TOPSHOP JACKET, TRAVE JEANS, CLAUDIE PIERLOT SHIRT

The joys of spring are magical, aren’t they? I’m excited just to see grass! But add in a super spring wardrobe and one can feel like jumping for joy and never coming down. The new season offers a feast of fresh styles - puff-sleeves, paper-bag waists, polos, pleather! So how do we navigate this budding new territory in the little bit of spare time we have? Like a business pro, we need a strategy.

Our mission: adore every outfit in our spring wardrobe
Our objective: re-energize our old clothes with just enough new
Our tactic: choose trends that work for us – our bodies, our lifestyles and our budgets

Ready? Let’s put our spring strategic plan in place!

1. Do an audit

APC SWEATER, MOTHER JEANS, via spiga shoes, gabriel frantzen belt

Before we decide what to get, we’ve got to know what we’ve got. That means we need take inventory. (I know, but promise it’s worth it.) Different experts have different approaches, but they all start with taking everything out of our closets and trying each piece on. Marie Kondo would then have us sense whether a style ‘sparks joy.’ Certified pro organizer Kat Ong says we should keep ‘only things we use or love.’

I find it helps to ask four questions:

Do you love it?
Does it love (suit / flatter / fit) you?
Does it suit your lifestyle?
Is it fit for purpose? (no stains / damage / outdated trends – see Shop your closet for spring)

Once you’ve got a piece on, put it through its paces by bending, stretching, even dancing around to ensure nothing weird happens when you move! (I do this when the kids are in bed and my husband is out.) Being decisive helps speed up the process, so it might help to remember that your trash could be someone else’s treasure. If you want to sell any pieces as opposed to donating them, there are lots of online options in addition to your local consignment store. Tradesy, Poshmark, The Real Real and of course eBay all make turning your clothes into cash a cinch.

2. Identify “gaps and opportunities”

Having winnowed your wardrobe, you may find gaps (and secretly exclaim, “oh goodie, now I get to fill them!”). Maybe you realized your swimwear gives you a wedgie and you need a new suit. Or maybe, like me, you bent down in your too-tight, low-rise jeans and realized it was a lot to behold! Jot down what’s missing. You may also want to think about upcoming plans, such as a beach holiday or camping trip, and note what you’ll need that you don’t have. Ditto identifying items that will empower other pieces – old-school kicks to complement vintage jean styles; a waistcoat to spiff up a suit; a laid-back blazer to contemporize your work look.

3. Study the marketplace

Spring 2020 is a spoil of choice. Yippee! We can do colors or neutrals, minis or midis, square toes or points. To evaluate all the options – not just what one store has curated for us – it can be helpful to study before you shop. Got a mag or blog that speaks your style? Dive in and see what they’re forecasting. I’m enamored by Who What Wear, who’s editors write irresistible articles like “NYC Girls Will Wear These 7 Spring Staples to Look Extra Fashionable” and Not Jess Fashion, with her on-trend take on topics like, “9 Resort Wear Trends I Can’t Wait to Wear.”

Once we know what the options are, we can identify the ones are right for us. Minis are fun, in my view, on other people, so I’ll be sticking to the midi. But if you’ve been waiting to show of your shapely gams, this is your moment! Trends are really just a chance to catch cuts you love while they’re hot.

4. Write your purchasing plan

We now have an easy formula with which to write our shopping lists:

Gaps + trends you love (to fill them) = what to buy for spring

So, if you’re short on suit jackets and love looser cuts, why not add a boyfriend blazer to your list? Desperate for denim but skeptical about skinnies? Take your pick of straight, wide-leg, boot-cut, and even pleated styles. Making a list will help you get what you need and stay on budget. After all, those spring styles are awfully seductive!

5. Activate!

When the snow finally melts and the temperature climbs above freezing, it’ll be time to shop. Yay! But stay strategic. Just as in step one, you want to ensure every new piece suits you, your needs, your taste and your lifestyle. After all, this time next year, you don’t want to be auditing out all your 2020 stuff!

I hope these tips were helpful. What are you excited about for spring? Do let us know with a comment - and happy spring planning!