Layering for Spring

Spring has sprung. The days are longer, the sun is brighter and it’s raining more. I’ve started to think along the lines of, as magazines call it, “transitioning your wardrobe into summer”. Now I don’t exactly follow fashion so I won’t be phasing out old clothes and trends to replace them with the new, which is what that actually means. I also don’t have the luxury of two separate wardrobes, just a bunch of long-sleeved tops I only wear in winter and short-sleeved tops and dresses I only wear in summer.

What it essentially comes down to is layering. 

Keeping warm in winter is quite an effort for me. I’m not one of those people who radiates masses of heat and if I get chilly I usually will get ill so it’s important for me to keep wrapped up. After all those months of cramming as many layers onto my body as I can bear, I’m having to go through an adjustment period. I really knew the seasons were on the turn, and that we weren’t getting just a few random days of sunnier weather, when I realised that I no longer need to wear five layers indoors. I can get away with three!

If you keep all your layers thin and make as few of them jumpers or cardigans as possible, you’ll look sleeker. This is a pretty easy principle to follow in winter – I would put on a vest, then a long sleeved top, then a fairly tight fitting short sleeved top, then a jumper and a cardigan. However, in spring you have more unpredictable temperature changes to deal with, at least in Britain, where it can be warm in the morning and freezing by the afternoon, or cold in the morning, hot in the afternoon and warm in the evening.

Don’t put layers on in a way that makes it too hard to take them off! I’ve got a couple of tops that are a bit tight around the neck and I had been wearing them over long sleeved tops, but it is now too warm to keep doing that. They are a pain to get off without messing up hair and make-up and getting sweatier and more annoyed. If you make the tops that are tight around the neck the second or third layers (ie. over bra or over vest) and then put more easily removable layers on top, you’ll be alright.

If you wear a heavier jumper and a scarf, you can get away with not wearing a coat when you go out, or wearing a more lightweight one. Alternatively, you can wear just a thin cardigan over your top, and then wear your thick winter coat – but you need to be sure your destination will be warm enough!

Gloves will probably make your hands too hot but arm warmers can be a great idea if you’re wearing a t-shirt or other short sleeved top. Hats can make your head hot quickly so choose floppy berets or lace caps that aren’t too tight to let the air in. Watch out for strong gusts of wind.

If you live in a land of raininess, like the UK, umbrellas are essential. They’re not called April showers for nothing. Unless you are really sure there’s no sign of rain, unless there is a blue sky with no clouds above you, it is best to wear closed-in boots or shoes. In the summer wet feet dry quickly but now your toes will be really cold if they get damp.

You can also lighten up on the hoisery front and wear thinner socks, and one pair of tights if you were wearing two (I was). If you are cold in one pair of ordinary opaque tights and would be too hot in thicker tights with some wool in the mix, try wearing a pair of fishnets over the normal tights.

I’ve been spending some time on Polyvore, finding clothes that look similar to clothes I have and putting together outfits. The umbrellas are all fantasy though – my last one broke last week so I’m on the lookout for a new one! Again! It seems like I’m looking out for a new umbrella at least 50% of the time that I post on this blog. If you can recommend any that are max £15 with some kind of strength/durability/lastingness guarantee on them, let me know!

This is almost my perfect charity-shopping outfit. In an ideal world I’d have shoes not boots, but for all that walking, the only footwear I’ve got that’s comfy enough is Docs. A skirt and tights is essential when charity shopping in case I want to try on a skirt or dress, and I also need a big bag to take all my purchases home in!

I’m not sure where I’d be going in this outfit, it’s pretty smart-casual, maybe to some sort of event, or to dinner with family and/or friends.

This is comfy but fun. I think I’d wear it to the library or book shopping – I wouldn’t have to change when I got home and wanted to snuggle up with the books and read for hours on end.

How are you adjusting to the change in the weather – if you’re experiencing one yet?