Waxing poetic about Spring is just too easy. Put quite simply… Spring is just the most beautiful time of year. Winter might be wonderful, but once Spring has sprung the season takes the cake for beauty. Every morning my little boys and I take our dog on a walk and every day without fail I am captivated by the vibrant blooms and beauty this season brings to every nook and cranny of Capitol Hill. After a long, cold winter, Spring is quite literally a breath of fresh air. And with that fresh, fragrant air comes the sun and it’s once again time to pack away the winter layers and bring out the warm weather threads and slip on footwear.
After spending more time than I’d like to admit in Birkenstocks last Summer, I have been on the look out for a more chic alternative to my beloved- albeit dowdy- Birks. I turned to the Birkenstocks last summer because after entering motherhood and spending almost every waking moment on my feet, I needed more support in my footwear. After spending months in pain walking around in my flat sandals and ballet flats, I re-discovered the genius of the Birkenstock contoured footbed which felt like I was walking on air. Don’t get me wrong, I still wear my Birkenstocks (Madrid and Mayari) all the time, but mostly around the house or on a quick errand or dog walk… basically the warm weather equivalent to my Ugg boots. While I still desperately love my Birkenstocks, this summer I wanted to find a smarter every day shoe that still offered comfort and support for my daily comings and goings.
Enter the mule Weejun. While researching for my Past of Prep style series last Fall I discovered G.H. Bass Weejuns and I can safely say I will never buy another brand of loafers ever again. Weejuns date back to the mid 1900’s when they were the “it” shoe on every Ivy League and Seven Sisters college campus across the country. Making their way to the toes of JFK, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn, Bass Weejuns are an icon in classic American style. While maintaining its distinguishable sophisticated design, comfort, and durability of yesteryear, G.H. Bass has evolved the classic Weejun into a modern wardrobe staple.
I’ll admit with this most recent addition, I now have three pairs of Weejuns in my closet. That may sound excessive, but I wear them at least 3-4 days out of the week so each pair gets its fair share of wear. The first pair I purchased was the Whitney Weejun in a red patent leather. Before buying this first pair I spent a couple months mulling over which style and color, and after nearly deciding on a tasseled burgundy style at the last minute I went with this poppy hued patent leather. My top priority was of course comfort, and honestly in my opinion the Weejun is more comfortable than it is classic and stylish… and that’s saying a lot. I also never imagined myself wearing patent leather loafers, but I have to say I have found them so much easier to wear than my other leather loafers because I’m never concerned about them getting wet or dirty. The boys have chucked mud, splashed water on, and stepped all over these shoes, but with a quick wipe at the end of the day they look fresh out of the box.
So it goes that when I spotted a mule Weejun on the Bass website- in patent leather no less- I was smitten. After another long back and forth over which color to get I ultimately went with my first choice which was this robins egg blue. I was debating over neutral colored options thinking those would be the most versatile option, but having worn my red loafers with almost everything in my closet I felt safe to take a leap with this blue hued pair. I love my red Weejuns so much because no matter what I wear them with they always give my look a pop of color and touch of sophistication.
If you follow any street style blogs you no doubt have a slew of Gucci loafers (and dupes) trotting up and down your feed, but that’s just not a fad I can get into. Other than looking far too trendy, the loafer slipper doesn’t work well for me because I need a shoe with a bit of a heel, and one I won’t be terrified of dirtying every step I take due to the nearly $1,000 price tag. The Weejun mule, AKA “the Wynn,” on the other hand has a classic Americana aesthetic with a more authentic and easy-going attitude, plus it’s budget friendly. The Wynn comes is a plethora of vibrant and neutral colors ranging from classic black and cordovan to metallic gold, yellow, pink, red, and blue. This is such a great every day shoe that it’s important to pick a color that you know will work with a majority of your wardrobe. For instance, I wear a lot of black, white, navy, and camel neutrals, and this shade of blue is something I would effortlessly pair with any of those colors (and then some). This is a slip-on-and-go style shoe, so you want to select one that you won’t have to think twice about as you’re running out the door.
Over the winter I became very enamored with this rusty terra-cotta color and I’m really excited about taking it into spring and summer. This rich, redish brown is a hard working hue that can be worn as an edgy neutral or paired with other colors to create harmonious colorblocks. It’s also a really great year-round color to keep stocked in your closet. This color settles right in with the full spectrum of neutrals and rich, jewel tones of Fall and Winter, but it’s also a very appealing alternative to Spring pastels that holds an element of unexpectedness. It also pairs quite nicely with said pastels a la the light blue mule Weejuns.
I found this corduroy a-line mini-skirt last year, which I suppose marks the beginning of my inclination towards this brilliant color. As the weather heats up, I’m hanging onto my corduroys for as long as I can. This corduroy skirt is on the thinner side so I expect to be able to wear this mini on cooler days throughout the summer (perhaps with the exception of August, ugh.) Although corduroy is typically reserved for Fall and Winter, short hemline pieces in lightweight material can be funky separates to incorporate into your warm weather wardrobe.
Breton tops are definitely in my top 5 wardrobe staples. I didn’t realize how often I wore them until I started the blog, and then quickly decided I needed to either branch out or change the name of my blog to “In the Breton.” That said, even though I tried to cut back on the stripes, I’m still wearing them at least three times a week. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks! Anyways… this linen tee is one of my absolute favorite t-shirts for summer. I’ve had it for a couple of years now, and was lucky enough to snag it in a royal blue stripe as well. I actually featured each of them in the first two posts on the blog… hence the soon after revelation. But I digress, I really love linen tees for summer because they have a very light and drapey feel that lends well to an effortlessly loose tuck in to a skirt or pair of trousers.
