Spring has not officially arrived yet, and still, I don’t know about you, but I find myself already waiting for it, almost as if I were there in my mind. Perhaps you feel the same. To celebrate its imminent return, or simply to invite it to arrive a little earlier this year, I wanted to write about the way I, as a French woman, gently prepare the transition of my wardrobe from winter into spring.
Which pieces I put away with discretion, the ones I naturally bring back, how certain colors begin to reappear, the new elements that will quietly settle into the seasons ahead, and the trends I consciously choose to leave aside. Because rather than changing everything, the idea is to adjust one’s winter wardrobe in the French way: welcoming a few just-right pieces, while letting others rest until next winter. Here is what returns to the wardrobe when spring begins.
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1. The Overcoat, or le pardessus
This is neither your thick winter wool or cashmere coat, nor an ultra-light jacket. Think of it as an in-between piece. Long or short depending on your preference, it should layer easily over all your outfits, whether they still feel wintry or already hint at spring.
2. The Trench Coat
Only once the temperatures begin to soften and the weather allows. At the moment, I am drawn to slightly flared trench silhouettes, cut short or mid-length. In early spring, I like to wear them over turtlenecks or chunky knits, letting winter and spring coexist for a little while longer.
3. Soft Neutral Knitwear
At the beginning of spring, I keep all my winter knits: the thicker ones and the lighter layers, worn alone or combined depending on the temperature and the coat I choose. The only real shift is in color. I naturally reach for softer, lighter, often pastel tones, the kind that bring freshness to the complexion after winter.
4. A Shearling or Suede Jacket
Early spring is the perfect moment to bring suede jackets back into rotation. From lighter, finer versions worn over heavy knits to thicker shearling coats when the air is still crisp. The only condition, of course, is dry weather.
5. Light Denim
Jeans are part of my uniform in every season, all year long. In early spring, I like to shift toward lighter shades of blue, white, soft grey, or even black paired with brighter tones. For maximum comfort and ease, I tend to choose straight-leg or slightly wider silhouettes.
6. The Blue or White Shirt
Early spring is also the perfect time to return to your most beautiful cotton shirts: white, blue, or even soft pastel pink. They pair effortlessly with white or cream trousers, light denim, grey, or black. A quiet seasonal essential.
7. Loafers or Ballet Flats
When it comes to shoes, it is still a little too cold here in Amsterdam to fully return to ballet flats. For now, I find myself reaching again for my favorite loafers, worn with wool or cashmere socks, and I will alternate with ballet flats as soon as the days grow milder. Both feel perfectly suited to this in-between moment: comfortable, refined, and just light enough to suggest that spring is already on its way.
How French Women Make These Pieces Feel Like Spring
1. Lighter Layers and Softer Textures
The first shift happens in the way pieces are combined. Winter garments remain, but they are worn with lighter layers and softer materials, creating a sense of ease that already feels closer to spring. A thick knit beneath a lighter coat. Suede instead of heavy wool. A shirt reappearing under layers that, only weeks before, felt purely winter.
2. Clearer, Softer Colors That Bring Back the Light
Color is perhaps the most immediate way spring begins to show. After months of deeper tones, the wardrobe naturally turns toward shades that feel lighter, softer, and more luminous against the skin. Powdery pinks, airy blues, touches of pale yellow, greens softened by light. All kinds of whites (ivory, cream, gently off-white) alongside greys and warm beiges. What makes these colors particularly French is not only their softness, but the way they coexist effortlessly: with one another, and even with the darker classics of winter such as black or navy.
3. A Fresher, More Luminous Makeup
Spring also appears in the face before it fully settles into the wardrobe. Makeup becomes lighter, more natural, more radiant, guided less by transformation than by the desire to look rested and gently warmed by light. A touch of pink blush placed high on the cheeks. A hint of bronzing powder to revive the complexion after winter. Skin that remains visible, never hidden. It is the spirit of the “bonne mine” look, that effortless freshness I explored in a previous article, where beauty feels less like makeup, and more like the return of color to the face.
Inside this week’s Edit Privé: what to wear on a date, the French way. A nine-piece capsule styled into four effortless silhouettes, available to paid subscribers.
