'Spring Must Haves'

It must because it’s the end of the month, that I already am making a mental check list of what pieces to buy now and what pieces to hold off until the warm weather is officially in full swing. Lately it seems like all of us in New York are hanging in weather limbo with occasional bouts of warm weather followed by rain and a windy cold front.

In my last post, I noted tye-dye and stripes as prints that top my must-have list for this season. These too, of course, are just the beginning:

Hat from J.Crew

1. Panama Hat

I plead ‘guilty’ because I already bought one more before my weekend trip to Miami for a wedding. Do I regret the purchase? Heck no. I must’ve spent a few months casually looking for the perfect Panama hat that could transition from a sunny day at the beach to a picnic in Central Park. In the process, I found many overpriced hats made of what I believe to be sweatshop-produced straw.

Finally, I stumbled upon a cream straw hat with black ribbon at J. Crew. Priced at $58 (a bit steep in my opinion for a hat), but handmade from the finest material. It’sperfect for a day outdoors and yet, polished enough for work.

Burberry does the military coat

2. Military coat

Utilitarian just got less boring and more chic. The military coat is closely linked to designer Marc Jacobs, who showcased his version of the coat at his spring-summer show last fall. Other designers must have noticed, because the military green hue was later found on almost every runway.

I do have my own version of a military green jacket, which was for some time part of my ‘NYC outfit’ (paired with my boyfriend jeans – I was ahead of all the trends) when I was but a recent college grad and commuting from NJ. But this military coat has had an update, cut more like an alpaca and ideal for rain, wind and the occasional chill on a cool spring day.