the art of layering

One of my most favorite features in Lucky is the perennial Now and Later fashion story, which shows you how to wear something this very minute and a few months from now. I always glean ingenious layering tips, and the layers required are often wardrobe staples that I, thankfully, already own (i.e., trench coat, jean jacket, denim vest, crew neck sweaters, turtlenecks, striped shirts, blazers, tights, boots, etc.). These stories also point out the most ideal pieces for re-inventing, the ones that can be worn every season, with some simple styling tweaks. So, I was intrigued when I came across Shopbop's recent editorial on layering, which employed a cute swingy summer mini dress by Markus Lupfer. To make it autumn-worthy, a coat, sweater, socks and boots were added. I especially love how the sweater makes the dress look like a skirt. Very Jonathan Saunders. Inspired, I decided to hunt down some made-for-layering summer dresses that can take you all the way through  next winter. Here are loads of options, some of which are (woo-hoo!) on sale: Proenza Schouler (on sale), Rebecca Taylor, Diane Von Furstenberg, Isabel Marant (on sale), Yigal Azrouel, BB Dakota (on sale), Tibi (on sale), and Asos.