Best Ways to Wear Great Winter-to-Spring Transition Looks

During vernal equinox the dress challenge is: How to dress in style and stay warm without buying clothes for the relatively short time of the winter to spring transition? However, when you want to save when shopping for clothes, you can solve your problem with smart layering. Read how.

 

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.

 

How to Wear Spring-Inspired Outfits when It Still Feels Like Winter?

While March/April are spring months in mid latitudes, it can still bring snow in Canada, the northern states of the US, in the mountains and at the Last Frontier. Nighttime temperatures rarely are above the freezing point. Therefore, springtime dressing requires a mix of warm and cold season pieces and/or layering for comfortable cold wet weather outfits in the below freezing air in the morning and the around 40F or higher (5^oC) temperatures around lunch time.

 

 

 

How to Layer Summer Clothes with Winter Clothes for a Winter-to-spring Transition Look?

Stylist tip: Try to add a light color when layering.

Leopard print looks great with red. Both pieces are from the cold season. Adding a light cream cardigan builds an appropriate insulation layer. The color combination leopard print with red is a fashionforward Do that nearly is a classic.

 

 

 

You can find more spring layering outfit ideas in the April Lookbook.

 

Which Colors Are Best for the Winter-to-spring Transition?

To “acknowledge” the season, pair items from summer with the light neutrals of your winter wardrobe.

The boots, skirt, and tight are from the winter wardrobe, while the jacket and top are from the summer closet.

Disclosure: I barely have any real spring clothes as it lasts less than a month, if at all.

Style tip: Go for lighter colors as the weather gets warmer.

 

 

Try a light color winter coat.

On chilly days, colors like blush pink, baby blue, cream, light gray, mint, or moss look season appropriate, and work with winter and summer pants alike.

 

 

 

Pair your light color clothes with “seasonless” colors like navy, black, medium gray or jeans in all washes.

 

Why to Wear Leather in Early Spring?

The change of season typically comes with windy weather.  Leather keeps the wind from reaching your skin. A suede skirt can be styled with both summer or winter tops. For inspiration see these more than 40 looks with this suede leather skirt.

Wearing leather is a great way to keep the wind out. Click To Tweet

While great to keep the vernal equinox winds off, leather is a bad insulator. Therefore, wear tights or long underwear under leather pants. And a wool sweater when wearing a leather coat or jacket as outerwear.

 

 

Leather pants dressed up with a blazer make perfect Casual Friday outfits windy vernal equinox days.

 

Beat the equinox winds with leather clothes. Click To Tweet

 

Yes, you can wear leather in spring and summer.

The next outfit inspriations feature a red, white and black classic pairing of a light button-down shirt with a suede skirt accessorized with a polka dot silk scarf. Stylist’s advice:

When wearing red, white and black, ensure you don't look like Mrs Santa Claus. #agelessstyle #HighLatitudeStyle Click To Tweet

 

Stylist’s tip: On chilly days, add a scarf to your outfit to keep your neck warm. You can find how to up your style with scarves in the post at the link.

 

 

A suede skirt is as easy to style than a regular skirt. See this post with more than 40 other looks with this suede leather skirt.

Wearing leather is a great way to keep the wind out. #leatherlove #HighLatitudeStyle Click To Tweet

 

What Underwear to Wear to Stay Warm in the Transition Season?

I have a confession to make. I own a couple of old-fashioned half-slips. Why? To stay warm in thin fabric skirts in the transition – or how we call it – shoulder season. In the photos below, morning temperatures were still in the single digits (warmer than -18^oC, but colder than -12.8^oC). Tall boots, tight, and a half-slip allow me to wear my silver leather skirt already. I wore an all neutrals look in this example outfit by adding a black and gray Fair Isle sweater.

 

 

Wear summer clothes with winter underwear. #springfashion #HighLatitudeStyle Click To Tweet

 

Wool Pants/Skirts with a Button-down Shirt for Chilly Spring Days

The photos below show office attires in all light colors. The plaid wool pants add interest to the classic chambray shirt. When there is fresh snow, booties are in order to avoid wet feet. When temperatures are still in the double digits below freezing, keep wearing the pants with long-johns or tights underneath.

 

 

 

As you know, I have a knack for wearing street style chic. Here a street style combination of wearing an edgy denim jacket and a classic pleated wool skirt.

 

 

Wear light blouses or short sleeve tops with a jacket to stay warm. #springstyle Click To Tweet

 

 

Styling a Great Winter to Spring Transition Is Not Difficult

The hardest days to dress for in spring are those, when it is not freezing-cold, but not warm neither. I call these days the neither-fish-nor-meat days. This funny wording is a direct translation of the German “weder Fisch noch Fleisch.” It’s still too cold to wear the spring outfits, but already too warm for the winter clothes. The best you can do is to either layer spring pieces or dress in a mix of winter and spring pieces.

Mix winter and spring pieces during the winter to spring transition to get a stylish head start on spring. #styleadvice #HighLatitudeStyle Click To Tweet

Switch your coat with a blazer when you wear a winter sweater underneath (see look below).

 

Rubber boots are great for rainy days or during snowmelt. You can find more about how to dress for rainy weather at the link.

 

Layering Ideas to Skip the Coat on Winter to Spring Transition Days

On such days, your best bet is to go for layering. The idea is that you can drop a layer at the office and/or when temperatures are up a bit during lunch break due to the Sun’s diurnal cycle. Other options than the one shown in the outfit photos are to wear a layering top under or a sweater over a sheath dress with a jacket for the commute. Or replace the denim jacket in the outfit inspiration with a cardigan. What about ditching the denim jacket in the outfit shown in the photo and wearing a puffer vest over the blazer? In these layering suggestions, the goal is to avoid wearing a winter coat that would provide similar insulation as the combined items, but would be too warm for the warm part of the chilly spring day.

Layer to avoid to wear a winter coat in the winter to spring transition. #Styletip #HighLatitudeStyle Click To Tweet

 

 

More spring outfit inspirations with this white summer dress.

Springtime in Alaska is temperatures below freezing. #Alaska Click To Tweet

 

 

Summary of Best Ways of Styling a Winter-to-Spring Transition Look

Climate is what you want, weather is what you get. #wx #HighLatitudeStyle Click To Tweet

Therefore, dressing for the weather is always a good idea. In the transition season, layering is key. Read what mistakes to avoid when layering to look stunning.

 

Top of the World Style Linkup No. 351

Welcome to the Top of the World Style linkup party.

 

 

Congrats Ladies! Grab your award buttons.

Please invite your friends.
Come join me at the Top of the World Style #linkup party. #ffblogger Click To Tweet

 

Click here to enter the party page

 

References

Nicole Mölders, 2019, Outdoor Universal Thermal Comfort Index Climatology for Alaska, Atmosphere and Climate Sciences, DOI: 10.4236/acs.2019.94036

Photos of me: G. Kramm

© 2013-2022 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved