Spring into spring: the seasonal wardrobe transition
Photo: Pinterest
We are now officially in spring and never have we needed the blossoms and blooms, warmer temperatures and brighter faces more. May 1st, the official start of spring, was traditionally celebrated by dancing around a Maypole, a custom started by the Romans around 2000 years ago. This was to thank Flora (the goddess, not the butter alternative) for the new vegetation. Now, most of us give praise by a bit of wardrobe transition.
There’s nothing better than greeting spring by discarding the heavy duffle coat of winter, kicking off the heavy boots and putting away the thick socks. It’s a seasonal ritual to savour. Perhaps, those with Kardashian-sized closets don’t have this joy in their lives, but I physically pack my wintery layers into IKEA boxes and retrieve my linen shirts and trousers, sneakers, dresses and cotton jerseys. There is always a small frisson of pleasure, as I envisage the pedicures and summer cocktails ahead.
Every year, I note this isn’t an equitable turn around. I seem to get more wear from my winter clothes than my summer kit. If I were to put numbers on it, I’d say there are four or five warm British months, and six or eight colder ones. The wardrobe transition normally takes a weekend and requires military focus. I try to be rigorous about the process which usually generates around half a dozen bags for the charity shop. When did I last wear this item? Does it still suit my life, body and outlook? If not, goodbye.
Scarves, gloves and hats are packed away. Sweaters are washed, dried, put in freezer bags then stacked in the freezer to kill moth eggs – don’t get me started on moths – and then stored. But British weather being what it is, I always keep a few transitional items to hand. Despite the vagaries of global warming, being lead by the weather is a pretty sensible and prosaic approach; a lot simpler than the fashion industry would have us believe.
The fashion system, which also operates on seasonal lines, seems to occupy some kind of parallel universe. As well as the standard spring/summer and autumn/winter collections that provide the framework for most designer and retail chains, there are holiday and cruise collections; pre-fall, Christmas, etc. etc. Fast fashion is the biggest scoundrel with some labels generating a dizzying 52 micro-seasons a year.
The global pandemic has meant we’ve all been forced to stay at home, not socialise or book holidays. Perhaps we’ve had more time to take a proper look inside our closets, at what we own and can be re-worn. Perhaps, people have reassessed their priorities and decided they should be spending less on clothes. Or perhaps, it’s the lack of public life that’s lead to sales of clothing plummeting by 34% in March. Brands are talking more of slow fashion, timeless pieces and transitional clothing that works across season’s and weather changes. While they sort that out, I’ll be sticking to my usual routine.
Nilgin Yusuf is a freelance writer. You can find her on Twitter @Nilgin and Instagram @nilgin_yusuf
Discussion (24 Comments)
The weather is random, Nicola, I agree. Perhaps it was more settled when your mum put her suitcases in the attic? I live in a small flat in London with not much storage space so tend to shuffle things around rather than a big swap-over…
Elizabeth says:
Here here Philippa! Me too, never ever put my woolie jumpers away, and have plenty of warm, wet weather gear handy at all times.
Josanne says:
Haha. I live in Colorado and we can experience the 4 seasons in one day. I do a closet swap but definitely have sweaters and a light down jacket on hand even during the summer.
Thanks for the post Alyson, this is on my to do list
Carmen says:
When the mornings start in the 40s F and the afternoons shimmer in the 80s F, I want all my wool, cotton, cashmere and linen at hand. Raincoats with liners, Jean jackets and dusters. And big silk scarves. It’s rather fun. But I most look forward to tapping pedicured toes to happy music, and sipping summer cocktails under a festive umbrella. In New York, June, July and August offer the best fun.
Rose Askham says:
I’ve just come back home from a cold, wet & windy gathering on a nearby road, to pay tribute to a neighbour whose funeral cortege was due to pass just after 10am. I needed to dig out my warm padded winter coat, boots & hat which I, like most of us, had put away for the summer just a couple of weeks ago! Haha. And I live in Cheshire.
My Nan used to quote that old farmers proverb to me ‘cast not a clout til May is out’
So I tend to do a mid May sort out and transition xFrances Ramaden says:
I was recently told that ‘May’ in that saying refers to blackthorn blossom which, in earlier times, was referred to as ‘may’ so who knows?
Alysen says:
Blackthorn is one blossom, which produces sloes in autumn, and May is hawthorn blossom, which should be imminent, with bluebells. The blackthorn is just over here, in SW England, but the May is only flowering in very sheltered spots. Summer seems to start with the May flowering. It’s lovely, very fragrant, and triggers hay fever, and I have just started to sneeze despite not having a cold or COVID. So yes, summer is on the way… yippee!
MaureenC says:
I’ve realised that I consistently over buy summer clothes. I noticed this when I did my seasonal swap over a couple of weeks ago – then of course promptly resurrected some of the winter woolies over the last few days! I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the bright colours which attract me and that I’m drawn to them like a moth. Consequently my wardrobe is a bit unbalanced. So rather than be tempted to more summer buying (already done enough of that) it’s actually my autumn, winter, early spring wardrobe that needs to be slowly (and sustainably) revitalised with more colour. Harder to come by but I shall have fun doing the research!
Shahin says:
Me too! I have far too many summer frocks, most of which never get worn.
I also ( like someone else mentioned have lots of ‘frisky’ sandals, some never worn.
I just love colour and it’s difficult to find in winter clothing. Why do the clothing manufacturers think we should be wearing dull colours in dark and dreary climates?avicennia says:
Funnily I just noticed the opposite: I have more winter than summer clothes. I live in an environment of long summers and short winters. But honestly I’d rather live in northern climes. My over abundance of winter clothes must be wishful thinking.
suzanna says:
Hi Alison, followed you forever! I have gotten COVID thick in my middle, stomach! Working on that but in the meantime can you recommend a thinner stripe brand shirt? It’s so hot in NW Florida most of the time. I got Ralph Lauren XL linen shirts recently. Beside liking a lose fit, able to tie a waist, it’s a tad big but comfy & not really sloppy. Linen is perfection in Florida. Thank you for always offering us great ideas.
MICHELE A WHELDON says:
I’m in California on the central coast. I do a complete swap out each year and get rid of clothes and shoes that dont suit me anylonger. Right now the swap out is in limbo since the weather is crazy…warm one week, cold the next.
During lockdown this past year I got rid of a,lot of things. I gave some to a neighbor, sold a lot on ThreadUp and the rest went to thrift stores.Mrs Tonia says:
I agree with much written here. We’ve had such vicissitudes of temperature recently that nothing has been put away. I’m back in gloves, pullovers, Warm coats, scarves etc for May Bank holiday socialising in the drizzle. Around Easter with optimism I washed the lightweight dresses and linen clothing and got out flip flops and sandals. There were some dry warm days then and I enjoyed feeling the sun on bare arms, bare feet and face. And even got a facial tan wearing sun cream. Now we are going backwards. It’s dispiriting. The temperature differential yesterday was ten degrees centigrade less than the previous year. You need a bit of everything varying the layers and colour schemes according to whether it’s sunny or mild. Given this I haven’t thought about retiring warm clothing. And am glad for my flannel Pjs and cashmere bed socks on these chilly nights.
Susie Hemsworth says:
In the UK if we have hot weather I wear something different everyday. That’s why I have more summer clothes. They need to be washed after one wear as you would with sports kit. I’m definitely a dress and skirt person. I think they keep you cooler.
Katherine C. James says:
For years I did the seasonal swap. I grew up in Northern California, with 17 years in San Francisco, though in its warm Banana Belt (yes such a pace exists in SF) by the Bay Bridge and Bay in an area called South Beach. The swap became requisite when I moved to Chicago for six years and acquired serious winter-weight wool clothing and accessories. I’ve been back in the SF Bay Area for years. Beginning in 2016, after selling my SF place and putting much of my possessions in storage, I decided to reduce the amount of things I own. In June 2016 I did a complete assessment of all of my clothing, which I assembled and piled high on a bed including all coats, shoes, purses, hats, gloves, undergarments, and nightwear. I found good homes for all of the things I wasn’t keeping. In March of this year, so five years later, I repeated the process, and now have all of my winter and summer things in one standard-size closet. I put my heaviest item, a full-length Loro Piana cashmere shawl-collar coat at the far left of my closet, my other coats are hung in order of warmth, the few dressy and evening wear items I’ve kept are next, and I have gone across from there. My undergarments, socks, nightclothes, sweaters, tees, handkerchiefs, and gloves are in my mahogany bureau. I have my shoes and boots and sandals and espadrilles two rows deep in the bottom of the closet, with some on a short three-shelf case to use more vertical space. I move the shoes for the time of year to the front row when I begin using them. My purses and scarves are on my closet shelves above the hanging items. I switch the scarves out by season front to back. My purses are in cloth bags to protect them from dust. Climate change in California has given us fewer and fewer rainy and/or cold days, which I very much miss because I love wool and cashmere sweaters and coats, boots, hats, and gloves, but I note the clothing I use now could more and more qualify as year round items. Jeans and jackets are my uniform. Though in January I was in cashmere sweaters, and now I’m in cotton and linen blouses and tees. So seasons do still exist, subtle though they may be.
JoAnn says:
I am curious as I battle with moths as well. How long do you leave your sweaters in the freezer?
Hi Jo Ann, my next post will be all about moths so watch this space! But the idea is to kill off any moth eggs. I normally leave them in there for about a week.
Susanna says:
In San Francisco the “swap around” is subtle because of our summer cooling fog, which makes me grateful for a trench coat and a light cashmere cardi in August sometimes. And then there’s the long, late hot weather that stretches into late October – very tricky because the light is autumnal while the temperatures are emphatically not. But at this time of year the corduroy and wool skirts and trousers, and the winter sweaters have gone away, and the linen has come out to play with the all-season knit dresses and the cropped pants. Now I just have to get that pedicure!
I’m in Canada and have done sort of a half swap so far. The weather has been too unpredictable to do a full seasonal change. I put away my heaviest winter coat, my boots, my warmest sweaters (jumpers to the British), and my coziest pyjamas. I brought out my capri pants, but haven’t actually worn any of them yet. Sandals, shorts, and some of my summer tops are still in storage. Who knows when I’ll be ready to bring those out. The forecast for the next couple of weeks certainly doesn’t look promising.
Philippa 
susan mulroy 
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I don’t do a clothing swap because I manage to have everything out ( and I honestly think the weather is so random who knows what you are going to be wearing and when) but I do have to do a shoe rotation because I can’t have all my shoes out all at once. I’m in the Southern Hemisphere so I’ve just packed away the sandals and vast array of Birkenstock’s ( they breed in my closet) and got my boots out. I remember my mother doing the clothes swap and heaving the off season stuff up to the attic in enormous suitcases. I wonder if the weather was more settled then or if she just suffered with the wrong clothes if the weather wasn’t cooperating?