simplest: a really good shirt.
Wear it buttoned. Wear it open over a tank. Half tuck it into denim. Push up the sleeves. Throw it over your shoulders when the temperature inevitably drops seven degrees.
The Citizens of Humanity Petit Ami Shirt is exactly the kind of piece we mean. Relaxed, slightly cropped and uncomplicated in the best possible way.
And in a deep brown like Brun? Very fall. Zero commitment to an actual coat.
Add Texture Before You Add Layers
You do not need six pieces on your body to look like you understand transitional dressing.
Sometimes all it takes is changing the texture.
Satin with denim. Lace with something tailored. A lightweight knit with a structured skirt. A feminine self-portrait piece with a more relaxed jacket or denim layer.
That contrast is what makes an outfit feel styled rather than simply dressed.
It also happens to be a very good way to keep wearing your summer pieces long after summer has technically left the building.
Keep One Foot in Summer
Please do not put the sandals away yet.
The easiest late-summer outfits mix seasons rather than choosing one. Think denim with a barely-there heel. A fall-toned skirt with a simple tank. A lightweight knit with bare legs. A romantic dress toughened up with an oversized layer.
One element says summer. One says fall.
Somehow, together, they make perfect sense.
And Then There’s the Third Piece
You know the outfit that feels fine but not quite finished?
It probably needs a third piece.
An oversized blazer. A lightweight jacket. A shirt worn open. A knit thrown over your shoulders.
That final layer is often what takes jeans-and-a-top territory into yes, this was intentional territory.
The trick is not to overthink it. The best looks right now feel a little undone.
What We’re Wearing Now
Late-summer dressing isn’t about buying an entirely new wardrobe for the three-week period between seasons.
It’s about finding pieces that can live in both.
The A.L.C. piece you wear to dinner now and layer later. The Citizens of Humanity denim that works approximately 300 days of the year. The self-portrait knit or dress that can shift seasons depending entirely on what you put with it.
Those are the pieces we want in our closets.
Less new season, new wardrobe.
More new season, same wardrobe, better styling.
And frankly, we like that much more.