It’s spring in Florida! We’ve moved from sweater weather to what I call early spring—you don’t want to put your sweaters away just yet, because there is sure to be a cold day or two yet, but I am definitely pulling warmer weather clothes more and more frequently. Though I have put away my leather jackets, and am busily perusing the shops for a few pieces to add to my spring capsule wardrobe. I love moving into a new season, pouring over trends and new offerings to find a small number of treasures to add to my wardrobe. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but it’s the easiest way to get a feel for this year’s spring style. While the new pieces I will be adding to my wardrobe are few, I want to make sure my spring outfits really hit the mark. Read about spring capsule wardrobes here.
Spring and summer bleed together, in Florida—we tend to reach for floral prints, and bright colors, this time of year. I stock up on neutrals too, because neutral colors still get a lot of use year around here. While northerners are looking for the ideal trench coat, I am looking for tank tops, a floral dress, and maybe a light jacket.
A few words on the winter wardrobe: as you look over your winter outfits, among the sweaters, trousers, and jackets you likely have versatile pieces that will work great for spring weather, so don’t forget to shop your closet before going out to buy a new wardrobe. My first step each season is to look at my closet to see what I already have. I sometimes head to Pinterest to check out various looks, then head to the stores to do some window shopping before making up my final list. This way, I can build a curated wardrobe—one that I really enjoy. I am certain the pieces I am adding will work well with the clothing I already have and love.
Last year, I did a big closet clear out, and have a list of things I need this year. I am replacing my white jeans, my entire collection of summer tops, I have my eye out for a light crewneck sweater, and perhaps a pair of cropped pants—not peddle pushers, mind you! And possibly a new pair of jeans—I want to replace a pair of button-front jeans I got a couple of years ago—they just don’t flatter me—even fashionistas make mistakes!
An annual replacement of white t-shirts is on my list as well—I like to make sure my white shirts are in really good shape each year—they get a lot of wear. In terms of a classic item, I still have my eye on the Veronica Beard Miller Jacket in navy. It comes in black, but I love navy, it’s a good year-round color for Florida—though I am unlikely to wear it past the month of April. It will get lots of wear during the late fall, winter, and early spring though.
To make my search a little more complicated, I am looking for natural fibers—cotton, silk, and linen. Polyester is just plain too hot! After a few hours of searching, I am discovering that it may be quite difficult to find this season. Plus prices for natural fabrics are way up. I don’t really mind, I’d rather have fewer really nice items than lots of uncomfortable or poorly fitting items. (If you live up north or spend a lot of time indoors, polyester is just fine—I still have several items in polyester. But since we spend so much more time outdoors, I have found that polyester is way too uncomfortable for my lifestyle.
These are the pieces I have purchased so far this season:
More Items Not My Spring Wardrobe Essentials List:
In addition to polyester, I have a few other prohibitions for my spring/summer wardrobe.
- Denim jackets: I replaced a jean jacket I wore a lot a few years ago—it used to be a staple in my wardrobe, but I haven’t worn the new one at all since I bought it. I think they became over saturated and a little too expected. If you are looking for something similar and more current, consider a cropped shacket.
- My skinny jeans will not be replaced-I am going for flairs or straight leg jeans and pants this season. I think skinny jeans have a place in our wardrobes—they are great with boots and booties, but it is time for a fresh silhouette and I’m all in on flairs.
- Short skirts: Skirt lengths are all over the map these days, from super short to maxi—I’ve retired the super short skirts. I will be wearing them for tennis, but for day to day, I really love the midi length—though it too may be on it’s way out too. I don’t really care as I find it a very flattering lenght and will wear it anyway.
- Peddle pusher length pants—we recently took a day trip to Mt. Dora, and boy did we see the peddle pushers—it surprises me that no one seems to notice that visually, they shorten the the leg and make the hip and bottom look bigger and wider. If you want to look a little more “modern” choose cropped pants—a longer crop, just above the ankle bone, straight, wide leg or flair styles.
- Bike shorts: I do have friends who look good in bike shorts—I don’t—and I’m told that they are no longer trending—so I wouldn’t add them unless you are one of the unicorns who look good in them.
- Ripped jeans: Brooke has a pair of wrapped jeans she wears in the summer because they are cooler—meaning less hot— than regular jeans. She gets a pass due to her age. They are a way to wear jeans in the warmer weather, but they are another trend on it’s way out. If you have them and love them, by all means enjoy—but just don’t buy more.
- Large floral print tunics and over sized floral T-shirts. We saw lots of this type of look in Mt. Dora as well. (It seems to be a meca for retirees-so we got to see a lot of the clothing that women of a certain age—as in my age—wear.) Yes, I dress differently than our peers. I think having one’s own personal style is important—though I understand the allure of a uniform—I’ve certainly done that at points in my life. I have the time to play and really enjoy looking for pieces that I love–and I realize that many people don’t care which is fine.
Spring Wardrobe Staples:
A good part of spring wardrobe planning has to do with the climate where you live or plan to visit. Here in Florida, it is dry season, the nights are cool but daytime temperates can go up to the mid-80s. However, when I lived in Michigan, my spring wardrobe needs were quite different. Spring brought rain and winds–it was still coat weather into May. There are a few items to consider for your wardrobe
- A good pair of rain boots for rainy days.
- A nice trench coat, if you don’t already have one. Car coats are also a great choice.
- If you haven’t jumped on the white sneakers trend, it might be time to pick up a pair. They will be great for spring and summer.
- Light weight oversized sweaters to wear with a white button up shirt. This look is so chic and works well because if it gets too warm, you can always remove the sweater.
- Cropped pants are on my list this year—note: peddle pushers are not cropped pants.
- Light weight sweaters are great as an extra layer helping a look transition from winter to spring outfits.
Date Night
We tend to go to lunch more frequently than going out on dates in the evenings, but were we to plan a date night, I’d go with the cutouts trend listed below, or look for a dress with corset detail. I like to dress up for dates, it is part of what makes date night special. Here are a few looks I would wear on date night:
Fresh Looks For Spring: 2022 Trends to Note.
I am sharing some of my favorite fashion trends for spring—many of them aren’t really worth talking about—who is going to go around with a long train? Here are my favorites.
- Look for bold colors orangey reds, cobalt blues and bright yellows. This is your year if you love bright bold colors
- Lace is another big trend—look for shorts, tops and dresses made of lace. This is right up my alley!
- Swimwear is going to be dramatic! Look for bold details and lots of glamour. This is another fun trend!
- Stripes have been in and out over the past several years. This year, look for interesting varied stripes that are a little bolder than we have seen in the past.
- Structure will be making its way back into dresses this season—look for corset details in dresses and tops.
- Cutouts are still a thing—look for dramatic details for summer dresses and tops.
If you want more ideas for spring dresses, click here to catch up on spring dress trends.
Your Personal Style:
I’ve often talked about the importance of noting your personal style and taking your lifestyle into consideration as well when choosing outfits each season. 2020 changed our lives considerably. We spend more time at home, lots of time outside, and more time enjoying friends in small groups. I love going out to lunch and getting dolled up for it. I have found that with these changes in lifestyle, the things I wear most often have changed. And, as stated above, I spend more time outdoors, so I want the fabrics I choose to be comfortable as well.
Over the last couple of years, I have slowed down on buying clothing—I am choosing more strategically and am more focused on clothing that suits me and my lifestyle. I spend a lot of time working at home—and in recent weeks I have been taking my computer to work outside—especially now that the weather is getting really nice. I have been enjoying wearing loungewear or comfortable but presentable outfits that I can wear running errands as well as looking nice at home.
We walk regularly—which means having comfortable athletic wear (mainly shorts and tank tops) I did a whole post about it here. We love going on day trips and going out to lunch—and I like to “dress up” for those occasions—I most frequently wear sundresses and a sun hat.
I hope this has helped you begin the planning process for your spring wardrobe. Grab my free guide: Questions to ask before you go shopping so you don’t make some of the mistakes I have!
