September calls for a quick wardrobe change—brought about by the erratic attitude our climate tends to adopt at this time of year. We’ve swiftly moved from the balmy, sun-drenched hours of the summer into a season of unpredictability, where copious showers might choose to hold us hostage all of a sudden. Whilst getting rained on might be in no one’s itinerary, it does help to ensure you’re dressed well enough for the turbulent weather, where unexpected gales and downpours might prove to turn your indoor musings into an even more chilly affair. All this, whilst ensuring your equal amount of time under the sun remains light and breezy.
Whilst there may be no hard and fast rule to decoding the season’s sartorial answer, there are a series of formulaic outfit combinations that undeniably render the transition between the irregular climes to be an utter ease. What might it involve, you ask? Perhaps here we might bring your attention to the style mavens that have been ruling the roost all this while—for a necessary masterclass in trans-seasonal dressing.
According to the girls of Blackpink, this might involve reaching for your clever layers, be it sweater vests or overshirts that do well in keeping you warm, whilst remaining airy enough for the outdoors. In terms of marrying aesthetics with practicality, we might look to Zendaya’s latest stomper boot moment or its hardy cousin: the cowboy boot. A trend that has not only seen a comeback via Emily Ratajkowski or Kendall Jenner’s off-duty ensembles, but on the streets of the Big Apple as well, as fashion’s biggest attendees for the New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2023 shows take to the field style.
Between the sweater layers and reliable boot options, we look to lay out all the other building blocks that assuredly make the list for transitional wardrobe staples to depend on this mid-season shift. And for those finding themselves on the cusp of an adventure abroad, it wouldn’t hurt to know that these are the modular staples that you can take anywhere—and will work on the streets of Paris or Seoul just as well. More to cop from the wardrobes of the style stars below, and how to shop them all.
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Vests: Jennie of Blackpink
You know the vest is your sartorial solution to smarter layering, when even the biggest names in fashion are pulling it out of their personal wardrobes. Spotted in New York recently was none other than Blackpink’s Jennie, who was sporting a Chrome Hearts open-front vest that was giving her just the right amount of coverage for the slight drop in temperature. If you’re feeling a little more chilly where you are, look to Shawn Mendes or (G)-IDLE’s Minnie and opt for the thicker option–perfect for wearing solo or over an underpinning.
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Vests: Shawn Mendes
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Vests: Minnie of (G)-IDLE
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Vests: Jeonghan of Seventeen
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Chloé striped cashmere and wool-blend vest, $1,975
Available at Net-a-Porter.
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Purdey leather-trimmed coated-cotton vest, $830
Available at Net-a-Porter.
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The Frankie Shop gelso waistcoat, $336
Available at The Frankie Shop.
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Overshirts: Joy of Red Velvet
If there’s one singular staple to keep on constant rotation throughout the seasons, it’s the overshirt. Simply put: what you’re looking out for is a shirt to layer onto your baby tees or tanks à la K-pop stars Joy and Lisa. Go oversized—and gain the chic dress upgrade that Elsa Hosk carries towards the tail end of summer or perhaps opt for a thicker shirting fabric like wool for more protection through the shifting clime.
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Overshirts: Elsa Hosk
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Overshirts: Yeonjun of TXT
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Overshirts: Lisa of Blackpink
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The Frankie Shop oversized shirt, $236
Available at The Frankie Shop.
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Hardy boots: Zendaya
Zendaya is proving to us all that the rain boots are back in style. Great for strutting around the city in, a pair of hardy boots might come in the vein of the autumn-perfect pair that the Emmy-award winner was spotted wearing out with her midi bodycon. Cowboy boots, a trend that we’ve spotted on the streets as of late, is also a grand option for its marrying of style and practicality.
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Hardy boots: Krystal Jung
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Hardy boots: Emma Chamberlain
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Hardy boots: Dua Lipa
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Zaldig & Voltaire western suede ankle boots, $780
Available at Selfridges.
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Isabel Marant suede and leather boots, $1520
Available at MatchesFashion.
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Cardigans: V of BTS
The cardigan is the alter ego to the vest—and as of late, it’s been shown to work wonders with more sartorial options given to us by our style stars. How so? Look to the boys of BTS and GOT7 and discover the freedom of wearing it solo, with the knowledge that comfort is guaranteed. Gigi Hadid’s rendition instead serves up some colour-coordinating cues as she pairs her cardigan (worn under a corset) with her mini Miu Miu purse.
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Cardigans: Gigi Hadid
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Cardigans: BamBam of GOT7
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Clements Ribeiro colorblock cashmere cardigan, $1,793
Available at Net-a-Porter.
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Midi skirts: Emily Ratajkowski
For those looking to keep yourself feeling airy and well-protected at the same time, the midi skirt will go a long way in giving you all the necessary fabric required to stave off the chilly breeze. For a lighter look, adopt Emily Ratajkowski’s slinkier take on the midi but should the strong gales prove to be a tad too much, perhaps turn to Rosalia’s and Sabrina Carpenter’s more structured affair. If you’re travelling to the colder parts of the globe? Adding a pair of leggings underneath will do the trick—and it’ll go completely unnoticed.
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Midi skirts: Sabrina Carpenter
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Midi skirts: Rosalia
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Reformation side-split silk maxi skirt, $265
Available at Selfridges.
