120/ What I'm Wearing: Weeks 33 - 35

A two week-long challenge for you! Making the best of these fleeting weeks: prompts to dress for Stage 1 of transition season + adding a third lever to my Lever System.

What I’m Wearing is a series where I share all of the outfits I’ve worn over a given week (or two), along with styling notes, links and related thoughts. If you see an outfit you like on my Instagram, you’ll find it here.

---

We’ve moved into transition season here in Toronto — that time of year when the temperature fluctuates between warm and cool, with one foot hanging back, soaking up the last rays of summer, while the other moves toward the crispness of fall.

I’ve written about how to dress for “transition season” before, but upon reflection, that definition — although accurate — feels incomplete. As I was putting this newsletter together, I realized that while I’ve undoubtedly shifted into transition dressing, it’s still very early days. “Transition season” actually covers a two-to-three month period, so what I’m wearing today, September 4, (23C(73F)), will be quite different from what I’ll be wearing on November 4 when it could be 10C (50F).

Why am I parsing transition dressing? Because this early stage — I’m calling it Stage 1 — is fashion’s equivalent of cherry blossom season: it’s so frustratingly fleeting.

Mono no aware, my friends.

Yet, Stage 1 is also when you can actually wear those brilliant but impractical Pinterest inspo outfits you’ve compiled on your moodboard.

You know the ones I’m talking about, right? It’ll be some oddball combination of short shorts and sandals, but with a wool sweater and long trench. Maybe with a baseball cap and canvas tote. The styling is so good, until you realize, “Ummm, this makes no sense? I’ll be cold on the bottom but hot on top? Is this woman menopausal? Where/when am I wearing this?”

Answer: here and now!

In Toronto, Stage 1 is like two weeks long. Two weeks. Too long after Labour Day and not only is the weather cooler, but wearing shorts and sandals starts to look and feel “out of season”.

Hence, I propose a carpe diem challenge: for the next two weeks, let’s make the most of make of this transient season by wearing those combinations you can’t otherwise wear for the other 50 weeks of the year.

Which brings me back to my Lever System:

Each element of your outfit is one singular force that moves it in a certain direction. An element could pull an outfit towards a certain aesthetic, and/or dictate its level of formality. The more forces there are, the more complex — and delicate — it becomes to balance the composition of an outfit as a whole.

In addition to Formality (Lever 1), Directionality (Lever 2), I’m officially adding another lever: Seasonality (Lever 3): each element’s “season” will pull an outfit towards feeling more summery or more wintery.

Seasonality Grid: a work-in-progress

If you want to participate in this Stage 1 challenge, try to combine pieces from all three columns, with most of the outfit’s elements falling under Summer, with a sprinkle of Neutral and/or Winter.

Gradually, your outfit elements will become more Neutral and Winter, and by November 4, most of the elements will fall under Winter, and — if you’re lucky — a bare ankle. And then we’re into a long stretch of solely Winter.

2 x 2 words: two weeks + carpe diem.

I’ll try to illustrate further using the outfits I wore over the past couple of weeks.

Still Summer

Per the Seasonality Grid, every element of this outfit is Summer and undeniably this outfit feels so. And from where I sit in Toronto, it also feels like the season for this outfit has passed. Goodbye, summer 2024, you were a beauty!

Heidi Merrick Calvi top & Camille skirt, Bottega sunglasses, Los Angeles Apparel jellies, Maison Monik Louise necklace.

The elements of my next outfit are half Summer and half Neutral. Fabric weights, fabrics and feet are Neutral, while skin and layers are Summer. Because of the additional Neutral elements, this outfit feels less summery than the above outfit.

Another point I would make here is that the “weight” of an element matters. Fur would strongly pull an outfit towards Winter. Here, because my skin is so prominently bare, I think it pulls Lever 3 more heavily towards a summery feel.

Massimo Dutti sweetheart top, Mango capri leggings, vintage Chanel flats via The Cat’s Meow, vintage Prada top-handle bag via 1132 Consignment, Dorsey Bennington necklace.

Stage 1 Outfits

Okay, here we go…!

Here’s a great example of an outfit that wouldn’t make sense at any other time of year because of the contrast in fabric and fabric weights. I’ve mixed a heavyweight, wool cardigan (Winter) with lightweight poplin boxer shorts (Summer), together with fully covered feet and ankles (Winter), partially covered skin (Neutral), and no layers (Summer).

It’s summery, but not fully. It leans fall, but it’s not quite there yet. And it’s definitely not winter.

Axel Arigato cardigan, Sporty & Rich boxer shorts, Adidas Sambas, socks from sock drawer — origin unknown. By the end of September, I doubt I’ll be able to wear these shorts — so wear them now!

Unlike the above outfit, the fabrications here are more consistent with each other. Neither good nor bad, it just is. Overall, the outfit on the left leans heavily Summer which is tempered by the added layer of the Neutral cotton sweatshirt.

Fairgrounds Ace Crew, De Rococo sporty knitted shorts & ribbed racer top, Away featherlight backpack, Adidas Sambas.

The next two outfits are also both “wouldn’t make sense at any other time of year” outfits. Can you articulate why?

Tibi Liam blazer, husband’s Patrick Assaraf polo shirt, De Rococo sporty knitted shorts, Loewe mini puzzle bag via Mine & Yours (get 10% off with code IRENE10), Tod’s tassle loafers. These ones on Depop are pretty similar and they’re a steal at US$80 (size US6)!

Stage 1 may be the only time of year I can wear a suede blazer over linen shirt and shorts and feel seasonally appropriate!

Zara suede blazer, Ayr pool boy s/s linen shirt, T-Line Reese short, Hereu Puntera flats (back in stock).

Dorsey Hendry bar stud, Fortruss paperclip necklace, Sarah Abaza turquoise/diamond necklace, Jessica Jewellery H & R initial charms, Maison Monik Louise necklace.

Here, the main Summer element is the bare feet. Note that because the skirt is midi length, it feels less summery than short shorts. Also note how easily this outfit could move into fall just by changing the shoes to a pair of boots.

Both: Icon Denim Noa jacket (back in stock), Loulou Studios Limba tank, Aritzia satin lace skirt via Poshmark, me Issey Miyake pleated trunk bag. L: Los Angeles Apparel jellies, R: Ancient Greek Celia sandals.

This is also an outfit I can easily see myself wearing outside of Stage 1, so for this challenge, I’d be inclined to switch up the seasonality of the elements more than I’ve done here. (I wore this on my last day in Paris and was working with what I had in my suitcase, so I didn’t have any Winter options!).

---

I leave you with that!

I’d love to know if you end up participating in this challenge, and would be happy to start an outfit thread on the topic.

An NYFW-focused newsletter will drop in your inboxes tomorrow!

Love and gratitude,
Irene