Quirky ways to style your summer dresses for autumn

Is there anything worse than having to do the whole roll-up-your-dresses trick to fold away your summer dresses at the end of the season? To see them shoved away in a drawer for another year? I mean, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic here, but it is a sad affair. If you’re someone like me that adores summer styling, and really comes into their own when sunshine hits, it can make you nothing short of distraught having to say TTFN to your boho maxi dresses and flower print minis. Dresses have a way of bringing joy, and when you can’t wear your faves just because of a turn in the weather, it IS sad, okay?!

But, all is good in the hood, because there really are ways you can make most summer dresses work for autumn and winter. And, in 2020, when reusing and rewearing really matters, it’s good to get as much versatility out of your pieces as possible. So, this year, I’ve made it my mission to purposefully style up all my summer dresses, to ensure I take them into 2021 with me – because no dress deserves to be left in the hell hole that is 2020.

I’ve styled up a few in my latest Reel over on Instagram – which you can check out here.

If you’re more of a blog reader than a Reel watcher, here are all the deets on the styling for these beauties:

The one with the rollneck

I mean, I don’t think you could get much more summery than this dress. Bright yellow, daisies all over – it’s practically like spring has vommed all over it. However, pair with an equally bright, but more autumnally-faired (or grass-coloured lol) rollneck, and you’ve got yourself an autumnal colour explosion, which is cosy and comfy.

The one with the knee-high boots

Okay, this dress really can’t be done with tights – or if you have to wear them, they need to be covered as much as possible. It’s just too wonderful a dress to be worn with tights. However, throw on some knee-high boots, as most autumnal gals have in their wardrobe already, and you’re onto a winner! This dress gives me very Ariana, No Tears Left to Cry vibes, with how smocky and flouncy it is. And a dress like that can only be worn with knee-high boots, of course.

The one over jeans

This is very high-end fashhhun-esque. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but felt like I could never pull off. I still probs can’t, but at least you can blame the lewk on having to layer up due to freezing temperatures and not your poor styling expertise… Just kidding, this is a LEWK – okay? All the designers and street style stars do it – and us mere mortals can try and pull it off, too!

The one with seasonally-appropriate colours

I’ve had this dress in my wardrobe for a v v long time, and it’s always seen me through all seasons. It looks great with a tan in summer, and it looks equally good layered up for winter. The cool yet warm tones of the dress are perfect year-round, and it’s just one of those lucky buys. If you do have to purchase a dress this winter, make sure it’s versatile enough like this baby to take you year-round!

The white dress

This was a tough one to style. White dresses signify summer – and that’s that. They’re for bohemian, festival vibes – they should be relegated to Coachella only. However, I didn’t want to let go of this beauty, and I really wanted to make it work year-round, so I’ve tried to edge it up a little for winter, and avoid the prissy summer vibes. I think I’ve just about managed it, and the ruffles on the dress create a little more excitement to play with, so I’m very much looking forward to wearing it over autumn and winter with some chunky tights.

The one with all the layers

If in doubt, literally throw all the layers over your dress so you can’t get weird looks for wearing a summer dress in winter. Styling 101 – lol. This is one of my most beautiful purchases and I adore it so so much. I want to be able to wear it all year round, but it’s the kind of dress that needs dainty kinda accessorising – it just wouldn’t look right with a bulky winter coat. So, I’ve thrown on a lightweight mac, added some funky boots and, of course, a fedora (the autumnal staple) and we’re good to go.

I hope this post has helped you get some inspo for styling your much-loved summer dresses over autumn and winter! I’d love to see how you’ve styled yours – send me your pics and tips over on Instagram at @maddiemae_xo – I wanna seeee!!