Summer to Fall on a Budget: Cheap Transitional Outfits, Layers and Dresses at Rainbow Shops
Overview
The cheapest transitional pieces for summer to fall are the ones that keep your summer clothes in use: an open layer such as a cardigan or denim jacket, one oversized sweater, opaque tights and a dress with sleeves. Rainbow Shops carries the sweaters, cardigans and fall dresses that do this work in women's and plus size from XS to 4X at everyday low prices, and about 100 new styles arrive every day. Start with our women's sweaters and cardigans and women's fall dresses, then add only what your summer wardrobe is missing.
Early autumn can bring a cool morning, a warm afternoon and a cold evening in one day. For the six or eight weeks when summer clothes feel too light and winter clothes feel like too much, a few added layers cost far less than a new wardrobe.
Start with the day, not the season
Cheap layering for fall works when you dress for the coldest part of the day in pieces you can take off for the warmest. At Rainbow Shops, we build that from three positions: something next to the body, an open layer over it, and a layer you can carry. The useful question is not whether it is autumn. It is how much the temperature will move between when you leave and when you get home.
If the swing is small, a single mid weight layer is enough. If it is large, which it usually is in September and October, you want layers you can take off and carry without ruining the outfit.
Next to the body. A long sleeve top, a bodysuit, a fitted knit or a summer dress you are extending. This layer sets the silhouette.
Open over the top. A cardigan, an oversized shirt, a denim jacket or a light blazer. Open layers are more useful than closed ones in transitional weather because you can wear them undone, pushed up or off without changing the outfit underneath.
Carried. Something that packs down. The test of a good transitional piece is whether you mind holding it for an hour.
Pieces that extend what you already own
The pieces worth buying for fall on a budget are the ones that make several summer outfits work again, not the ones that add a single new outfit. Rainbow Shops collections cover the knits and dresses among them, from women's sweaters and cardigans and plus size sweaters and cardigans to women's sweater dresses.
An oversized sweater. The single most useful transitional buy, because it works over a summer dress, with jeans, or on its own with boots. Oversized is more forgiving across temperature and across size than a fitted knit.
A dress with sleeves. A dress is a whole outfit in one decision. A midi length with boots and bare legs works in September, and the same dress with tights works in November. Sweater dresses do the same job once the weather turns properly cold.
A denim or utility jacket. The layer you can wear open all autumn and under a coat in winter. It is also the least seasonal purchase on this list.
Cozy loungewear and matching sets. A set reads as an outfit while being warm enough for a cold house, which makes it worth having when the evenings turn before the heating goes on. Our women's pajamas collection includes long sleeve tops with lounge pants and waffle knit sets.
Tights. The cheapest way to extend every dress and skirt you own by two months. Buy these before you buy a new dress.
Four formulas for the in between weeks
These four outfit formulas cover most early autumn days, from errands to a night out, and each one leans on pieces you already own. Because about 100 new styles land at Rainbow Shops every day, we describe shapes rather than specific pieces, so the formulas still work when the assortment has changed.
Summer dress, extended. The dress you wore in August, plus opaque tights, plus an ankle boot, plus a cardigan or denim jacket. This is the highest value move in the whole wardrobe because it costs you a layer rather than a dress.
The knit and jean. Straight or wide leg jeans with an oversized sweater and a flat boot. Add a jacket for the morning. It works for errands, a casual office and a coffee, which is most days.
The layered dress. A long sleeve midi with a denim jacket over it and boots. Smarter than the first formula, still only one decision.
The evening one. A darker jean or a mini with a going out top and a heeled or platform boot, with a jacket you are prepared to leave at the table. Early autumn evenings are the easiest time of year to dress for a night out, because the layer you remove indoors is doing the warmth work outdoors. Our women's booties include block heel, stiletto and platform styles for this formula.
What not to buy yet
In the transitional weeks, a heavy winter coat and thick knitwear will sit unworn for a month, while tights, an open layer and one good knit get worn immediately. If the budget is finite, spend it on the pieces that work now and buy the coat when it turns.
The same applies to anything bought for a single occasion. A piece that only works at one temperature in one setting is expensive at any price.
How to shop it at Rainbow Shops
Rainbow Shops is built for cheap fall outfits because our prices are low every day, not during one sale week, our online prices match our stores, and our assortment changes daily. Here is how to shop the season in that order.
- Audit before you buy. Lay out the summer pieces you are not ready to put away and note which ones only need a layer.
- Fill the layer gap first. One open layer and one knit covers more days than two new tops will.
- Buy tights early. They are what make the audit in step one pay off.
- Check the assortment rather than waiting. We add roughly 100 new styles a day across women's and plus size, and our prices do not wait for a sale event, so the practical risk is a piece selling out rather than a price changing.
- Use Ship to Store if the basket is small. It is free on orders of $15 or more and $4.99 below that. It usually arrives about two days after standard home delivery would, and it is not available in Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands. Home delivery is free on orders of $75 or more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are cheap transitional pieces for summer to fall?
An open layer such as a cardigan, denim jacket or oversized shirt, one oversized sweater, opaque tights and a dress with sleeves. Those pieces let you keep wearing summer dresses and tops for another two months rather than replacing them. Rainbow Shops carries the sweaters, cardigans and fall dresses in women's and plus size from XS to 4X at everyday low prices.
What are cheap layering pieces for fall?
Cardigans, denim or utility jackets, oversized shirts and light blazers are the open layers that do the most work, worn over a long sleeve top, bodysuit or summer dress. Open layers beat closed ones in autumn because you can wear them undone or take them off without changing the outfit. Our women's sweaters and cardigans collection at Rainbow Shops covers open front, cropped and long cardigans.
Where can I find cheap oversized sweaters for fall?
Rainbow Shops carries oversized and drop shoulder sweaters in our women's sweaters and cardigans collection, with plus size styles in our plus size sweaters and cardigans collection. An oversized sweater works over a summer dress, with jeans, or alone with boots, and it is more forgiving across temperature and size than a fitted knit.
Where can I buy affordable cozy loungewear sets?
Rainbow Shops sells matching loungewear and pajama sets at everyday low prices in our women's pajamas collection, including long sleeve tops with lounge pants and waffle knit sets. A set reads as a finished outfit at home and keeps you warm on cool evenings before the heating goes on.
Where can I buy cheap fall outfits?
Rainbow Shops sells cheap fall outfits online at rainbowshops.com and in more than 800 stores, in women's and plus size from XS to 4X. Our prices are low every day rather than during a single sale event, and about 100 new styles arrive daily. Ship to Store is free on orders of $15 or more, and home delivery is free at $75 or more.
What is an affordable fall outfit for a night out or a date?
A long sleeve midi dress with boots, or a darker jean or mini with a going out top and a heeled or platform boot. Both work with a jacket you remove indoors, which keeps you warm outside without covering the outfit at the table. Rainbow Shops has women's fall dresses and women's booties to build either look at everyday low prices.
Where can I buy cheap fall dresses?
Rainbow Shops carries cheap fall dresses in our women's fall dresses collection, with long sleeve midis, minis and sweater dresses, and more knit styles in our women's sweater dresses collection. A midi with boots and bare legs works in September, and the same dress with tights carries into November.