Balancing cool fall fashion and sultry summer style

By the time September rolls around, many are ready to jump into their new fall clothes, but it's often too warm to wear them. Finding ways to keep rocking your summer wardrobe while updating it with a few fall items can refresh your whole closet.

"[The] cocoon sweater is the ultimate layering piece when transitioning from summer to fall. Wear it now over a tank and over another sweater when the temperatures drop," recommends Jennifer Bayley, a spokesperson for Express.

Shorts are also on tap and strutted down many fall runways. Try out new, heavier weight options, or extend the life of summer staples such as black and denim shorts. Denim cut-offs take to fall by swapping out the T-shirt, bare legs and chunky sandals for a lightweight open weave sweater, tights and a pair of platform wedge-heeled shoes or booties.

"Shorts offer the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the trend in patterned tights - stripes, burn outs, and textured tights all add a new dimension to legs as you transition into fall dressing," says Bayley.

You can also make summer's black dressy shorts do double duty by outfitting them with a silky blouse, a dressy jacket, block-heeled pumps and tights for work. For a more casual look, keep the shorts and tights but sub in a sweater, denim or leather jacket and switch your pumps for fashion boots until the snow flies.

Lace, floral and sheer blouses and dresses are among the many other must-haves that can be layered to go the distance from summer into fall.

"I recommend wearing silk tops and chiffon dresses for late summer nights and then layering them over super-thin sculpted jersey tops in cooler fall weather," says Lubov Azria, chief creative officer at BCBG Max Azria Group.

Adding tops and accessories in fall colours such as red, violet, wine, grey, orange and green will also give your wardrobe a nudge forward.

"Try a rich red or jewel tone, like port or Tahiti blue, to introduce the fall mood. Wear them now, with lighter accessories and sandals, and later with suede boots and leather cuff bracelets," suggests Azria.

Clothes, scarves, bags and shoes with snake print and wild cat patterns will also keep you a step ahead of fall.

"Animal prints and especially leopard motifs are very strong fall trends that you can start wearing right now. A lightweight animal print tunic, dress or top is the perfect go-to pattern to get you through late summer into early winter," says Jillian Zrihen, a spokesperson for Foxy Jeans.