I also really like Manidipa's ideas. I do have what I call my "brutal" attire. Things that I wear in really cold weather and really, really hot weather - I like the idea of having a couple of specific cross overs. This year I have moved away from black, so I am thinking that my navy and grays will fit this idea well.

Oh, Suz, was this your problem.... LOL ! ( Thanks for sharing )

ETA : this is the quilted coat that I bought today ..I will post tomorrow. It is very lightweight and water repellant. I got it in brown, because I springs can be rainy and I don't want it to show dirt. It will also fit under my two lightweight waterproof trenches yet my blazers and denim jackets will fit underneath.

http://www1.burlingtoncoatfact.....54543.aspx

This thread is fascinating. Though a little hard to follow for me as I think in Celcius

Suz, have you read this blog of Angie's and the links at the bottom?
http://youlookfab.com/2012/03/.....r-weather/

To a large extent I don't think we need spring or Autumn separate garments in my part of Australia (but I can identify 3 separate sets of summer clothing). However I do feel, like you, the lack of fashionable shoes that aren't sandals or boots. It is a wardrobe hole for me too.

Anne, so interesting. I SHOULD think in Celcius because that is how we record temperatures in Canada, but I am old enough to remember when we did F. and I still revert to it quite often. Anyway, 50 F = about 10C, 80F = about 27C, and so on. Of course humidity levels also affect the way it all feels, and wind and such, but that is true anywhere in the world!

Thanks Suz
Australia went metric before I was born, but I can still think in feet and inches and cook in pounds and ounces, because my parents used them and until recently, I was using a very old set of kitchen scales. But farenheit temperatures are not intuitive for me (or easy to do an approximate conversion)

Suz,

"then the wardrobe might feel as if it is working very well and fluidly moving from one season to the next in an organic way. " : Genius way to put it.

With all the input here, I think this is getting somewhere.

A few specifics and a few crossovers: yes, absolutely.

But how many that is the question.

And on my part I do have some things, only they don't seem to work all that well on their own. I wish I could find only one or two items to "tie them all together" magically.

The suggested link above is very helpful.

What is, in fact, a "Spring basic"?

This is an excellent epiphany, Suz. You DO live in 4 seasons and need to satisfy all those wardrobe requirements. I love the East Coast for that reason.

Please send over some nice Spring weather.

It's good to have layering options for this time of year. Last fall I bought two light coats and a long sleeve blouse. I wore them each just once because our shoulder season is so short. Where I live we also go basically from boots to sandals in the span of a week or two.

Suz, I didn't know you were a fellow Canadian!

I can relate -- I'm currently experiencing a similar problem. This spring is shaping up to be cold and wet (last spring was endlessly cold and wet, too -- while the rest of North America had heatwaves, all it did was rain in the Pacific Northwest), but on the rare occasions the sun comes out, it's MUCH warmer, so I'm often at a loss for how to dress. I leave the house in the morning wearing one thing, and find myself changing part way through the day. We don't get a proper winter in the same way Ontario does, so it's more like we have to dress for three seasons...but taking the dampness into account is a big issue.

I second what Angie says: please send some nice spring weather our way!

Suz, it sounds like you *do* have a need for some unapologetic spring pieces. When I lived back east, I remember joking with a GF about our "swardrobes", which were the same jeans we have worn all winter, with the same trainers, a short sleeved summer top and a dingy white cardigan to go on top. Depressing! Some springs it seemed like we would have a mix of hot or cold days, but no in-between weather. Almost like Mother Nature was teasing us with a winter day after two summer ones, and back and forth until finally, summer settled in for good! I would think you might need a pair of fab rain boots if it rains a lot where you live and some dedicated spring outerwear. Your black trench will work for spring and fall, but maybe you can find something bright, in a color that says *spring* to you. I love a dark denim skirt for transitional weather, stripes, and the colors red and navy. Your yellow cross-body is genius! And of course you need real shoes. I like Michele's idea of metallic or leopard in the nude family for you. That way if you get an ankle strapped Mary Jane, the strap will blend in a bit. And don't forget about the fab yellow shoes you thrifted last fall! Are they working well for you? Perhaps it's still too cold and wet to wear them.

I'm going to follow Manidipa and all of India by splitting up my seasons more instead of less! We have two distinct summer weather patterns here, the first is hot and dry, and the second is hot and humid (comparatively speaking) when the monsoon moves in sometime in July. I can wear some things in the dry heat (polyester) that I can't stand in the humidity, so I thought I'd try the white hi-lo skirt even though I won't be able to wear it for 9 months. Who wants to wear anything for 9 months straight anyway? So I'm giving myself permission to create separate capsules. Divide and conquer, don't you know!

Angie and Elizabeth, I will do my best to beam some great weather to you ASAP!

Rita, our weather is so much like yours, and usually we do go boots-to-sandals. But it's just plain dumb not to have a couple of pairs of genuine shoes, regardless. I feel so much happier just from adding my new Doc Marcies.

Unfortunately, the cute yellow shoes are not going to work. It was a mistake to buy them. An honest mistake, mind you - they were half price, I was so tempted, and they are very cute, and FELT as if they fit in the store. But they don't. They are just a tad too short and wide for my feet, so I'm going to have to consign them. I had a few reservations but allowed the enthusiasm of a fellow customer for the brand, plus the sale price, and the colour, to seduce me. Lesson learned.

Claire, I agree absolutely that Manidipa's suggestions are excellent. I really love that 6 season idea and even if I don't switch the contents of my entire closet every two months, I'm giving serious thought to moving specific items in and out every two months.