It's happening. Whether we like it or not, summer is drawing to a close and with that, it's time to investigate autumn outfit ideas and the best transitional looks the fashion world has to offer. While I still expect some warm and bright days ahead, I'm looking for smart casual outfit ideas from my summer wardrobe that I can gently tweak and restyle to give them a new-season feel.
Whether that's switching up my beloved Viviaia sandals for a pair of boots, or adding one of the autumn/winter handbag trends 2025 to my outfits to give them a refresh, I'm certainly still going to max out the cost per wear on my favourite summer dresses, but just with some new accessories or layers to keep comfortable in the changing climes.
As the weather turns, dresses with sleeves are a great option for keeping your styling polished but simple. The Boden Mae linen dress might be crafted from a traditionally 'summer' fabric, but the russet hue, longer length, higher neckline and full sleeve say that this design will work all year, just with added breathability.
This russet, earthy hue is absolutely gorgeous and a range of brown tones is one of the key fashion colour trends for 2025, ensuring that this transitional piece will look trend-worthy as we head into autumn. The embroidery work is absolutely stunning and gives the dress a designer look and feel.
While the dress admittedly didn't have much hanger appeal when I unpacked it, I was thrilled when I finally slipped it on. With a button-through, shirt dress style silhouette, you can customise how you want the neckline and if you want to create a slit at the front too. The dress comes with a self-tie fabric belt in the same fabric and colour, but the whipstitch belt pictured on the model looks great with it, and is one I've added to my shopping list, as I think a good belt can up the wow factor on most outfits.
A brand regularly spotted on the likes of the Princess of Wales, I know I'm in good company when I shop at Boden, and unsurprisingly, the styles I love most often sell through quickly, so if this dress has piqued your interest, I'd get clicking.
Cut to a classic shirt dress style, the Mae silhouette has a round, almost grandad-style neckline. The full-length balloon sleeves feature an oatmeal-hued embroidery that is echoed around the bottom third of the dress and adds a delightful contrast to the russet, almost tobacco-esque hue. As always, I find Boden clothing pretty true to size, and I'm wearing a size 20, which is what I always buy in Boden dresses, and it fits like a glove.
I have to confess, while I love black and navy, I rarely wear brown, but as chocolate, tan and other earthy hues are set to be a big trend over the next six months, I decided I needed to get on board. This lighter, warm hue is ideal for rounding out the summer months and stepping into autumn, and will work well with other neutrals; and although I'm pictured in sandals, I'll be swapping those out for my favourite cream cowboy boots with this dress in the next couple of weeks, and I can't wait.
While you could pair this dress with any other neutral or earthy hue for footwear, I do love the idea of picking up on that oatmeal tone to help pull the look together. There is plenty of detail in the dress, so I'm going to keep my jewellery simple, and slip on a seasonally directional suede handbag in a tan hue to complete the look.
Boden notch neck dress
This maxi dress is fitted through the bodice, before gliding into an A-line skirt, and despite its very obvious boho style, something I feel British clothing brand Boden always does so well, it is still highly polished, and has a tailored finish.
Wearable for any smart occasion, it can easily be dressed up for a late summer/early autumn wedding or reworked for office attire. I'd even go as far as pairing my white FitFlop Rally trainers with it for a relaxed Sunday lunch outing.
Working out what to wear over a dress with full sleeves can be trickier, so I'll be looking for a wide sleeve jacket, sleeveless jackets, or simply a slim fitting thermal to slide on underneath as the climate cools.
Same dress, different colourway, this white with multi-colour print still has a full range of sizes available for shoppers to snap up. A brilliant one for holiday outfit ideas, if you have some winter sun planned, this is the perfect alfresco dining frock for evening polish without compromising on comfort. Summer might be over here, but there's always sunshine and cocktails in some part of the world.
Cut to the same flattering silhouette, I love this bold berry shade. With purple hues, another big colour trend for the months ahead, this dress has a delightfully playful feel. While the shape of the dress is the same, this design uses cut-out detail on the sleeve instead of embroidery, which adds another high-end design element. The royal purple colourway has a jewel-toned finish, making this great for winter wedding season too.
One of the best wedding guest dresses, this multicoloured floral print, on a pumpkin-spiced orange base colour, is an absolutely gorgeous way to welcome in the cooler months. In a silky viscose fabric, this dress is also called 'Mae', which means it is cut to the same exceptional shape as the linen iterations, but with a softer and floatier fabric and a brighter, autumn-ready hue.
While I personally can not wait for autumn weather (the heatwave life is not for me), and autumn dressing (hello luxe layering), I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to summer outfits that have truly served me well.
Although linen is largely associated with warmer climes, there is no reason why a linen dress can't be worn after August, after all, don't we want great breathability from our clothes all year round? While it might not officially be part of the autumn Boden 2025 collection that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, it can certainly be worn during the autumn months.
This russet dress, like many of the Boden dresses in my wardrobe that have come before it, is certainly going to be sticking around for months to come, layered, reworked and restyled to suit whatever the British weather throws at it.
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