Spring Has Sprung

It was only two weeks ago that I extolled the virtues of winter ties and claimed that spring was not yet coming. Oh how very wrong I was. Temperatures are now regularly creeping close to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and my coats have possibly seen their final days until fall. Along with putting the coat a bit further back in the closet, comes the yearly color and fabric changes of spring.

Now, I am not suggesting at all that I never wear my canary yellow cotton sweater while its snowing, nor that I don’t occasionally toss on that forest green knit tie during a sunny summer walk, but its certainly not the regular. Jewel-toned merino and grey flannel dominate my winters, and for me, spring means pulling out all the exciting colors that seemed to be a little too bright and flashy during the dull days of grey-skied winter. Not that I don’t love winter’s palate, but change can be exciting.

White shirts just seem so much whiter with the sun out and the dirty snow off the ground, and socks, lightweight scarves, and ties just beg to be pastel and primary colors. Sweaters become cornflower blue and kelly green, ties lovely pinks and fire-engine reds, and since boots become less necessary as the slush disappears, socks that are every-color-the-rainbow-wishes-it-was are visible again.

Today, I’ll forgo wool trousers in favor of cotton and throw a lilac silk pochette haphazardly into my blazer pocket, with an open-collared white shirt to enjoy the lovely breeze (sorry for the poor picture…class in 20 minutes). It’s hard to believe that only two weeks ago I was wrapping a deep burgundy scarf around a gray shirt and navy tie before trudging over to the coat closet and pulling on my gloves. I love the cold, and the clothing it makes available, but spring and its colors are a welcome sight after this year’s especially harsh winter.