Seasonless Style

Floriane Fosso coat
Le Chateau sweater (similar)
Mavi jeans (c/o)
Christian Louboutin heels
Celine bag
Celine sunglasses

I have never swapped my wardrobe out between summer and winter. I know that sounds a bit farfetched, but the truth is, I’ve never seen the point. The only thing I wear in the summer that I don’t wear in winter is shorts. I own two pairs, both denim. Otherwise, my wardrobe is seasonless.

I’d never given seasonless style much thought as a concept until late last week, when one of my blogger friends, Lydia, described my style that way. I’ve long believed that a simple wardrobe made up of great basics with a few special pieces can be the foundation of hundreds of fabulous outfits. Although I don’t follow The Five-Piece French Wardrobe very strictly anymore, that’s mostly because the basics are all already in my closet. I just don’t have to think about it. If you’re here often, you’ve seen the evidence. Five of the six pieces in the look show up over and over again in my outfits. But even if you are here often, the fact is that you may not have noticed. And that’s the point. If you own the right pieces, you can wear them day after day, year round, without anyone thinking you’re repeating your outfits.

Seasonless style doesn’t work in every climate. But even if you live in a place where temperatures changes are extreme – and it doesn’t get more extreme than Winnipeg, where – 25 celsius is as normal in winter as + 25 celsius is in the summer – creative layering goes a long way. We took these photos in Paris in April. Not everyone embraces black as a spring shade, of course. But my love of the darkest of shades is undiminished year round. It was a cool morning. Later in the day, I traded my turtleneck for a silk tank. But even in the moment, I found myself thinking how much wear I would get out of the same outfit in the fall. And I was right.

Winter has officially arrived now, which means I need a second coat on top of my Floriane Fosso coat these days. But the outfit works just as well now as it did in April. By July, I’ll probably be trading the jeans for shorts and the sweater for a tank. But the basic framework of the look will be the same. As someone who loves warm weather best but lives for fall fashion, cultivating a seasonless look gives me the best of both worlds.

If you’re a colour lover, seasonless style might not be right for you. But if you’re looking for a way to simplify getting dressed in the morning, try to focus your shopping on clothes you can wear year round. It will make your mornings infinitely easier!