I don’t normally look at my Explore page on Instagram, but I accidentally clicked on the wrong icon recently and I was pleasantly surprised. I guess that, after all this time, the algorithm is finally starting to understand me a little better. I’m not sure if I should be happy or terrified. At least now my Explore page is filled mostly with things I am actually interested in: fun, colourful clothes, colourful art, and (mostly) colourful interior design. It’s not something I plan to, ahem, explore too much because at the end of the day, that feed still only has one purpose which is to make me what to buy things and I am not interested in that. But it’s nice to know that if someone were to somehow get a peek at it, they wouldn’t get the entirely wrong idea about my interests. It would be horrifying if people thought I was one of those Sad Beige Life folk. [I’m being sarcastic but only a little bit.]

But that’s neither here nor there. One of the things that caught my eye when I looked at my Explore page was a TikTok from some young person about colour analysis. This is a thing that has been around forrrrever but trust that Gen Z will find a way to make it easier to understand. I have struggled, on and off (mostly off), for years to figure out what my “season” is and, 30 seconds into this TikTok, I finally got it. I mean, it’s a bittersweet victory and all, seeing as how I’m now old enough to not care about wearing “flattering” colours or whatever, but it is a victory nonetheless.

Actually, my biggest takeaway is that, in recent years, I have been doing most of the “right” things (per my season) without realizing it. And, full confession mode: it did lead me to do a teeny tiny edit closet which, between you and me, was overdue anyway.

But let’s go back to the beginning.

It turns out that I am a Spring. A Bright (or Clear) Spring to be precise. The colour palette is bright, vibrant, but cooler/less warm than other seasons (except Winter).

Looking at these colours, I am immediately, like, “YES!!” which makes it all the more confusing that I struggled so much in the past to figure out my season. I think it’s because a lot of guides are married to the idea that red hair = warm undertones = Autumn. But not all redheads are the same, duh. As a green-eyed redhead with parchment colour skin that leans rosy not peachy, super warm colours are not my bag. Ironically, one description of Bright Spring I found online mentioned how “[y]ou’ve probably had great difficulty finding your season because no one looks at you and thinks ‘Spring’.” You can say that again!

Here are some of the styling tips given for Bright Spring which resonate with me and actually align with what I’ve discovered (on my own through trial and error) to work for me.

“Since Bright Spring flows from Winter, black in included in the palette. But the best versions of black for Bright Spring are a slightly yellowish charcoal and a slightly greenish black. These are warmer and more suitable dark neutrals than the cool blue-black of Winter.”

I have definitely noticed that some shades of black work better for me than others, and this is something I’m going to pay more attention to going forward.

“[B]lack on its own is not flattering on a Bright Spring since you need vibrant colours to lift your appearance. It’s better to mix it with some of the other warmer, more saturated colours on the palette.”

I love incorporating a touch of black into an outfit with strong, saturated colour. Especially with the colour positioned closer to my face than the black – somehow, those outfits really “pop” for me.

“In general, always aim for at least one bright colour in your outfit. Avoid neutrals-only combinations, monochromatic looks, and low contrast combinations. These will diminish your naturally vibrant colouring.”

I feel SEEN. No beige outfits! I still love monochromatic looks, but I prefer either black with white – super high contrast which works for Bright Spring – or one bold colour (or colour family) head to toe.

“Don’t be afraid to combine unlike colours – particularly those sitting opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as pink and green. The more unusual the combination, the more striking.”

Don’t. Need. To. Tell. Me. Twice.

Overall, figuring out my season wasn’t a game changer but it did inspire a few tweaks. It confirmed that the colours I’ve been gravitating towards lately – like aqua, turquoise, magenta, bright green – are good choices for me. Ditto for bold colour combinations. It also helped me with a small closet edit; I decided to prune a handful of items in shades which, while lovely, are too muted for me. They were pieces I didn’t reach for a lot (and now I have an inkling of why) and just needed that extra push to let go.

As it happens, over the last few years, my wardrobe has naturally (instinctively?) evolved towards a Bright Spring palette so nothing much will change now that I have a label to hang on to it. I am not planning to take colour swatches with me to the thrift store when I shop, but I will certainly keep the high level ideas – bright colours, high contrast, warm black – in mind.

If you’re wondering about that TikTok that helped me figure out my season … I’m sorry. I didn’t save it and it’s long gone from my Explore page. For what it’s worth, the question that single-handedly helped me the most was the one about the colour of the veins on my arm. I could never quite figure out before if I was warm- or cool-undertoned. (I think my skin tone is actually relatively neutral, which is true for Bright Springs.) The question was something to the effect that if your veins appear green or greenish-blue, you’re warm toned; if they appear blue or purplish, you’re cool toned. The latter is true for me, and figuring this out tipped the balance away from Autumn.

So good luck if you decide to try to figure out your own season. Definitely don’t bother with the Buzzfeed test though. It told me I am a … wait for it … Autumn. Siiiiiiiiigh.

Details: Zara shirt (thrifted), vintage vest (thrifted), Atlantic Pacific x Halogen skirt (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This outfit was a happy accident. My original plan was to try wrap tucking this shirt, which is currently my favourite way to wear button up shirts. What is that, you ask? It’s basically wrapping the shirt fronts (unbuttoned) the same way you would a wrap dress, then tucking in the tails into your pants or skirt. This shirt is oversized — which is a must for wrap tucking — but not enough. Time for Plan B. I was playing around with it, and became intrigued with the idea of layering it over a crop top and leaving it open, then adding a vest on top. Anyway, long story short, this outfit was born. I love the way it plays with proportions and volume. It’s not my usual outfit formula/silhoutte, but it’s something I’d like to try again.

Details: AllSaints top (thrifted), Clover Canyon crop top (Poshmark), Greta Constantine x Danier belt (thrifted), Issey Miyake skirt (thrifted)

Thoughts: Speaking of creative layering, I was very pleased with myself for coming up with this shirt + crop top combo; these 2 pieces go together so well. To cover the gap between the bottom of the crop top and the skirt waistband, I added a wide belt; I didn’t want the white shirt to show, visually cutting up the vertical line. This way, the cropped top/high waist bottom silhouette is maintained.

Details: Eddie Bauer sweater, Topshop pants, J. Crew shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’m kind of obsessed with this sweater, which I’m pretty sure is from the 90s. It’s laidback prep with some nautical vibes. I love that it’s cotton; cotton sweaters are the best. Never itchy, not too sweaty in warm weather, nice and toasty in cold weather.

Details: Topshop dress, Elizabeth & James vest (both thrifted), Anna Paola bag (consignment), Zara shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Every year, I “rediscover” this long vest and remember how versatile it is. Can you believe I’ve had it for 6 years? Time flies. Anyway, it’s a good neutral pairing for this busy pattern dress, and the length works well too, elongating the vertical line. The dress fabric is, unfortunately, crappy polyester so it helps to have an extra layer because if there’s even a hint of a breeze in the air, this dress offers zero protection.

Details: For Cynthia top (retail), J. Crew vest (thrifted), Urban Outfitters pants (thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve been wanting to experiment with ties, and finally found an outfit that was apropos. Nothing too complicated, but it feels wearable for me as opposed to costume-y, which is how I tend to feel whenever I try to wear ties.

Details: Ralph Lauren top, Mexx skirt, BR belt, Ash sneakers (all thrifted), Ralph Lauren scarf (gift)

Thoughts: Leaned into the Papa Ralph vibe ALL the way with this one. The top is a Polo team shirt from 1996, which is kind of neat. I was going to wear it with my khaki pants, but decided to switch it up and go with a skirt. I could have sworn I’d seen something similar to this in an RL runway collection, but now I can’t find it. I guess I’ll just take the credit for being original. LOL!

Cast your mind back three years ago. Like many (most?) others, I was trying to fill my pandemic lockdown schedule with “keep busy” projects; one of the most dubious was probably at-home haircuts. First, I gave myself bangs. Then, not put off by the unimpressive results of that effort, I decided to ask my husband to cut my hair. My husband, bless him, is a man who tries to please me and who is also generally optimistic. The foolishness of my request wasn’t immediately apparent to him – I wanted a blunt, short bob, “just cut it straight across, babe”, what could go wrong – but it became painfully obvious 5 minutes in. I have fine hair … but a LOT of it. An hour and a half later, we called it a day – not because my haircut was truly finished (or even) but because my husband’s nerves gave in.

It was … fine. I mean, nobody was going anywhere or seeing anyone, so it was fine. But, almost immediately, I began to regret cutting it and decided that I wanted to grow it out. All the way. This was not exactly out of character. I’ve always been the person who changed her hairstyle every year or two. What was different this time was that … I just kept growing it. In the past, I’ve usually swung from pixie cut to shoulder-length bob and back again. The last time I had hair that went past my shoulders was 2015 or so (and 2006 before that). As soon as my hair starts kissing my shoulders, I get the itch to cut it. This time, it was different. By Christmas 2020, my hair was nearing shoulder-length and I felt … nothing. No haircut itch. A lot of that had to do with the pandemic; I was burnt out (weren’t we all) and in the middle of another lockdown, there was no opportunity to try to find a new hairstylist even if I wanted to. And so, I kept going and growing. And growing and going. By November 2021, my hair went past my shoulders and was long enough to allow me to try a middle part, which was A Thing that The Youths were doing at the time. I got a few compliments on it and that was apparently enough for me to DOUBLE DOWN again.

Fast forward to now. My hair is well past boob-length (which had been my goal at one time) and inching closer to the small of my back (a new goal?). I sometimes look at photos from my “cute bob” years and I love the look … but, still, I feel no desire to get the chop. I am way overdue for a trim, but laziness (and a lack of split ends) is conspiring against me even on that front. “I really need to do something about a trim” is something I tell myself every month. And every month, my hair gets longer.

Ok, but enough about my hair growing journey; this post isn’t about that. Hah! Sorry! Are you still reading?

Here’s what I wanted to say: hair is one of the most overlooked and underrated elements of personal style. Maybe that’s just me overlooking and underrating, though. I’ve always thought of hair as a key factor in the context of “personal appearance” but never in connection with what I wear. Recently, it struck me how well my current hairstyle complements what I enjoy wearing these days – which is quite different than, say, 3-4 years ago – and I was struck by a chicken-and-egg question.

Have I been growing out my hair because (subconsciously) I wanted it to line up with the vision of my current style? Or has my current style evolved in a certain direction aligned with the evolution of my hairstyle? Honestly … I don’t know. A bit of both, perhaps. When I started to grow out my hair, my love affair with Ralph Lauren – the prairie and the preppy – was still a long way in the future. Certainly now, however, I am less inclined to consider changing up the hair because it does suit my current aesthetic so well.

I think it helps to see some visual evidence, because that’s what got me thinking about this. Let’s start with Asymmetrical Pixie Cut Adina. Most of my outfit photos from that era unfortunately don’t show my face, but these are pretty representative.

And here is Mermaid Hair Adina:

Quite different, eh? Here’s another example, this one from my Short Blunt Bob era. Can you imagine this outfit with long hair?

Or this one with a short, blunt bob?

It just wouldn’t have the same impact.

Becoming conscious of the impact of my hairstyle feels like unlocking another tool in my outfit-building toolbox, which is nice. There are ways that I can style my long hair to either accentuate its “boho” vibe (those mermaid waves, for example) or to make it a little more “edgy” (a funky ponytail). But even my most edgy outfits these days hit different than in the past — there is a softer, more romantic, less architectural side to them. Which, in my current era, I’m perfectly happy with.