Let Fall Begin

GROWING UP in New York City with a minuscule closet and an insatiable appetite for clothes meant that from a very young age I had to master what I call the seasonal switch. Every year, on a sweaty afternoon in early September, I swapped out my summer clothes for my fall ones, moving towering piles of shorts, white jeans, linen pants, miniskirts and sundresses out of the closet and onto my bed, my chair, my desk, even on top of my stereo.

Once that was done, I hauled out the plastic bins from under my bed and unpacked piles of cords and itchy wool sweaters. The room would be such a godawful mess, it almost made me reconsider my love of fashion. Almost.

After my husband and I moved to L.A. and started looking at houses, I didn't care about kitchens or bathroom fixtures; I just wanted a closet big enough to fit all of my clothes all year long. But it turned out that 1920s-era closets in L.A. weren't any bigger than apartment closets in New York.

So when we finally did buy a house two years ago, I decided to turn one of the bedrooms into my closet. I had racks installed around the perimeter, along with two sets of drawers and a wall of shelves for my beloved shoes. I got an Andy Warhol stiletto-print rug for the floor and a black-and-white gingham love seat so I could sit and contemplate my wardrobe, or how much money I had foolishly poured into it. I had more than enough space for my stuff, and yet I found it hard to give up the seasonal switch.

In fact, the longer I've been covering fashion, the more I've found myself creating and clinging to rules and rituals around getting dressed.

They're quirky and counterintuitive, but what would you expect from a fashion-obsessed mind? If they don't work for you, make up your own.

Shop early, as in a season early.

The runway shows happen six months before the clothes actually land in stores. But that doesn't mean you can't start thinking then about what to buy. For example, in March, not long after I saw the Prada runway show in Milan, I knew lace was going to be a big trend for fall. So when I saw a dusty gray Lanvin lace jacket on sale in June at Tender Birmingham, a Michigan boutique with one of my favorite online sites, I snatched it up at 50% off. Now that designers are using more lightweight fabrics because of the changing climate, clothes can be worn year-round, making this is a smart way to shop.

Pick a date for fall to start.