On Spring Transitions

Anne and Shea are running a spring style linkup every Tuesday this month so I thought this week's iteration would be a good opportunity to start to share a little bit about my spring capsule wardrobe.

This week's prompt is about spring transitions -- that is, how we're wearing items from our winter wardrobes in new ways for spring.

My spring capsule contains 17 items carried over from my winter capsule. Here they are:

black skirt leggings | gray skinny jeans | mid-wash skinny jeans
mid-wash bootcut jeans | black merino knit straight skirt | black jersey dress
gray tunic sweater | gray scoopneck layering sweater | ivory scoopneck layering sweater
ivory Aran cardi | gray shawl-collar cardi | ballet-pink cardi
camel shawl-collar cardi | gray tall boots | black ballet flats
black ankle boots | tan clogs

Here in Seattle, we tend to have mild, rainy winters followed by cool, wet springs. Or to put it another way, the weather...is really pretty much the same in spring as it is in winter. Okay, yes, I'm exaggerating a little bit (and this past winter was an unusually warm one, which is probably obscuring the seasonal difference in my mind). But in general, because of my lizard-bloodedness I'm likely to be wearing layers and warm sweaters on most days until...oh, the end of May or so.

In fact, that's one of the reasons the capsule wardrobe approach appeals to me. By varying my color palette during the cooler seasons, winking items in and out of my active wardrobe, I can create a sense of seasonal transition and variety even though I'm wearing pretty much the same outfit formulas for 9 or 10 months straight. So right now, rather than figuring out how to transition items from my winter wardrobe for warmer weather, I'm experimenting with putting items in a different context to make them feel new.

That's the theory anyway, and I have to say that so far I'm having fun playing with this. Here are a few examples:

First, my goes-with-just-about-everything Aran cardigan. In winter:

gray tall boots | gray skinny jeans | lavender cashmere tee | ivory Aran cardi
Russian silver earrings | abalone ring | photo-print scarf

And in spring, an almost identical formula, but feels like a different season to me:

gray tall boots | gray skinny jeans | eyelet-trim Breton tee
ivory Aran Cardi | voile infinity scarf

Here's another common Aran cardigan formula, this time with blue jeans and clogs. Winter version:

tan clogs | medium-wash skinny jeans | fuchsia layering sweater | ivory Aran cardi
agate ring | abalone ring | garnet earrings | teacup-print scarf

And the spring iteration:

red peep-toe clogs | medium-wash skinny jeans | Breton tee
ivory Aran cardi | ladybug socks :-) | coral ombre scarf

My black skirted leggings are a go-to weekend piece for me almost year-round. Here's how I wore them in winter:

black casual tall boots | black skirted leggings | fuchsia layering tee | burgundy long cardi
wedding rings necklace | pink pearl drop earrings | abalone ring

And here's how I'm wearing them in spring:

black ankle boots | black skirted leggings | gray scoopneck layering tee | navy argyle cardi
gray pearl earrings | green stone ring | silver salmon ring | coral ombre scarf

Finally, my black jersey dress remains a comfortable but presentable standby that I often turn to when I have work meetings outside the house. Here's how I wore it to meet with some editors back in January:

black dressy tall boots | black tights | black jersey dress | fair isle cardi
black/silver bangle | agate ring | blue stone earrings

And here's how I wore it to a conference just yesterday:

black ankle boots | black tights | black jersey dress
lavender cardi | butterfly hoop earrings | braided metal bracelet