We’ve had a cold snap in Southern California this past week, so we’ve gotten a taste of real spring weather (i.e. cold). During the spring I always get the itch to pull out my summer clothes, since I’m totally sick of my winter clothes by then, but those summer clothes can be a little too lightweight for those cool spring months. This gray pleated dress is one of my favorite summer pieces, but with a few additions it’s the perfect spring outfit.

Try these three tips for styling them for spring so you can get a little early use out of those summer pieces. Plus, once summer rolls around, you can wear them a completely different way (like you can see I did with this dress here) so you won’t be sick of them yet!

1. Lightweight Layering. The easiest way to warm up a summer piece and make it more cold-weather appropriate is to add lightweight layers. Lightweight jackets are my favorite for spring because those days are often cool in the morning and warmer in the afternoon. So try something that will give you enough warmth for the first part of the day, but won’t give you heat stroke by mid-day.

My field jacket from J.Crew is the perfect spring jacket, but I also love this one from Old Navy, and this one and this one from Gap.

2. Add winter accessories. This is the easiest way to make any dress look season appropriate. Try boots, tights, scarves, or hats to complete your cool-weather look. You don’t have to do all of them, just pick and choose which ones work best with your outfit and with each other. In fact, a good rule of thumb is to wear no more than three cold-weather accessories at a time. Otherwise your outfit becomes cluttery and overwhelming.

3. Pair with dark colors. My dress here is gray, obviously, but you can style your brighter, more summery clothing using these tips as well. To make a summery dress more winter-y, add darker, warmer colors to it to make it feel cold-weather appropriate. I added a navy blue jacket, a dark gray hat, and a deep wine colored tights to complete my spring look.

Try these styling tips to get a ton more use out of your closet this spring and summer!