Things I Love For Spring

This year, I’m doing a series of posts – one for each season – talking about my essentials for each season of the year. They’re going to be spaced out throughout the year to keep them timely and so you won’t have to read a long string of seasonal favorites posts.

In this edition of "Things I Love...", we're talking about the things I love for spring outfits!

Florals

This is the most obvious springtime wardrobe choice, so I won’t belabor the point. Spring is a time when flowers bloom. Flowers are new life and growth. Flowers are also a classic springtime print. And they’re pretty to boot.

Pastels

Again, pastels for spring are a classic choice. Light colors are delicate and cute.

For me, straight up pastels are out of the question. I look strange in the usual baby pink. For me, spring is a time for dusty shades – gray-blue, peach or rose, sage green. If you’re also not someone who thinks pastels flatter them, this might be a way to get the light, spring-y look without going too terribly bright.

Toile

For some reason, a lot of people don’t actually know what toile is, and that is such a shame because toile is gorgeous. See that print on the leftmost end of the banner above? That’s toile. Toile is a simply colored pattern that usually features images of nature or pastoral scenes. Many of them are dotted with rococo scenes of pretty shepherdesses or young shepherds. Some feature mills or floral scenes.

I love toile. It comes in a lot of colors (generally in cotton). It's light enough to make a great springtime print but richer, darker print colors are available can be coordinated beautifully with darker colors. A navy-on-white toile, for example, looks perfect with touches of navy.

Swiss Dot

I love swiss dot. I really do. It’s a lightweight cotton with a dotted texture. Swiss dot is usually a little bit sheer, so anything made from it either needs to be lined or worn as a layer over something else. But this light and breezy fabric is a lovely choice.

Chiffon

Chiffon! It’s so darn pretty. Long sleeve blouses in chiffon are a great choice for spring because they are warm enough to suit chillier mornings but delicate and breathable for the sunnier days. And this lightweight fabric is just as breezy as swiss dot, so it’s bound to be a springtime favorite of mine.

Do you have any spring essentials that I haven’t mentioned? I’d love to hear about them.