Spring outfits are almost impossible to put together when you live in Melbourne. The weather changes every 5 minutes for a start which means you could be sweating in a singlet one minute and shivering in a jacket the next. And secondly it’s hayfever central so really the best option for everyone is an airtight, head to toe, plastic bag.
I don’t get the usual hayfever symptoms like itchy eyes and stuffy nose (which is great because you can’t take most hayfever tablets when you’re pregnant). I just get really tired and I sneeze a lot. It’s not fun. Having said that, I adore spring. The air is warm and scented, the pubs in my suburb start to fill up with afternoon beer drinkers and spring fruit and veggies (asparagus!) start popping up at the markets. It’s all very pleasant. Although I could deal with it not being quite so warm yet. Pregnancy has raised my body temperature so I’m feeling the heat more than usual… let the heat waves stay away until AFTER December okay?
Wearing
Dress from Cotton On
Shoes from Funkis
Cardigan from Anthropologie circa 2009
Here are a few things you need to complete all your spring outfits… full disclosure. I *WAS* wearing all the things listed below but Melbourne went all Melbourne on me and my scarf and hat ended up getting abandoned.
1. A non-sandal, warm weather shoe
I find spring in Melbourne is a touch early to get my toes out. If I’m sitting outside at a cafe on a Saturday afternoon, I’m going to get cold REALLY quickly if my feet are uncovered. As a general rule, I tend to keep my tootsies tucked away until it gets really hot. These Funkis clogs are the best – I’m so glad I bought them. They’re super comfortable and I can just chuck them on quickly as I’m walking out the door.
2. An awesome, chuck-it-over-everything cardigan
If you’re a dress wearer, get yourself a light, waterfall style cardigan. It’s super flattering at the back and adds a bit of interest at the front. Tigerlily have great lightweight ones for summer and spring that go well with solid basics. This is my favourite waterfall cardigan. I wear it all the time.
3. A hat
My hair looks like shit for most of spring because it’s just so damn windy. I tuck my hair up inside a man style trilby hat and I can arrive at my destination looking semi-put together. Remind me to do a video on how I tuck my hair into a hat to stop it being flat when I take the hat off again. It’s a whole thing.
4. A decent mid-length dress
When it’s a touch too hot for tights but a touch too cold for short dresses, I always give my mid-length dresses a workout. I also stick to heavier materials for that extra bit of warmth. I’ve actually just recently finished crocheting two dresses but they’re way too open weave for spring. I’d freeze my ass off if I wore them now. The first 30-degree day though, they’re getting an outing, in the meantime, I’m giving this Cotton On dress a workout. It’s just heavy enough to provide a bit of protection from the spring wind but not too hot for when the sun peaks out for 5 minutes every afternoon. Note: This dress is usually knee-length but the baby belly is making it look like a mini dress!
5. A scarf
I like a lightweight, slightly open weave cotton or linen scarf. I can tie it around my head for when my hair is being stupid, I can chuck it over my shoulders for sun protection and snuggle underneath it for little naps in cars or on planes. I’m rarely without a scarf or wrap. It’s a whole thing.
This outfit was worn for a busy Friday of client work, blog post writing, photography for Crochet Coach and so much pattern writing it feels like my head is going to explode. I can’t explain how consuming it is to write crochet patterns for my designs. I need to make sure every stitch is explained perfectly because if I do a sloppy job, I can cost my students a lot of time and money. Luckily I’m a details kind of gal but it still requires the use of the hardcore mathematical part of my brain that I don’t use very often. I’m loving the challenge and I’m learning to create more and more complex patterns but it requires a lot of concentration and it can be quite depleting when I’ve spent a few hours trying to figure out how many stitches I need to make a size 10 version of the size 14 dress I just made. Are you going cross-eyed just thinking about it?
I’m trying my hardest to not totally book out my weekends at the moment because there’s only a few left before bub gets here. I also have no way of knowing exactly how many. It could be 7 or more… or less! Who knows?
What are you up to this weekend? And what are your spring wardrobe essentials?
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