I’m the Grinch of springtime. Now that the weather is getting warmer and Grecian sandals and swingy sundresses are poking their noses out of stores like ruffled daffodils out of the thawing earth, I want to shoo and boo them all away. I want to cancel spring this year. Why? Because whenever I open my closet, this crazy jumble of black tights, boots, paper bag skirts, and one-shouldered dresses envelops me like a padded avalanche. I quickly reach for my “safe” black V-neck sweater and shove the door closed. I know I can’t live with a closet “two sizes too small” for much longer, so I’ve decided it’s time to wrap up winter, lug out the long layers, and make way for spring.
Bag the Old
This is laughable, but whenever I’m super tired, I’ll get to a subway turnstile and take out my keys as if I’m about to enter my house. Maybe it’s just because my bag is such a mess that it’s the one thing I can reach for quickly. I often picture the inside of my purse like one of those crosscut sections of the earth, and I truly believe if I dig beyond the surface of breath mints and bobby pins, I’ll find something from the Jurassic Age sitting at the bottom. “Hey, I didn’t know I had a trilobite fossil in here!” Obviously I suffer from having one of those fashionable bags that’s one big pouch without any kind of dividing sections. That’s why I felt so relieved to see Kate Spade’s new Bridge Hampton purse. With a handy external pocket for quick reach items like my metro card, and a roomy interior, it can be business up front, and party in the back. And the colors—kelly green and black—make it the perfect purse to transition from winter knits to summer tops.
Shift into Spring
One of the biggest downers of warmer weather is that clothing with a crisp edge is suddenly swapped out for piles of soft cotton. I love a comfy T-shirt, but when I’m getting ready for work and facing a mound of rumpled T-shirts, some with weird cracked iron-ns or printed reflective stars, I start to realize that my whole wardrobe is one long casual Friday. I’m not a fan of putting on a suit in summery days, either. So what’s the solution? One my mother had down in the sixties: a shift. It’s polished, but breezy, and it sure is forgiving on your figure. (Yes, mom, you were right about this. Although I still say you’re wrong about bellbottoms.) J.Crew has a perfect lemon yellow shift right now that would make Jackie O. proud. And if it’s good enough for Camelot, it’s good enough for me.
