How I’m Transitioning My Wardrobe From Winter to Spring

I’m baaaaaack! My husband and I got home from Florida yesterday morning and I’m finally feeling like myself again. The weeks leading up to this trip were stressful and difficult, and even though my workload hasn’t changed (it’s actually increased, if anything) I feel more emotionally equipped to keep all these plates spinning after a few days of vacation. I don’t think I realized how much stress my body was holding on to until I got a chance to let it all out over a Butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

I thought that I was going to post all about the outfits that I wore on vacation and the ones I wore at the beginning of the week when I was still working my conference (the real reason we went to Florida), but I was too busy having a good time to take outfit photos. Instead, I thought it would be fun to share a little post about the wardrobe refresh I did yesterday to transition my clothes from winter to spring.

Getting back from warm, sunny Florida and looking at my closet full of winter clothes was really depressing. I love my clothes, but when you’ve been wrapping yourself up in the same cashmere sweater and puffer jacket all winter just to steel your body against the unrelenting cold, you get pretty sick of it. I decided to make a few practical changes, now that the worst of winter is over, swapping out about a number of cold-weather items and replacing them with just a couple of warm-weather ones.

WHAT I REMOVED

I put away items that I usually wear on the harshest winter days, as well as some pieces that I feel evoke a specifically wintry color palette. Items that I stored away include my thick cashmere turtleneck, my long puffer coat, my maroon midi-dress, and my black leather riding boots (even though I just started wearing them again…they’ll be back next winter!). I also put away my favorite Tradlands flannel and my green J.Crew turtleneck, even though they’re still weather-appropriate, because sometimes I think it can be good to give the items you love the most a break.

WHAT I KEPT

In addition to my year round “core” capsule, which includes things like button-down blouses, black work pants, jeans, t-shirts, camisoles, and black dresses, I kept some cold-weather pieces that I think work well as transition pieces. My cashmere crew, for example, is light enough to wear on it’s own on a cool spring day, but is also cozy enough to layer with on a wet, blustery one. I also kept my black ankle boots, black turtleneck, and my vintage wool blazer, which I plan to use as a coat (wearing in the picture below).

Wearing vintage Dover blazer (via vintage Etsy shop Quiet Unrest), VETTA Boyfriend Shirt, Washed Navy ($89, wearing size XS), VETTA Peg Pant ($129, wearing size 2), Nisolo Mariella Mules, Sand ($178, size 6.5).

WHAT I ADDED

I love putting my warm weather wardrobe away during the cold months (I store mine in a small suitcase in our closet) because when I open it up again at the start of the spring, I get to remember all the beloved clothes I have that I haven’t seen for months. I pulled a few things out specifically for vacation, like my Everlane track shorts and my classic one-piece bathing suit from J.Crew, but those things are going back until it’s actually warm enough to wear them in DC.

What I took out for early spring were my Everlane striped sleeveless silk shell, my VETTA Boxy Blouse (aka my favorite top of all time – desperately hoping they restock this capsule collection soon!), and my Nisolo Mariella Mules.

I added one truly new thing to my spring wardrobe that was waiting for me when I got home yesterday: the VETTA Boyfriend Shirt in Washed Navy. I wrote about it in a recent blog post, but I was so bummed when this shirt sold out last year, and then I was thrilled when the whole Casual Capsule was re-released in full a couple of weeks ago. I had my eye on this baby and a few of my ridiculously thoughtful friends pitched in to get me a VETTA gift card for my birthday. I think I had it in my email inbox for approximately 36 minuted before I purchased this top.

Sorry my mirror is so obscenely dusty – I was on vacation!

I wore it to work today and I can already tell that it’s going to be a spring wardrobe MVP. Like my boxy blouse, it’s reversible, so you can wear the buttons in the back or in the front, and it can also be tied at the waist, tucked in, or worn as a cardigan.

This creativity in the way that garments are designed to be versatile is one of the main reasons that I obsess over VETTA with a cult-like dedication. It’s my dream to be able to buy a complete capsule and do a 30-day outfit challenge with just those five pieces. (You can get a really good discount if you buy the full capsule all at once, but I just personally don’t have that much cash in my wardrobe budget right now.) VETTA is also woman-owned, uses sustainable fabrics, and employs fair labor practices, so it’s a company that I feel really good about buying from.

I think that by removing some pieces I’d been wearing a ton this winter and refreshing my closet with a couple of summer-leaning loves, I can have more fun getting dressed and stave off the shopping bug for just a little longer. I’m also trying to work in a more consistent color palette: black, white, cream, olive, brown, and dusty blue. My whole winter-spring transitional capsule (that’s a mouthful – might need to rebrand that one!) is living in that palette right now and I’m loving it. What are you doing to transition your wardrobe in this weird end-of-winter-beginning-of-spring limbo?

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I’m really off my regular posting schedule after being so overwhelmed before vacation and then being away for a few days, but I have a lot of stuff coming down the pike, so stay tuned. I’ll probably have a few reviews in a row this week and next week, as opposed to saving them for Wednesdays. I can’t wait to share these great little indie brands with you guys!

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