Courting spring
Montréal digs into darks in the winter; you can ride the metro and see nothing lighter in the entire car than a kid's bright cap or a pair of camel boots.
Though the grip of -22C/-7F wind chill today, sometime next month women will declare, "Assez!"
Just like the first bouquets of forced forsythia, we will have an early glimpse; it always begins with scarves. The baby-blanket-sized mufflers vanish and women tie on the colours of the new season.
Manipuri's red bicycle print is 85% wool/15% silk, so supplies coziness while still looking springy. A 125cm (49 inch) square, it is generous enough to wear as a shawl when the weather warms up. Price, £105 at Liberty.
A flowery but strong silk scarf, in navy lit by pink says winter is over without "rushing the season" (an enthusiasm that my mother believed was a cardinal sin). 100 cm (39 inch) Blue Tulip silk scarf by Joanna Alsop, $263 at Boticca.
Next comes the outerwear. You can't go from parka to raincoat here unless you are under twenty and impervious to hypothermia. The transitional coat, whether designer or mall markdown, says We Are Out of the Woods.
Leather is popular because it still gives windproof protection. Lafayette148's butterscotch lambskin military jacket provides that "Whew, over!" lift; price, $998.
When your red leash matches your owner's jacket, so much the better!
A coloured quilted jacket, which I just added to my wardrobe, is another way to cheat March's bouncy temperatures. (Shown, cosy padded jacket from Boden, £99.)
The jacket sightings parallel glimpses of the spring sweater: some women wear pastels, but many choose deeper—yet absolutely-spring—shades, like those of Boden's aquamarine cotton cricket jumper; price £120.
We will still be in boots, but now chosen for different conditions: some snow, but also rain and mud. Green Hunter wellies are very popular, but I like aubergine; price about $130 at Zappos.
Suddenly I realize, "Oh, there's this thing called...skirts." I went for weeks and weeks this winter seeing little but trousers. For the first month, skirts will be worn with tights, as this woman does:
What says 'spring' more than Mary Kantzarou's cherry-blossom printed Palma pencil skirt ($1,190) skirt, which I will worship from afar?
But we need not spend that much; my across-the-street vintage store, La Founderie, showed an insouciant ensemble for about $70:
The beloved black remains, but away go the turtlenecks. Its temperament lightens, perhaps by way of texture, as in this Saturday lace dress by designer Vivienne Westwood, one of my absolute favourites.
Well, it will be too cold for that dress till May, but I just had to show it.
What are you looking forward to unpacking or adding for spring?
Though the grip of -22C/-7F wind chill today, sometime next month women will declare, "Assez!"
Just like the first bouquets of forced forsythia, we will have an early glimpse; it always begins with scarves. The baby-blanket-sized mufflers vanish and women tie on the colours of the new season.
Manipuri's red bicycle print is 85% wool/15% silk, so supplies coziness while still looking springy. A 125cm (49 inch) square, it is generous enough to wear as a shawl when the weather warms up. Price, £105 at Liberty.
A flowery but strong silk scarf, in navy lit by pink says winter is over without "rushing the season" (an enthusiasm that my mother believed was a cardinal sin). 100 cm (39 inch) Blue Tulip silk scarf by Joanna Alsop, $263 at Boticca.
Next comes the outerwear. You can't go from parka to raincoat here unless you are under twenty and impervious to hypothermia. The transitional coat, whether designer or mall markdown, says We Are Out of the Woods.
Leather is popular because it still gives windproof protection. Lafayette148's butterscotch lambskin military jacket provides that "Whew, over!" lift; price, $998.
When your red leash matches your owner's jacket, so much the better!
A coloured quilted jacket, which I just added to my wardrobe, is another way to cheat March's bouncy temperatures. (Shown, cosy padded jacket from Boden, £99.)
The jacket sightings parallel glimpses of the spring sweater: some women wear pastels, but many choose deeper—yet absolutely-spring—shades, like those of Boden's aquamarine cotton cricket jumper; price £120.
We will still be in boots, but now chosen for different conditions: some snow, but also rain and mud. Green Hunter wellies are very popular, but I like aubergine; price about $130 at Zappos.
Suddenly I realize, "Oh, there's this thing called...skirts." I went for weeks and weeks this winter seeing little but trousers. For the first month, skirts will be worn with tights, as this woman does:
What says 'spring' more than Mary Kantzarou's cherry-blossom printed Palma pencil skirt ($1,190) skirt, which I will worship from afar?
But we need not spend that much; my across-the-street vintage store, La Founderie, showed an insouciant ensemble for about $70:
The beloved black remains, but away go the turtlenecks. Its temperament lightens, perhaps by way of texture, as in this Saturday lace dress by designer Vivienne Westwood, one of my absolute favourites.
Well, it will be too cold for that dress till May, but I just had to show it.
What are you looking forward to unpacking or adding for spring?
Comments
That Vivienne Westwood dress....ohhhhhhhhh.
And yes, that Vivienne Westwood dress is divine!
http://www.kamik.com/b2c_ca_en/rainboots-11/heidi.html
Come on spring!
I'm craving some less practical footwear -- all this slippery stuff and muddy stuff and wet stuff is making me love my boots less . . . maybe a pair of colourful Hunters would do the trick, but it's the switch to the indoor shoes, the carrying of, etc. that I'm tired of (and working indoors in a shoe capable of doing the outdoors well, not so comfy!)
I'm going to have to tread very carefully on city streets this weekend, all those shop windows. . .
That Westwood dress is amazing!
You would walk with a bounce in your step in those purple Hunter boots. Why not treat yourself, you know they will be well used. :-))
Pam: Such a lusious colour after noting but black.
LauraH: I have, in years in Toronto gone through winter entirely in rubber boots.
materfamilias: Laughed when I read that; a commercial interior design firm did a study and found the #1 thing Canadian women kept in their office desk drawers were... shoes!
Cornelia: I do that too- all the white spots vanish after several months of no polish. That pattern mix is seen very often here but mostly on young women.
Kristien62: Wonder if we are eyeing the same one:)
hostess: See this past Tuesday's post- I bought the purple Bogs.
Some companies like Eileen Fisher, for example, don't understand our weather in Texas and send spring sweaters to their stores here. I think they have difficulty wrapping their minds around our climate.
Every winter I swear I will not buy another sweater, ever. I have way too many already, and some winters rarely get a chance to wear any of them. So this year I bought 2, both cashmere, plus got one as a gift ;-). At least it's been cold enough to wear them, this year!
---Jill Ann
Mid-March is still chilly here, so your favourite (indoor) jacket or dress with sleeves will still be fine. I'd say avoid the super-conservative Talbot's-type things (too stolid), but it sounds like that's not your style anyway! If speaking from a podium, the view of you will be from the waist up, so I'm focused there.
If you take NYC as your reference point you will be fine. Women wear more jewelry by day than you might expect and everyone has a scarf as part of outerwear, but often indoors too.
You'll likely need a separate tote to carry your shoes, or a briefbag big enough to include them. (Mid-March usually puts slush and mud on the sidewalks; we are still wearing boots and changing into shoes indoors, unless going door to door in a car.) If you are out walking, a hat that protects your ears, and gloves. Mid-March can bring rain, snow, or both in same day; very changeable. A wool coat lined raincoat or warm jacket. (Unlined cotton raincoat too thin.)
We only find Americans boorish when they say things like "Do you get American TV here"? (Happened to me.) As an American as well as Canadian citizen, I am proud of both countries' estimable women.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have further questions or comments.
That said, I love the idea of spring, and of a red leather jacket.
Laura/LPC: Kamiks are made in Canada; Bogs in China (however the Bogs site says re the factory, "It is family owned and employees are treated fairly."