THE ART OF THE IN-BETWEEN WARDROBE

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There is always one suspiciously warm day near the beginning of spring that convinces us winter is finally over. Out come the lighter layers, the bare ankles and perhaps an overly optimistic dress only for Christchurch to remind us by four o’clock that it is still very much in charge.

After growing up in Melbourne, I thought I understood four seasons in one day. Christchurch has taught me otherwise. Dressing between seasons can be surprisingly difficult. The shops are filled with beautiful new spring arrivals, but the weather outside hasn’t quite received the memo. We’re ready for colour, lighter fabrics and a little more skin, but not necessarily ready to abandon the warmth and security of our winter wardrobes.The answer isn’t to suddenly start again. The secret to dressing between seasons is creating a bridge between them.

Your winter wardrobe and your spring wardrobe shouldn’t feel like two completely separate collections of clothing. The most useful pieces are often the ones that can move between both, changing their role depending on what you wear with them.A great pair of trousers might work now with a knit, coat and boots, then later with a shirt, blazer and loafer. A dress can begin the season layered under a jacket and worn with boots, before eventually working on its own with a lighter shoe. The same blazer that added polish over winter can become your outer layer once the heavy coat is no longer needed. The pieces haven’t changed. Their friends have.

This is where layers become important but I don’t mean piling on as many garments as possible and hoping for the best.Good layering is intentional. Every layer needs to contribute to the outfit, and the outfit should continue to work as those layers come off. If your coat is doing all the work, what happens when you remove it? I often see a fabulous coat hiding an outfit underneath that doesn’t feel quite finished. That may not matter when you’re walking from the car, but it becomes a problem when the day warms up and you’re suddenly carrying the most interesting part of your outfit over your arm. 

A shirt under a knit, a blazer over a lightweight top or a jacket worn with a dress all allow you to adjust throughout the day without losing the shape or personality of the outfit. It’s also worth remembering that dressing for spring doesn’t have to mean exposing lots of skin immediately.

After months of coats, knits and covered legs, the idea of suddenly appearing in a floaty dress with bare arms can feel like quite the unveiling.Showing a little more skin can happen gradually. It might be a bare ankle between a cropped trouser and a loafer, sleeves pushed up to reveal the forearm, an open neckline or a skirt worn with a lighter layer on top. Sometimes, simply creating more space around the body is enough to make an outfit feel like spring. A lighter silhouette, a softer fabric or a flash of skin can change the entire mood without leaving you shivering through lunch.

Colour can do the same thing.We often associate changing seasons with buying completely new colours, but you don’t need to abandon every dark shade the moment September arrives. Try adding one lighter or brighter element to the colours you already wear. Chocolate can be paired with soft blue. Navy can meet fresh white. Charcoal can work with butter yellow, pale pink or a beautiful green. Even an outfit built around black can feel lighter with a crisp shirt, a coloured shoe or a playful accessory.

Spring is an invitation to shift the balance and not a requirement to become a completely different person. Before buying anything new, spend a little time reconnecting with what you already own. Pull out the pieces that disappeared during winter. Try on the trousers, dresses, shirts and lighter jackets you haven’t seen for months. Check what still fits, what still feels like you and what might need a new styling idea rather than replacing. Only then do you look for the gaps. Perhaps you don’t need more spring clothing at all. You may simply need the right lightweight jacket to make your dresses wearable earlier, or a shoe that helps your winter trousers move into warmer weather. One connecting piece can sometimes unlock five or six outfits already waiting in your wardrobe.

The arrival of a new season can make us feel as though we should shop immediately. However, the goal isn’t to dress for the fantasy spring being presented in the shop windows. It’s to dress for your actual life and the actual temperature. A wardrobe works best when it can move with you: between cold mornings and warm afternoons, between seasons and between the different parts of your day.

So enjoy that first glorious glimpse of spring. Push up a sleeve. Show an ankle. Introduce a little colour.Just keep the jacket nearby. This is Christchurch, after all.

X Chelsea

Image: Dolce Wedding Photography