Now that the Labor Day weekend is officially over, the real work begins – how to handle the shoulder season.

Friends are signing up for fall fun runs, slow cooker recipes are starting to sound more enticing, and the mailbox keeps delivering magazines chock full of fall fabrics – suede, tweed, leather, wool, cashmere – it is enough to make you forget that it is still 80 degrees and humid out. A fact, that becomes belatedly apparent when you, decked out in your new boots, opaque tights and cashmere cardigan in autumnal burnt orange, are standing in an overpacked metro car surrounded by people still (sensibly) wearing breathable fabrics.

For instance.

Having spent the majority of my fall seasons in the Mid-Atlantic, this style dress has been my go to in September. The weather may not be crisp yet, but your silhouette can channel the autumn aesthetic. Pair it with a blazer and a pair of shoes that acknowledge the days are still longish.

I mean seriously, have you ever seen such perfection as this skirt?!?! The color. The high waist. The unexpected side zipper. And the blessed kick slit cause we are not using the zipper as a slit, are we? This one is going to be a closet staple for me this year!

Yes. Express. These pants are rather phenomenal – comfortable, sleek, but happy on curves as well. If your workplace is like mine, professional separates are more the norm than suits. These pants play the perfect professional beard for pieces like…

This. This “my other job is in Paris” piece of art, otherwise known as the jacket that will take you through the shoulder season while humming La Vie en Rose.