After months of dreary weather and dark mornings, it’s natural to be excited about spring’s arrival. However, as much as we look forward to the start of the new season, adjusting your wardrobe to accommodate the unpredictable forecasts that we can expect from March and April can be tricky. With a whole host of new trends to consider, plus getting the balance of being warm but not swamped under thick layers just right, there’s more to think about when it comes to assembling your spring outfits than you might think.
I, however, am here to help you streamline this process by presenting you with what I, and my knowledgeable colleagues, consider to be the most versatile and classic spring fashion items you can own. Essentials, go-tos, wardrobe fail-safes—whatever you want to call them, these 12 timeless spring pieces will provide the unshakable foundations of any capsule wardrobe for the season ahead.
Interchangeable with one another, you can throw practically any of the below items together, and you’re guaranteed they’ll work seamlessly together. They’ll pair well with the more statement pieces in your wardrobe, too, helping you to carve a more elevated-looking aesthetic in the process.
So, which classic spring fashion items would I recommend? Scroll on to see all 12.
Style Notes: After opting for woollen textures for winter, one of the first spring style switches I make is transitioning to a lighterweight blazer. If linen feels too summery for you, consider another fluid material.
I’m considering investing in this versatile hue.
A staple for any wardrobe.
Style Notes: Although the square scarf is having a moment, I think it’s one of the most classic accessories you can wear, whatever time of the year. For spring, fashion types are wearing theirs loosely around their necks with thin knitwear (more on that later).
This also comes in a cream and black colour-way.
This has gone straight on my wish list.
Style Notes: While you can absolutely have fun with your denim, it always pays to have a pair of classic straight-leg jeans at your disposal, for they’ll work best to offset bright and statement separates, such as Smyth’s chic electric blue blouse above.
Our editors have professed their love for this specific M&S jean over and over.
An ever-so-slightly-slouchier silhouette will earn you extra cool points.
Style Notes: Shirts are a year-round staple, but I think they look their chicest on spring, worn with either ankle-boots or loafers, tucked nonchalantly into jeans. Leave the collar unbuttoned for a relaxed feel.
The oversize pocket further enhances the billowing silhouette of this shirt.
You needn’t stick to white—bright shirts are trending hard for spring 2022.
Style Notes: As the brighter days begin to roll in, I tend to find that the black leather handbag I’ve been carting around all winter feels too stark against the lighter shades I seem to favour. To rectify this, I’ll be changing it up with a woven tote bag—the sort influencers dig out each spring.
Dragon Diffusion is a brand to bookmark for spring 2022.
If you want a non-leather option, look no further than this elevated style from Naghedi.
Lighter shades of stone will work better with cooler colour palettes of grey, navy, and black.
While camel-coloured trenches look fabulous with bright colours.
Style Notes: We all know the quote from The Devil Wears Prada, but florals are and will always remain integral to the spring aesthetic, and they don’t come more classic than when in dress form.
I can’t stop thinking about this beautiful dress.
Tea dresses feel distinctly French, don’t they?
Style Notes: Don’t get me wrong, I have a huge soft spot for chunky cable knits and fluffy cardigans, but, by the time spring kicks into gear, I’m more than ready to wave goodbye to them until autumn. Instead, once temperatures start to raise, I start donning thin (most likely ribbed) knitwear.
The mock neck will help keep the heat in on even the chilliest spring days (because we know they happen).
I’m still really into knitwear with polo collars.
Style Notes: I’ve never been much of a trouser person but this spring, it’s hard to ignore just how chic the tailored pairs on offer look. With more options than ever before, perhaps 2022 is the year I finally embrace them for myself, after admiring them from afar for so long. When I do, I want to wear them exactly like Ghanem.
The elasticated back on these trousers ensures a better fit around the waist.
I have visions of wearing this with a racer vest and rectangular sunglasses.
Style Notes: We live in Britain where boots remain a solid footwear solution year-round. Still, when I get fatigues of my pairs—something I suspect is imminent—loafers become my go-to. Less flimsy than other flats, they have a practical feel to them, whilst also looking inherently classic.
Black loafers such as these are my preference, but don’t be afraid to try other hues.
The loafer that reignited the fashion’s obsession with the shoe all those years ago.
Style Notes: Slip skirts might have started out as a trend, but now, after years of being on the style agenda, I consider them to be a wardrobe classic. Come spring, I like to experiment with brighter hues though, admittedly, I’m also quite taken with & Other Stories’ camel iteration.
This ankle-grazer also comes in a classic-feeling sage colour way.
This is sitting in my basket as we speak.
Style Notes: I know it’s borderline cliche, but I’m here for anything that makes my outfits feel more French. This is probably why my drawers are populated with Breton stripe tops. Tucked into jeans or worn with the above slip skirts, they’re a spring style staple I’ll never be without.
Relaxed shoulders loan themselves to the casual Breton stripe.
I own this Zara top, and can confirm it’s perfectly oversized.
Next Up: I Just Tried On M&S’s Best-Selling Jeans, and I’m Officially a Convert