This past week in New York momentarily veered into premature summer territory, but it’s safe to say we are back to normal spring temperatures (to my dismay, because I loved sweating around the city)!
A lot of the trees seem to have already bloomed past their peak, earlier than I remember from last year. I haven’t put away my coats because I have trust issues. The air is so dry the reoccurring eczema spot on my face has flared up.
And yet, through this awkward dance of being neither here nor there, it’s spring. We begin to shed our layers, unclench our jaws, and stop to smell the flowers. I am feeling more and more like myself again, returning to intuition and instinct to guide me through the last bit of “in between” weather before the summer, my favorite season.
I’ve been thinking a lot about intuition and instinct lately. The past six months have pushed me to question the parameters we, as a culture so preoccupied with optimization and productivity, have come to rely on—when, at the end of the day, what truly matters is how something registers in the body, before it’s explained, justified, or made visible. Fashion has always been one way to let instinct take over. Clothes become an almost involuntary, visceral recognition of what feels right or wrong on and even in the body, help us move through the world with a little more self-assuredness and confidence, and render what exists beneath the suffice a little more legible.
So April’s issue of ‘How to be devastatingly hot and cool’ returns to this instinctual desire to feel good in our clothes again. To no longer shield our bodies, but to celebrate newness and fluidity.
FASHION
When I think about spring, I think of silk. I think about how nice it is to feel this fabric on our skin without needing to layer on a heavy coat on top of it. Silk is meant to be enjoyed on its own with the breeze moving through its fibers.
This strappy dress is devastatingly hot. Its proportions, the tiny spaghetti straps, the semi-sheer chocolatey organza.
I love how silk is presented in two ways in this skirt: satin and organza. It feels like the best of both worlds in a silhouette that is just unique enough to add to your rotation this spring.
I tried on this perfect silk-cashmere v-neck sheer sweater at a Renggli preview. It was love at first sight and I bought it immediately. It’s sexy, it’s versatile, it’s just one of those pieces that doesn’t look like much but a DHC girl would look at and be like…immediately yes.
Silk pants, always.
A silk jacquard PJ set that is absolutely made for the streets, too.
I always return to 100% cotton; I feel so much joy in wearing cotton again, and not wools and synthetics to keep me warm. Cotton makes me feel the most me. Breathable, movable, versatile. Especially when rendered in blue, yellow, or pink for the spring. And easily paired with other colors to create a perfect spring palette.
Comme Si makes a really good poplin shirt in the shade of blue that can be dressed up, down, closed, open, tucked, untucked. I love this subtle pink striped shirt that is priced quite well, I think! I do like this red.
I wore this t-shirt for a day of press previews and I had DHC fashion girls asking me “What is your t-shirt?”, which proves my point that there really is discernment in everything, even a white tee.
Sezane’s Clyde Coat is still the trench coat I recommend to people the most. The no-fuss silhouette and classic collar is really what we’re all after in a trench!
Doen’s airy spring dresses work perfectly under any spring coat. I can’t stop wearing this one in the most breezy cotton voile that feels like wearing nothing in the best way possible. I am eyeing this Edwardian-inspired one that hits all the marks for fit, length, material.
I’m a sucker for a good spring print, and I’m most excited about them when the season changes and I’m suddenly craving some more personality in my outfits.
The RealReal is good to punch in a broad search like “floral printed skirt”. I have found that browsing is more fun when you do so with a narrowed category in mind, instead of a specific designer.
I missed out on J.Crew’s ramie blue skirt last summer so this one, rendered in a sweet floral print, is already in my cart. This one in a map print is so understated whimsical.
This Doen lace skirt with a tulle trim is screaming spring bride but I can imagine it being worn a million other ways, like with a plain tank top or a cashmere sweater.
Phoebe Philo’s arrival to Mytheresa is one of the more exciting spring fashion news. No longer do I need to schlep uptown to Bergdorf.
It’s only natural this twill trench coat that I just know is built to perfection is recommended.
My favorite black cotton jersey top rendered in a spring cream. It’s one of those pieces that doesn’t look like much but every time you wear it, you realize why one might spend this much on a basic.
The perfect black peep-toe mule. Priced not too ostentatiously, dare I say?
I don’t care that I live in New York; I’m going to wear my flip flops. I just love how they make me feel carefree and relaxed, which is the exact mentality I need when I’m scurrying around the city. They also render any outfit more cool! Whenever I want to dress down an otherwise put together outfit, I throw on flip flops and I instantly feel more myself.
TKEES’ collaboration with J.Crew is so fun. I love all the colors because I already own their classic leather sandals in black and brown.
These A.Emery classics are 20% off right now.
What about a wedge to give your feet a little more protection from the ground?
BEAUTY
I know everyone is probably inundated with Sephora sale content so I’ll keep this point brief:
The best face mist in the game. I use it multiple times a day and always panic when I run low. This one by Eadem is more hydrating and geared towards calming down the skin—perfect for those with a compromised skin barrier or dry skin.
Fara Homidi everything. They never go on sale so now is the time to stock up on DHC-approved lip compacts, lip liners, and concealer compacts.
I’ll also stock up on this cleanser that my entire family uses—the scent is spring in and of itself. I like keeping this one in the shower to wake me up in the morning.
Every season, I do a big skincare swap out. I like introducing new ingredients and products into my routine so my skin doesn’t stay complacent. But a mainstay is vitamin C, and it’s especially important when the sun shines a bit brighter and longer.
Counter’s All Bright Vitamin C Serum is so good and is even hydrating, which is a first for a vitamin C serum for me. I never worry about it pilling, and after three weeks of use (I brought the bottle with me on my Japan ski trip) I noticeably see a difference in my pigmentation spots.
I just got a re-up of one of my favorite sunscreens, and I’m reminded why mineral sunscreens with emollients are my favorite, especially for transitional spring weather.
Makeup has to feel more intuitive, too. Less foundation, more skin tints and moisturizers that let my natural skin show.
This is when I introduce eyebrow gel back into my routine. I thank my genes for my bushy brows, but I thank this brow gel for making them that much bolder and in-shape. The pigment payoff is great and complements my skin-first routine.
Tinted moisturizers!!!! The ILIA one is my most-recommended product in this category, but I’m also going back to one of the first products that made me fall in love with a tinted moisturizer, first recommended to me by my sister.
The winter-to-spring fragrance switch-up is most definitely instinctual and sensorial to the highest degree. Florals replace woods and heavy resins give way to something lighter and greener—notes that feel less like armor and more like air, settling onto the skin in a warmer way.
Guerlain’s Vanille Planifolia Extrait is the most authentic and purest expression of vanilla. It lingers softly on the skin for hours and is best complimented with a silky spring blouse!
Memo Paris’s Cap Camarat is most definitely a warm weather fragrance and when worn in the early spring months, it feels like a prelude for what’s to come: Salty skin, long dinners, and the setting sun.
Lore’s Lovely and a Little Twisted is my favorite scent in the collection and truly a perfect milky spring scent. The rose isn’t too overpowering and is one of those scents that always has people asking me what I’m wearing.
HOME
This embroidered coverlet is so sweet and has a vintage feel to it. The description says it’s extra long and I just know it’ll drape so beautifully on the bed. It feels very countryside romantic!
I went to a dinner for Ginori’s newest Florenza collection, which reimagines the garden and spring time. It feels more youthful and fun than the Ginori we know, and dining on these plates genuinely uplifted all of our moods that evening. This was the plate we were all swooning over, but this vase is my unsung hero from the collection.
I’m loving new vessels to keep all my flowers in, to do the florals justice.
This black glass vase from Sophie Lou Jacobson (who I actually met at the Ginori dinner!) has so much personality to it and will make any florals stand out.
Etsy has such a good collection of vintage Murano vases. This one is both spunky and classic at the same time. This classic silhouette is good even on its own; I can attest because I have one on my dresser.
Happy spring. x