020. Your Spring Colour Guide for 2025
Harnessing colour harmonies that bring your spring to life in the most authentic way possible
I’m convinced our calendars are lying to us.
They say March 20th is the first official day of spring, but as I sit and write this blog 3 weeks later, I still see snow on the ground. And while I typically favour the colder seasons from a fashion perspective (primarily for the infinite layering possibilities they provide) this winter has felt especially long.
Needless to say, I have spring fever. I’m ready for warm weather that requires only one layer… but there are certainly styling challenges that come with this.
When it’s too hot to wear much else besides shorts and a t-shirt, how do you go from “just getting dressed” (Point A) to “styled” (Point B)?
Strategic styling
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Mid-winter, I introduced you to two styling strategies to go from Point A to Point B. They were:
If the weather limits your ability to create visual interest through layering your clothes — as in spring and summer — the focus must be redirected to the intentional and creative use of individual styling elements.
Many more styling “rules” (or strategies, as I prefer to call them) exist, but I’d like to take a deep dive into one core element that, I believe, underpins every strategy’s effectiveness: colour.
Kandinsky said…
“Colour is a power which directly influences the soul.”
As someone whose spent dedicated time simply staring into the artist’s abstract works with no agenda in mind except to feel the art1, I can attest to this. Just as there is psychology behind style, so there is with colour. We associate businesses, genders, feelings, attitudes, even behaviours with colour — all whether we realize it or not.
When it comes to dressing for warmer weather, there is an unsaid expectation that black and other dark colours just aren’t “the vibe.” They’re “too dark” for the warm months. On the flipside — and writing from my personal experience — people will look at you like you have three heads if you wear bright colours on a bitter cold and rainy day.
What gives??
It’s subconscious (colour) psychology at work.
The assumption is because it’s damp and dreary out, you’re obliged to recreate that mood in your outfit. People are tuned into the weather around them, so it becomes jarring (in a good or bad way, depending on the individual) to see a splash of colour on an otherwise grey day.
The same goes with bright, warm, sunshiney weather; if you wear black in the middle of July, you’re a total downer. But these presumptions leave little room for personal style expression. Colour is impossibly interconnected with everything.
Influencer inspiration
If you love to wear black, embrace it. If you love to wear the whole rainbow, embrace that too.
Just be open to the possibility that there is a chic and sophisticated way to go about expressing your personality that gives massive credit to your excellence as a person and a working professional.
Now in an effort to inspire you, I’ve gathered a few fashion-forward women I follow online whose style I just love. Whether or not it’s something I would actually wear is irrelevant; these are women whose style is clearly hitting the mark of polished authenticity time and again. Notice how they utilize the power of colour (or lack thereof):
Lua was my OG inspiration to dye my hair stop sign red for the very first time way back in 2016 — so there’s a lotta love here ♥️ Her style is very urban grunge while still keeping it chic. She’s a fashion girlie who wears a lot of black but knows how to break up her uniform with pops of colour or other dark colours like deep browns and navy.
Little miss Laura Maree Smith. A relatively new follow for me found on my FYP, not one of her outfits has disappointed me yet. She has a beautifully vibrant personality that shines through her all looks with no sign of stopping. (PS. Happy belated birthday, Laura! 🥳)
All black Kat Von D. Her style is very modern goth and mostly structured-and-serious, yet with a slightly whimsical twist — I see this come through in the curved lines and natural fabrics of some dresses she’s worn. It’s clear to me she’s comfortable in what she wears; the look suits her.
Last but not least, newly married Maxine Wylde (congrats, Vogue Bride!💋) is completely unafraid of embracing the rainbow, executing it playfully but still to-be-taken-seriously. Let’s take a look at how she dresses for excellence using…
The power of combination
Behold, the humble colour wheel. Something you’ve undoubtedly seen before in your high school art room… My question is:
Do you remember how to read it?
Within Colour Theory, there are several widely recognized harmonies (combinations) that make all colours friends. See below:
See also, Tibi’s take on the wheel, more specific to colour as it relates to getting dressed:
At a baseline level, everything you need to know about how to work colour into your outfits is in these charts. Admittedly, garments get a bit more granular to work with when considering how colour shows through different fabrics, but that’s where I come in.
With the human eye having the capacity to recognize more than 2.8 million colours2, plus the consideration that women can actually see more colours than men because of our X chromosome3, the possibilities are truly endless.
Survey Vogue says…
“Often led by a cultural phenomenon — Barbie was solely responsible for a major sales spike in pink at Net-a-Porter back in 2023 — colors first seep into runway collections, then trickle down to more accessible brands for the broader consumer, and there is almost always one color that dominates.
“That said, this season seems to be the exception to the rule. There wasn’t one single shade that reigned supreme (though Pantone’s mocha mousse gave other hues a run for their money) but rather a rainbow to choose from across the top ready-to-wear, handbags, and shoe trends. Even for someone who isn’t a color enthusiast (like myself) there are more subtle hues to invest into and a plethora of inspirations on how to style them in a less intimidating way.”
Here’s how I’m doing spring
So far, at least. I love transitional coats and jackets time of year. Get ready to see some great ones — like this one passed down from my Aunt Jane ✨
Until next week.
💌, Tess
For further reading (if you’re curious) 👇🏼
Check out:
Fashion Magazine’s All the Spring 2025 Fashion Trends to Try This Season
WhoWhatWear’s 5 Spring Trends We're Retiring and 5 Fresh Ones We're Wearing Instead
WhoWhatWear’s Just Some Really Good Buys for Spring—That's All
Courtesy of a Philosophy of Art class assignment back in my English Lit undergrad days.