Switching up materials, shapes and colors. Autumn styles to choose first

Autumn is a season when the gap between daytime and morning/evening temperatures gradually widens. Depending on the region, the sun may have been beating down until just recently, only for a suddenly chilly breeze to blow through. Autumn attire needs to handle these abrupt climate shifts, and ideally, we'd like to choose pieces that let us feel the change of seasons from summer to autumn on our skin.

The texture against your skin and how you perceive the temperature can change with just a single material. What we'd recommend for the coming season are blended materials made by combining multiple fibers, as well as wool fabrics like wool and cashmere.

Summer clothing made from a single material can start to look a bit chilly from now on, but blended materials soften that impression, and there's the added benefit of each fiber compensating for what the other lacks. If you choose lightweight wool or cashmere fabrics, you'll get an appropriate degree of warmth while still creating an autumn-appropriate look.

■Early autumn is when stoles come into their own

A thin, large stole is an excellent piece you can keep using across a long stretch of the season. Stoles, too, offer different degrees of warmth depending on their material. During the changing of the seasons, it's worth thinking about this kind of material balance.

The erfurt stole silk cotton 631011-85 is made with silk on the front and cotton on the back. By pairing a lustrous, smooth-textured silk with skin-friendly cotton, it creates a refined impression. Since it's square-shaped, you can simply wrap it once around your neck, or fold it into a triangle and drape it for a completely different look.

From INOUITOOSH comes the GADJO stole, featuring a striking, unconventional design of basket motifs. This one has silk added to the wool, which creates a beautiful drape. Since it lacks the itchy feel that wool alone can have, it's a great choice for anyone seeking a smooth, comfortable texture.

Also from INOUITOOSH is the KIKAI stole, whose unique owl pattern really catches the eye. With generous width and length, plus fringe along the edges, this is a stole with a real sense of volume. Made from a blend of 90% wool and 10% polyester, it delivers warmth while still feeling light.

■Varying the material in your tops, too

During the height of summer, many of you probably wore sheer linen or favored cotton T-shirts, but by gradually shifting the material of your tops, you can ease your way into autumn styling.

The Vlas Blomme linen-cotton pullover with pocket combines linen and cotton. At first glance it looks like a simple pullover, but can you tell how using different fiber colors in the warp and weft threads creates a subtle variation in tone? The color of the thread gives the finished piece more depth and dimension. With its relaxed fit and three-quarter length sleeves, you can wear it across a long stretch of the season.

The AIRY WOOL border pullover from C.T Plage, a Japanese brand that's very popular at ZUTTO, is made of a lightweight wool knit. Despite being wool, it's thin enough that you can see through it slightly, so you can wear it for a long stretch from early autumn all the way through winter. By dyeing the material while it's still in raw cotton form, rather than after spinning, the yarn is put under as little strain as possible, resulting in a fabric whose texture only improves the more you wear it.

After material, shape is another important point when choosing autumn clothing. Beyond gradually shifting from short sleeves to three-quarter or long sleeves, the shape of details like the neckline and hem matters too—specifically, whether they can adapt to changes in temperature.

■A boat neck that doesn't expose too much skin

The Glacon plain boat-neck long-sleeve for ladies is a cut-and-sew top with a boat neckline that curves gently around the collarbone, finished in a calm, muted color with the brand logo subtly placed at the hem. Made from tightly woven cotton fabric with carefully sewn shoulder seams, it offers outstanding comfort. The boat neck, which appears to draw a horizontal line, gives even a single piece a refined impression.

The BREST striped cut-and-sew top from Fileuse d'Arvor is another boat-neck piece that comes in handy this time of year. By layering fabric at the shoulders during sewing, the neck and shoulder areas are reinforced so they resist stretching—a construction method reportedly trademarked in France, the brand's home country. It's one of the key features that helps this classic striped top last for years of wear.

■A shirt versatile enough for any styling

Shirts are another item that expand the range of your wardrobe. Depending on the design, you can enjoy all sorts of different coordinated looks.

The ZUTTO original cotton-linen jacquard dolman-sleeve blouse features shirring at the chest as a subtle accent. By slowly weaving linen and cotton threads on a low-speed jacquard loom, the fabric takes on a finish with a bit of texture and unevenness. The sleeves and hem have the soft, flowing shape unique to dolman styles. Simply tucking the hem in or leaving it out, for instance, creates a completely different mood.

If you're wearing just a single dress, you might worry about your lower body getting cold. Having a long tunic or shirt on hand that's easy to layer can solve that concern. The linen tunic shirt from Vlas Blomme (Vlas Blomme) is a tunic that reaches to just above the knee. The sleeves roll up easily, and the way you fasten the front buttons can change the overall impression. Pairing it with slim-fit pants makes for a well-balanced look.

A shirt dress is also a perfect item for layering. The linen A-line dress from INDIVIDUALIZED SHIRTS (INDIVIDUALIZED SHIRTS) has a hem length that falls somewhere between below the knee and knee length, so it can be worn in multiple ways—for example, wearing something underneath and fastening all the buttons turns it into a dress, while leaving the buttons open turns it into a light outer layer. It's simple, yet the careful stitching technique unique to this long-established shirt brand really shines through.

Changing the material, shape, and color of your outfit can make it feel even more attuned to the season. In autumn, plant colors gradually shift toward brown tones and the temperature starts to drop, so incorporating colors that evoke warmth instantly gives an outfit an autumnal feel.

If you're choosing colors for their versatility, beige and khaki tones are a good bet. They're easy to pair with summer items and can be worn year-round, while also going well with leather accessories and wool wraps, giving off the calm impression suited to this season. The cotton dress from FilMelange (FilMelange) has a brushed lining that adds extra warmth. The OVER SIZE PULLOVER shirt from ORIAN (ORIAN), made with a relaxed fit, is a versatile shirt that works for both on and off duty.

Indigo is another color worth recommending for this season. While light blue or saxe blue tend to give off a cool, refreshing impression first and foremost, the deeper tone of indigo blends nicely with the beige and khaki mentioned earlier. The smock dress from Yarmo (Yarmo) features a ribbon at the waist as its key point. The mood changes depending on whether the ribbon is tied at the front or the back, and pairing it with heels creates a more polished impression. Just like denim, the way the color gradually changes with wear is one of the unique charms of indigo.