thinking outside the box

this weekend at Mighty Swell, nora and i were having so much fun styling outfits for people. we both love to find new and different ways to style clothes. our new friend amanda, from Salvaged Strawberry, had us picking out outfits for her all weekend. we were forcing her to try on clothes that – she said herself – she would never have thought to pick out for herself, or would never have thought to put together. at the end of the weekend, she was mad at us (ok, not really) for making her spend so much money on her great new outfits.

then i started hearing a lot of people talking about putting away their summer clothes for the winter. yes, who doesn't love to make more room in their closets for chunky sweaters and hand-knit scarves? i get it that no one thinks they are going to wear slinky sundresses mid-january. but you know what, i do...i love thinking outside the box and pairing great summer clothes with cozy winter clothes. it's cute, it's fresh, and best of all, it lets you double the use of your wardrobe.

so i thought i'd throw out a few of my favorite ways to stretch the use of your best summer pieces!

tights with sandals. i'm not talking nude hose and strappy sandals. i mean big, thick, cable-knit tights with a chunky-heeled sandal. or a super funky floral or bright colored opaque tight with a fun complimenting colored sandal. just make sure they don't have the reinforced toe like the old panty hose from back in the day!

so cute!

which leads me to tights. i love tights. i wish i owned a pair in every color, design and knit. Betsey Johnson makes the funnest tights (and hint, you can get them cheap at Marshalls).

buy some fun ones, wear them with a wool skirt, a cute tank from summer and some booties. cover up with a cute cardigan. or wear them with black shorts, riding boots, an off the shoulder tee, and a boyfriend cardigan. extra cold? get some cute leg warmers. go wild!

so you've got the sandals, you've got the tights. now you need a cute cardigan or blazer. a cardigan or a blazer will take your summer clothes far into the winter. take that sundress, throw on your cute new tights and warm yourself up with one of these:

i choose not to put my summer clothes away. i like to be able to look forward to a little bit of sunshine in the middle of winter...and if the only way i can get that is through my floral sundress...than that's how i'm going to do it!

images via here, here, here, here, here, here, here