Style: Transitioning into Fall

It's finally happening. I woke up this morning and I was chilly, I needed a cardigan when I drove to work, and I'm not miserable outside. 

It's fall, y'all.

While I love decorative gourd season, crisp nights, fall festivals, baking, and basically being cozy all the time, it's sometimes hard to transition a summer wardrobe into a fall one, especially if, like me, you love color. I wear a lot of black and grey too, but I have a weakness for colorful dresses, in particular Lilly Pulitzer dresses. They're perfect for work, going out, or a casual shopping day or lunch. 

But they're...bright.

So how do you tone down the bright neon for fall, especially in a place where it's still sort of warm?

Here are some of my essentials!

Fall Transition by historyandpearls featuring pointy-toe flats

This dress is one of my favorites, the Lilly Pulitzer Marlowe Dress in Swept by the Tides. It's gorgeous, and perfect for basically every occasion, but it is NEON. And wearing a hot pink dress in October just feels...wrong.

One of my favorite ways to tone down color and make an outfit more "fall" is to add a cardigan - the Brookside Cardigan, also by Lilly, is a good choice, as is this 3/4 length sleeve navy cardigan from Maurices.

For a more casual look, adding a navy (or any color, I just love navy) vest is perfect. This one is from Crown & Ivy at Belk, and is so comfy.

I also love adding a men's pullover sweater for a look that straddles that line between comfy and preppy - it's a little oversized, but put it on and you've got a perfect sweater and "skirt" combo! Plus, H&M makes the best men's sweaters - so soft!

One of my favorite color combos is navy with cognac, and these Tommy Hilfiger boots (which I actually just got, ON SALE, at Rack Room) are so comfortable and perfect for a casual day or, with nice accessories, the office. This Fossil purse is currently on my "lusting" list - look at that beautiful color!

Finally, gold is absolutely my favorite neutral right now. How about a great gold flat - perfect for the office or errands - with a dress and cardigan? And this Phara necklace from Kendra Scott can be worn so many ways, it's definitely on my wish list!

Anyone else have any good tips for transitioning a wardrobe - especially a colorful one - to fall?