Fall, at
Eighty-Five Degrees
Every October I watch the rest of the country pull out wool coats while it's still eighty-five degrees here. And every October I hear the same thing: you can't really dress for fall in Florida.
You absolutely can — you just have to change the rules. Wool and cashmere are far too heavy for this weather, so instead of fabric weight, fall becomes about color, print, and where you put your texture.
Better yet, you can do the whole season on a budget by shopping it secondhand. Everything below was sourced on the resale market — most of it well under retail. Here are the four rules I dress by, with the finds to match.
You can't really dress for fall in Florida? You absolutely can — you just have to change the rules.
Featured Finds
Print is your heavy fabric
Nothing signals fall faster than animal print — and in sheer silks and lightweight weaves, it works in full sun. Tiger, leopard, zebra: treat them as neutrals and let the print do the work a coat would do elsewhere.
Nili Lotan
Sheer tiger-print blouse
Found on Poshmark
Camilla
Embellished leopard mini skirt
Found on Poshmark
Schutz
Dellia leopard knee-high boots
Found on Poshmark
Etro
Silk zebra-print fringe jacket
Link on request
Ulla Johnson
Butterfly-print silk maxi dress
Found on Poshmark
Ulla Johnson
Nora smocked top in cobalt ikat
Found on Poshmark
Marques' Almeida
Striped semi-sheer button-up
Found on The RealReal
Prices reflect individual listings at time of publication. Availability varies.
Color carries the season
Chocolate brown, olive, red, black fading to ivory — you can wear the entire autumn palette in featherweight silk, satin, and linen. The color reads fall; the fabric reads Florida.
Cortana
Chocolate silk tie-neck top
Found on The RealReal
Chloé
Olive wide-leg trousers, new with tags
Found on The RealReal
Reformation
Marlowe red slip mini dress
Found on Poshmark
DISSH
Black-to-ivory satin drawstring pants
Found on Poshmark
The Frankie Shop
Sheer silk organza short set
Link on request
Róhe
Pleated linen Bermuda shorts
Link on request
Prices reflect individual listings at time of publication. Availability varies.
Texture moves to your accessories
Suede is the fall texture, but a suede coat in this humidity is a no. Let a bag or a shoe carry it instead — and save the one wearable suede piece for over-air-conditioned restaurants, which are the real Florida winter.
Gucci
Vintage Jackie in burnt-orange suede, bamboo handle
Found on The RealReal
Khaite
Navy suede bucket bag, 60% off retail
Found on The RealReal
Miu Miu
Vintage lizard frame bag in forest green
Link on request
Tony Bianco
Cosmic mules in espresso suede
Found on Poshmark
Tony Bianco
Koko slingback in Bordeaux patent
Found on Poshmark
Loewe
Gate leather mules
Link on request
Manolo Blahnik
Satin crystal-buckle d'Orsay pumps
Link on request
Loeffler Randall
Leonie woven check ballet flats
Found on Poshmark
Chloé
Marbled shield gradient sunglasses
Found on The RealReal
Amanda Uprichard
Vero suede bomber, brand new
Found on Poshmark
Elena Benarroch
Suede fringe wrap jacket
Link on request
Prices reflect individual listings at time of publication. Availability varies.
The cozy pieces are props
That gorgeous knit you can't resist? You're not wearing it — you're styling it. Draped over the shoulders or knotted at the waist, it finishes the outfit without adding a single degree.
Argyle is having a real moment, and this is the draping piece of the season. Estimated retail is over $860 — I found it for a quarter of that. Tie it over your shoulders with a slip dress or a silk tank and you've built a fall outfit that breathes.
Prices reflect individual listings at time of publication. Availability varies.
More from my sourcing list
A few finds that didn't make the shoot but deserve a look — same rules, same secondhand math.
Four rules for dressing a season that hasn't cooled off yet — and the math that makes them affordable.
In a warm climate, animal print does the work a wool coat does everywhere else. In sheer silk and lightweight weaves it holds up in full sun — so treat tiger, leopard, and zebra as neutrals and build around them.
Chocolate, olive, red, black fading to ivory — the entire autumn palette exists in featherweight silk, satin, and linen. The color reads fall; the fabric reads Florida.
Suede is the texture of the season and a suede coat in this humidity is a non-starter. A bag or a shoe carries it just as well, and costs you nothing in degrees.
Buy the knit you can't resist — then style it rather than wear it. Over the shoulders or knotted at the waist, it finishes an outfit that still breathes.
Every piece in this issue came off the resale market, most of it well under retail — an $860 Khaite argyle for $212.50, a Reformation slip dress for $50. Sourcing secondhand is what makes all four rules affordable.
So that's fall at eighty-five degrees: print as your heavy fabric, color carrying the season, texture in the accessories, and the cozy pieces working as props. Every single item here was found secondhand — proof that dressing for the season, even in a warm climate, doesn't have to cost the season's rent.
If something's already sold by the time you read this, don't panic. That's the nature of resale — and half the fun. Come see me in Naples and we'll find you the next one.
— Rachel
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