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It may still feel like winter where you are, but here at Racked, we've already got our minds on spring and all the fun new clothes and accessories that lie in store. Here are some great basics we're keen to add to our wardrobes now—pieces that will, hopefully, take us through the seasonal transition and beyond.
1. Risegate coat, $150 at Aubin & Wills: Usually, every season, we become obsessed with one particular piece of clothing, often a coat or some kind of outerwear, and then we build entire wardrobes around it in our mind. This light spring overcoat may not look like much—it's not particularly flashy or anything—but, with a silhouette loosely based on 20th-century English duster coats, it's the perfect mid-century sort of throw-on-over-anything casual-yet-pass-for-not-casual jacket. We like how the feeling of this coat can easily be transformed by a change in accessories—smock it up with leggings and a ponytail or carry it with a Givenchy handbag (like #5 here) and throw on a luxe scarf for an effortlessly perfect look.
2. Rick Owens cotton scarf, $590 at Kirna Zabete: There's hardly anything softer, lovelier, and cuddlier (okay, in a disaffected Goth-y way) than Rick Owens' luxe layerables, and for spring we're in love with the idea of swathing our necks in this Rick Owens scarf, which comes in a perfect shade of deep slate grey.
3. Nature white signature blouse, $345 at my-wardrobe.com: Equipment silk blouses are perfect, and we're going to be needing an army of them for spring, we just know it. If $345 seems steep for a white shirt, check out our Equipment knock-off guide here.
4. Stoneyfold cardigan, $130 at Aubin & Wills: Early spring is so unpredictable, weather-wise. And even though all we want to do is galavant around town in shorts and smart jackets, it helps to bring a sweater along, just in case. Our knit-of-choice this season comes from Aubin & Wills (which we're obsessed with, by the way)—it's a classic stripey navy-and-white cardi with pockets (yay!). Comes in super-soft babyfine merino wool.
5. Givenchy "Elme" tote bag, $1,066 at Farfetch.com: Over the last few months, we've really come to resent having to carry a handbag. So we haven't been carrying one—instead, we're buying clothes and coats with generous pockets and stuffing them full, like a hamster stuffs his cheeks (cute analogy, no?). Still, we need to tote a bunch of our thingamabobs to work everyday. In the search for a bag that's both handsome, luxe, and will fit our laptops, we found this Givenchy tote. It looks sturdy and utilitarian, yet still chic, no?
6. Twisted pleat front skirt, $210 at Paul Smith: Last year was all about shorts, so this spring we're calling it a skirt season. And not just any skirt, no, we're calling it a mid-thigh-skirt season (not too mini, not too maxi, not too prim). We're loving this Paul Smith twisted pleat skirt—it's substantial enough to make us feel not-too-exposed in the seasonal transition, and the modified pleating makes us feel like we're not just wearing some boring old black skirt.
7. Glitterati bracelet, $120 at Lia Sophia: We have a longstanding love affair with jewelry brand Lia Sophia, and we're obsessed with their spring offerings—especially this chic, understated black-crystal hinged bangle.
8. Maison Martin Margiela black leather skirt, $750 at Liberty: Every fashion editor we know has been busy over the last couple of weeks stockpiling leather shorts for pre-spring (true story!), but we're not really leather shorts kind of girls. Instead, we'll opt for the more flattering and easier-to-wear leather mid-thigh skirt, like this one, with the gorgeous patina, from Maison Martin Margiela.
9. Christian Louboutin watersnake "Matatales", $845 at Barneys: We've had our eye on these wedge peep-toes from Christian Louboutin for weeks now. There's something about a gorgeous snakeskin shoe that can easy go from dressy to casual that totally blows our mind (and makes our lives easier). Plus, it even looks pretty comfortable.
10. Catherine Malandrino wrap-effect silk jersey dress, $395 at Net-a-Porter.com: This spring, we're on a navy kick, and a twisty-wrappy body-conscious dress it a great seasonal transition evening piece. When it gets warmer, we might even kick it up a notch and experiment with brighter blues.
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