You there. With the ankles.
We see you shivering in your tissue-thin coat, toes exposed, skin as pigmented as vanilla fro-yo. And we were once you: ripping off all things shapeless and down-filled the minute the mercury crept above frigid. But for those of us living in the not-so-tropics, we’ve come to learn the first signs of sunshine rarely mean it’s time to trade in the alpaca-blend for the broderie anglaise.
...Not that we’d ever let a little frostbite come between us and a flatform. Here’s how we’ve been styling our spring clothes while—let’s face it—it’s still pretty much winter.
DOUBLED-UP DRESSES
Wear your summer dresses over jeans (we're serious).
If the idea of wearing jeans under your dresses calls to mind a certain nightmarish middle-school picture day and also The Wizards of Waverly Place, you are not alone. But there’s a right and a wrong way to do lighter layers (i.e., less skinny jeans and cascading ruffles, and more Céline Resort). Try matching monochrome flares under retro mini dresses, slip a slip dress over ripped jeans, or juxtapose leather leggings with an inverted-teacup silhouette to create an almost exaggerated peplum. Hey, if Emma Watson and Leandra Medine can do it, it’s officially fair game.
ONE COAT TWO COAT
A master class in layering.
If you’re anything like us, you bought your spring jacket in November and have since been petting it longingly until you can take it for a test-wear in the actual outdoors. There was that one day of UVA trickery, now you’re back in your parka with your light coat’s lifespan getting shorter by the hour. Our prescription? Double-up your denim jacket under a wool trench and treat it like a blazer indoors, or tie a an embellished satin bomber around your waist to cinch a slouchy shift. Or, if you can hang in there for a few more weeks, pull on a Chloé denim jumpsuit and wait out the storm.
SOCKS N’ SANDALS
It's just practical, guys.
A look revered by Fashion Dads and people grabbing their mail alike, the unholiest of all trends is now just common sense. From pairing pumps with neon tube socks to Kimmy Gibbler prints peeking out from under flatforms, anything goes—you’re already breaking all the rules. Bonus: all the thumbs-up you will get if you work in an office full of dads.
FLORALS (GROUNDBREAKING)
Wear them. It'll encourage spring to come faster.
You may have gotten the side-eye when you busted out the bouquets in the dead of winter, but now that spring is kinda-sorta-almost in bloom, we say permission granted. Opt for oversized overcoats with jacquard buds, garden scenes stitched into knee-high Valentino boots, or pop-art petals on a quilted robe coat.
I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYELET
Sweeten up your winter-worn basics.
If we’re taking cues from recent runways, ‘tis the season to eschew the slip and let it all hang out under swaths of eyelet and lace. But if we’re taking social cues, we also know there’s a time and place. We’ve been counting the degrees ‘til we can break out our windowpane-eyelet in its full peek-a-boo glory, but until then we’re treating it as lingerie and little accents—tucked under blazers, peeking over pants, underscoring tweed skirts or growing like intricate ivy up the sleeves of a military jacket, à la Sacai SS15.
- Chelsey Burnside