A few spring things
Do you ever feel driven by the season's change, as if some tiny brain-switch deploys and says, You. must. shop.?In this country, on the first day the sun warms our hunched chests, we long to change our entire wardrobes. Or at least get a new skirt.
But we had a record mild winter here in Toronto. Maybe I can blame the catalogs, in which the colts of J. Crew and matrons of Orvis alike cavort on terraces and Vespas. Or is it the store mannikins, whose pants morphed from stolid brown to brightest white overnight?(Shown, waterflower Delphinia gown, $650 from J. Crew Collection.)
The inevitable late March snowshower hits just when you've sent your winter gear to the cleaner. But one or two things to herald the end of winter can't be so wrong, can it?
Suede Cascade jacket, $895, J. Crew Collection.Soft pearly-grey; light, supple layer.
Cashmere will make sense here for months, and Eric Bompard have just released their spring line, in shades that avoid limp pastels yet sing of spring.
The liquid silk (charmeuse) tee in green, €70, could be worn under a cashmere cardi (the
"re-gaugued cardigan") in bellflower purple, €210 (less VAT for those in non-European countries). 
If you want to say 'spring' but need to stay cozy, I'd buy their cashmere spotted stole, which will also extend a light dress on a cool summer evening, €165.
But sometimes you want an item that's deeply spring. This Sonia by Sonia Rykeil cotton sweater dress is that little charmer: blush with blue stripes! Some of you wee slips of things might wear it; I'll just adore it from afar. From Net-a-porter, price: $270.
Lafayette 148 make clothes you can wear to work without feeling hermetically sealed-in or bored. They are one of the few labels that know we don't want separate wardrobes for work and the rest of life, and deliver consistently.This Jubilant Jacquard wing-collar jacket is also available in Petite, and would spring-ify any neutral bottom, $495 from their web site.
Another piece that I liked by Lafayette 148 is this denim pencil skirt with the wink of ruffle at the hem. A denim skirt is useful, but so many look like you're headed for the nearest campground. This is denim with a spritz of perfume. Also comes in white, $178.
Talbot's pretty link-stitch sweater, a washable cotton-rayon blend, caught my eye for the sweep of its yoke and neckline perfect for jewelry or a scarf.Spring hues of porcelain blue (shown) or meadow green; also in bone, brown, vermilion. $69.50; also in Women's sizes. Sizing runs a touch tight.
Are you captivated by spring yet? What are you looking for?
Comments
But alas I doubt very, very much that it would fit my boobs. :-(
The denim skirt is very chic and not at all campground, but I want a denim skirt in an a-line or with gores (the latter requires a fairly lightweight denim) because I'd want that on my bicycle. In town, bien entendu ... I hate camping!
The weather has indeed been extraordinary. 14c today in Montréal, and sunny! Il y aura beaucoup de cyclistes chics aujourd'hui!
Spring shopping is sooo tempting! Thanks for even more inspiration.
Although geographically we are far south of metscan's country, our winters are usually as severe - in recent years they have varied wildly.
Yes, I love the little ruffle on the denim skirt, though I have seen those before. The catch is to find something sweet like that on a well-cut, quality casual skirt.
I so love that spotted scarf - very fun.
I've just been writing to friends in Argentina and Chile (the latter were not hurt by the quake). In those countries, only the far south has what we'd call a "real winter".