The art of in-between
As summer gives way to autumn, Ophelia Wu explores how fabric, colour, proportion and texture can help us navigate the in-between season - making more of what we already own while staying true to our personal style.
Photographs: Various
Text: Ophelia Wu
Last month, as Copenhagen Fashion Week marked its 20th anniversary with the Spring/Summer 2027 collections, and another season of New York, London, Milan, and Paris Fashion Weeks is kicking off around now, we find ourselves in that beautifully annoying in-between period. Get ready for an ocean of street style and upcoming trend inspiration flooding your social media feeds. Take inspiration as you like, but be intentional about choosing what actually works for you.
While the fashion industry is already looking a year ahead, we are often looking ahead to the next season while still dressing for the weather by the week, or what we have today. Especially in Denmark, where you can never quite trust the weather (the actual weather and the app!)
Now is the time of year when our wardrobes can feel the most uncertain. It is not quite cold enough for coats and scarves, but it is no longer high summer, with the sun blazing for 16 hours a day. If you have limited wardrobe space and options, this is when it pays to be a little smarter about what you already have and how you put it together.
One might ask: can I not simply wear my summer clothes, add a jacket on top and call it an autumn outfit?
Not always.
Transitioning between seasons isn’t about replacing your wardrobe twice a year, or moving half of it into storage every few months. It is about knowing what you already have and understanding how different elements work together. It is an art form. Danes and Scandinavians, in general, are very skilful at it because it blends practicality, personality, and functionality in ways that make sense to them.
It is also a good time to take a proper look at your wardrobe. Trends come and go, and there is a high chance that some of the seasonal pieces you bought were only ever intended for one particular moment. Others may simply have been worn to death. Before automatically buying something new, talk yourself through it.
When you consider fabric, colour, proportion and texture before making your next purchase or deciding what to keep, getting dressed becomes less reactive and a little less stressful.
Here are four things to consider when transitioning your wardrobe between seasons.
1. Fabric and weight
Look beyond whether something is technically labelled a “summer” or “autumn” garment. Fabric weight, breathability, structure and texture all influence how an outfit feels, functions and looks.
Adding another layer doesn’t always make an outfit feel right for the next season. If everything underneath remains very lightweight and summery, the visual and physical balance can still feel off.
As the temperature changes, so does the role that fabric plays. Sometimes the difference is subtle, but you can feel it when an outfit starts to look and behave more seasonally appropriate.
2. Colour palette
I love colour, and I love thinking about colour as a palette rather than a collection of individual shades.
Seasonal dressing isn’t about following a prescribed colour chart or going to Pantone to find what’s trendy. Colour affects how we perceive temperature, mood and even visual weight, but there are no fixed rules. Nobody will arrest you for wearing bright yellow in winter or black in summer.
Of course, there are colours that we tend to associate more strongly with particular seasons, but that does not mean they belong exclusively to them.
The most interesting wardrobes allow colour to evolve gradually. You can shift the overall feeling of what you wear without suddenly abandoning everything you loved three months ago. Otherwise, you risk looking as though you have simply pressed a giant “AUTUMN” button on 1 September. And most importantly, Danes don’t just dress in black, white, blue, navy and grey- don’t be afraid to wear colours and patterns if they speak to you.
“Transitioning between seasons isn’t about replacing your wardrobe. It’s about knowing what you already have and understanding how different elements work together.”
3. Proportion and layering
Layering is not simply about putting something over something else.
Every additional piece changes the proportion, silhouette and visual balance of an outfit. It changes the volume, affects the relationship between the top and bottom, and can either enhance or distort the body’s proportions. This is why an outfit can contain perfectly good individual pieces and still somehow not look quite right together.
Layering is not always about adding more. Think about what you are putting on, what you might need to remove, and where each element sits in relation to everything else. Sometimes one well-considered layer does more for an outfit than three unnecessary ones.
4. Texture and details
It is not just about fabric or cuts. The finishing touches matter too: shoes, accessories, jewellery, hats, bags and all the smaller details that complete an outfit. These elements can subtly shift the character of what you are wearing without changing the entire look.
Clothing alone doesn’t communicate season. An outfit can have the same silhouette and still feel completely different because of its texture, finish and details.
The right detail does not necessarily need to stand out. Often, it works precisely because it supports everything else. The smallest visual decisions can change an outfit’s overall character, and that is often where personal style becomes more interesting than simply following the season’s trends.
Perhaps that is the beauty of these in-between months. They let us pause before rushing into the next season, play around, try things out, and evolve with the season. Fashion will keep moving forward, and we can enjoy looking ahead, but that does not mean our wardrobes need to move at the same speed. Fashion will keep moving forward, and we can enjoy looking ahead, but that doesn’t mean our wardrobes need to move at the same speed.
