About a month ago, I was getting ready to pack for a 5 week trip.  Now, as you may be thinking… this should be super easy for you since you wrote a article on it.  (if not, here it is!)

Well??? This trip include 7 (very different) cities/climates and 2 countries. 

I would have to pack cool enough for the Arizona desert and the Texan sun, while staying warm enough in a NYC winter and the Philadelphia chill.   But the hard part for me, wasn’t that I had to fit everything for 4 weeks inside my carry on.  Nope not at all.

This difficult part was when three of my totally fave “go-to’s” failed!  

How did this happen?!

Two months ago, my husband and I thought a good idea would be to wake up at 4:30am and do the “Insanity” workout.  You think you’d get tone and slender?  Well… this commenced the comeback of my high school lacrosse thighs.  SOOOO, long story short, my Joe’s black coated skinnies were just not the most modest to wear.

Secondly, my black, heeled Vince Camuto booties… started to get quite worn on the bottom.  I couldn’t redo our last trip where I was writhing in pain with those heels.  

Thirdly, my Free People jeans were too short to wear with my “back up” booties (which is a boot I could have worn with my dresses and shorts.)

Those pieces created SO many fantastic outfits that matched my coat, my heels, and worked for the differences in weather and dressines of occasions.

I WAS SO STRESSED AND FRUSTRATED. 

So what did I do?!  

I had to get creative.  What do I mean by creative?  I had to pair unusual/unsuspecting pieces together.  It ‘stretched’ typical outfit options. My BIGGEST take away, which helped me expand my suitcase was this: Pairing my winter pieces WITH my summer pieces.  

It’s easy to see a big warm, cozy winter sweater and want to store it in a Tupperware to take out next fall.  But before you do that…try this:

Tips for transitioning your winter wardrobe to summer:

1. Pair cozy knits with summer shorts (as unconventional as it seems, this will add a fresh step to your spring wardrobe, and also make your closet feel much bigger)

2. Don’t be afraid to get bold, mix your winter riding boots or booties with lighter summer dresses (this will add a unique 'edge' to your look, and also keep you comfortable during as the climate is cool, but not yet hot)

3. Wear shorts with tights and boots (recommended for a high-waisted short, with more of a "trouser" cut)

4. Pair your thicker, winter skirts with lighter, silk tanks (this will create an intriguing contrast to the eye, through adding texture).

Question:  What’s YOUR tip for transitioning you winter wardrobe to spring.