Fall is here to stay, but that doesn’t mean that you have to bid adieu to dressing well that is, until it starts snowing. The key to the inevitable problem of chilly Ithaca weather? Layers, layers, layers! Cozy layering is the perfect way to transition your warm weather clothing into fall, and best of all, it’s easy and budget friendly! To simplify the sometimes bewildering world of layering, I’ve included a step-by-step picture guide to layering this fall.

Before: summer maxi dress and gladiator sandals. As you can see, I’m shivering from the bitter Ithaca cold.

But….swap out the summery gladiator sandals for some sturdy ankle boots (well, not really sturdy – but for heels, they’re as sturdy as they get…)

See? Already so much closer to fall. But, the outfit still needs some fall coziness, so add a boxy navy sweater over the dress and top it off with an infinity scarf…

But, wait – if you look closely, you can see that my face is still expressing how sad I am that it’s still cold. Enter in a leather jacket…

And voila! A fall outfit perfect for frolicking through apple fields or attending harvest festivals or trekking to your class across campus. Easy and completely composed of clothes that I already owned which is great for both my wallet and my closet.  As you can see below, layering equals happiness (of course, that could also just be the fact that I’m completely enamored with my ankle boots…) Happy dressing (and layering!)