Earlier this month, I looked in my closet and realized I hardly had any spring or summer clothes. Or rather my brain—seemingly still submerged in a winter’s worth of snow banks—simply atrophied when confronted with warmer weather and couldn’t comprehend how to dress accordingly.
This frequently happens to me when the weather changes. I often joke that I forget what 60 and 70 degrees feels like when my body’s spent so long stuck in one weather extreme or the other. Will a jacket be too hot? Will a skirt leaving me feeling too cold? What about in the office? Tall boots would look best with this, but are my calves going to hate me if I opt for those instead of a pair of breezy flats?
There was also the fact I just wasn’t feeling super…enthused by what I was seeing. I spent the majority of last year between jobs and working from home. This means I own plenty of comfy house dresses and loose sweat pant-adjacent pants, but few office appropriate pieces that work with my current style. By the time I finally left my house that day, I was running almost 15 minutes late. Despite the massive pile of clothes that had slowly built on my bed, I walked out the door in an outfit I deemed woefully lackluster and with a resolution I needed to do a bit of light shopping that weekend.
You can find everything linked on my ShopMy
First on my shopping to-do list was finding a new, pristine basic white t-shirt. I settled on this simple (and affordable) Madewell tee. My roommate is also a devout believer in Sezane’s Conrad t-shirt, and says she’s owned hers for 3+ years. My feeling with a t-shirt is that you don’t need to be spending the kind of money you would on a normal shirt on tee. Get something elevated but inexpensive.
Among my newest acquisitions is a striped J. Crew knit boatneck dress. I’ve yet to test drive it, but I envision it’ll get more than enough of wear as spring melts into summer. The neckline looks very flattering while the knit drapes quite nicely. (The dress hits a little below mid-calf on the model. I ordered an X-Small and it looks a lot longer on me.)
I will most likely be buried in my Banana Republic mid-rise 90s loose jeans. I think these are some of the best jeans I’ve ever owned. They fit perfectly, the material is comfy, the drape strikes the perfect balance between polished but relaxed, and they hit at just the right length. I wear these on a night out, to work, around the house, traveling, etc.
I’ve lamented how there are no good short sleeved shirts many times on this very Substack and even for wider audiences. I regret to say I am no closer to solving for this sartorial dilemma. I still look at my closet and feel paralyzed by the giant question mark that is my spring/summer shirt collection, and the Top Recession™ isn’t helping. This lacy little top from DÔEN breaks the top recession.
I bought my Matisse Nova ballet flats almost three years ago and they are probably one of my most worn shoes ever. The cost per wear is insane. I’m so committed to these flats, I opted to take them to the shoe repair instead of just finding a new pair of ballet flats for spring 2026. They’re super comfortable—I’ve walked literal miles in this shoe. The three strap design adds a flair of detail on an otherwise simple design, and never fails to earn a gushing “Ohhh, I love those shoes.” I think the brand might’ve discontinued this specific style on their site, but I managed to find a few straggling pairs on Nordstrom and Amazon.
Many pieces caught my eyes during spring/summer closet replenish. Unfortunately my funds remain (tightly) finite, and so not everything made the cut (or I suppose shopping cart, in this case). Still, they remain on my mind… Here are a few of the pieces on my wishlist. To shop the full wishlist round-up, check out my ShopMy.
These scalloped heeled mules caught my eye in the Reformation store last summer, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since. Unfortunately, my money has gone to other, more pressing footwear as of late, but one day…
A sensible, yet classic heel that I can walk for miles in is among my list of “summer office wear” purchases I want to make before June. I’ve currently issued a spending moratorium on myself for the next few weeks—but once it goes up, I’ve got my eyes on Margaux’s ADA ballet pumps in the patent espresso color. They’re really similar to the Repetto Camille flats, but with a slightly smaller heel.
On the topic of Margaux, I’ve only recently become acquainted with the brand and I’ve found myself positively obsessed. I’m trying to keep myself limited to buying only what I truly need. But, if I had all the money in the world, I’d get the brand’s FONTEYN ballet flats in this delicious limited edition forest satin color and the sling backs in burgundy.
I’ve been really into fringe lately. I find it’s a easy way to inject a bit of memorable stylishness into a piece (especially with evening wear), and so I’m trying to integrate it into my closet a bit more. I dream of a fun, fringey midi skirt of some sort, but I’m also really loving DÔEN fringe pieces. If I were getting married (which I’m not), the Nellcotte anniversary dress—with it’s tassel tie-waist and wispy fringe skirt—would find its way into my cart expeditiously. Also a big fan of the Lavon pant.
I went to No Standing NYC on my birthday just to see what they had, and totally fell in love with this armor-esque navy zip-up from Armani. I couldn’t get over the texture and fit, but just couldn’t find it in me to justify the purchase (though I have a feeling this is going to become one of those things I endlessly search for online in the coming years).
I bought a cream-and-rust tiger striped version of this Banana Republic strapless linen smock dress last summer, and it’s easily one of the pieces I wear the most. You can’t buy it in that particular color anymore, but BR did release a few new patterns for spring. I’m partial to the blue and pink stripes. Other current Banana Republic highlights include:
While I find myself buying into the longer, bermuda short trend, I do worry I’m a bit too short for the style to work on me. Still, that didn’t stop my eye from catching on these cream linen shorts. Even if I’m right and they don’t, BR has these high-rise linen shorts that would suit me just fine.
Really loved the pattern and color of this mesh off-the-shoulder maxi dress.
There were a few other pieces from J. Crew I found in searching for the above purchased knit boatneck dress and really liked. While these never made it in my cart, I wonder if they could be a fit for yours
This pleated drop-waist dress and this basque waist dress.
Loved everything about this basic ribbed cashmere short-sleeved sweater polo, I just don’t have a need for it right now.
I’ve been a long-time admirer of J. Crew’s Berkley bucket bag and their latest khaki and dark brown colorway might just make it into my bag rotation this summer.
I do not need another spring jacket. I do not need another spring jacket. I do not need another spring jacket. But….
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