My Realistic Spring 2025 Lookbook
Outfits for a season, and a body, in flux
As with prior posts in my “Realistic Lookbook” series, today’s letter features the 15 outfits I plan to wear on repeat over the course of the season at hand. These aren’t hypothetical looks styled just for photos, but the real, recurring uniforms I’ll be relying on this spring, factoring in the practicalities of my day-to-day life, the throughline of my personal style, and—in this particular installment—the unique constraints of dressing while pregnant.
You’ll see a full spectrum of weather-readiness on display to accommodate spring’s signature breed of fickleness. Some outfits were conceived with Fool’s Spring in mind, while others are better-suited to the warmer days ahead. Keep scrolling for photos of each look, some thoughts on why it’s working for me, and links to any items that are either currently available or easily found secondhand.
I put myself on the waitlist for these frequently-sold-out Donni pants a few months ago and bought them as soon as my size came back in stock. I knew my red High Sport pants would no longer fit at this stage of pregnancy, and I wanted to scratch the same itch with a more bump-friendly pair. The color is perfect. I love the combination of this shade of red with butter yellow and turquoise (c/o the necklaces I’m wearing). This kind of comfortable-but-still-intentional weekday staple look is designed to take me from a playdate to errands to a meeting without any tweaks.
Paid subs might recognize the vintage leopard scarf in this photo from last month’s “Sticky Note,” where I shared a shopping round-up of favorites—and included the two I ended up buying for myself. (Shoutout to
who inspired these purchases with her latest newsletter on leopard print and how she’s been wanting to wear it). If you're leopard-curious but wary of a full statement piece commitment, consider this look a case study in how to incorporate the print in less overt doses. A scarf and trench liner can do more than enough heavy lifting.
Conspicuous contrast is at the crux of what makes this outfit work—oversized denim overalls paired with a myriad of feminine touches: pearls, pastel cardigan, eyelet scrunchie, and the ballet flats I wore on my wedding day. A favorite formula for when I need to be able to comfortably squat next to a slide at the playground but still want to feel like I’m communicating something beyond practicality with what I’m wearing.
My go-to rainy day outfit template, with the new Donni pants swapped in. Nothing fancy, but the various styling touches (bright red pants, T-shirt layered under button down, novelty cap) keep it from from feeling too utilitarian.
When I was designing my nightgown collection with If Only If, we really wanted to create pieces that work hard in your wardrobe whether you’re asleep or awake. I love how this style (“The Harling”) looks tucked into jeans or a skirt, but now that I’m too pregnant for tucking I’ve been wearing it under overalls or as a mini dress over pants. Here I’m just wearing a nude bra underneath, but it would also work well with a nude camisole if you want more coverage. A considered collection of accessories, and practical footwear—in this case, a yellow tote, layered necklaces on leather cords, and sandals—helps ground the nightgown firmly in the realm of daywear.
As I’m thinking through outfits for these lookbooks, I try to pay attention to the transitions I make most often throughout my day. This home-to-errands look is a great example of that. The base (T-shirt, sweat shorts, necklace, socks) is something I will wear frequently while working from home, while the addition of a cardigan, loafers, and bag transform it into a more considered look for venturing outside.
Layered dresses-over-pants looks are one of my go-to templates in transitional weather, and especially useful now that a lot of my shirts are coming up short. Once again here I am employing one of my favorite color combinations (bright red, pale yellow, light blue), with the harmonious addition of chocolate brown. Perfect for an impromptu park picnic or weekend brunch situation.
I wore this to a friend’s baby shower at the end of March and decided it was going to be on high rotation this spring. At this stage of pregnancy I really like the look of a short, fitted dress. The henley style of this one from Doen plus practical loafers keep the whole thing from from feeling too fussy.
A quintessential Fool’s Spring outfit—warm enough for windy days, but still optimistic in its colors and proportions. Come real spring, I can evolve the outfit by swapping in a white button down or nightgown-as-top and sandals.
This outfit was inspired by look #5 from The Row’s Spring 2024 collection. I don’t own anything resembling the dark red suede slipper-style shoes the brand used in their styling, so I tried to reverse-engineer why those particular shoes worked so well. In other words, since I couldn’t match the exact item, I wanted to see if I could at least replicate the effect they conjured within the look. What stood out was a combination of three elements: statement color (dark red), distinct texture (suede), and a surprising silhouette (slipper). I used that as a guide and landed on my own version—bright blue for color, shiny metallic leather for “texture,” and a sandal for silhouette. Not a perfect likeness, but a similar spirit of intentional offbeat-ness that leverages what I had in my closet.
Here is my going-out-to-dinner outfit formula for this spring, riffing on one of my tried-and-true templates for styling shorts (pairing a short track or boxer-style silhouette with a tunic-length shirt that nearly covers them).
Another outfit that will easily evolve with changes in the weather over the course of this season. When it warms up I’ll nix the coat and swap the boots for loafers or sandals.
This is a “close-enough” take on a fall outfit I wore repeatedly last year—subbing in pieces that currently fit at this stage of pregnancy. Not the most distinctive of the bunch, but practical and comfortable, and sometimes that’s what ends up getting a lot of wear. The jacket and shoes keep it from feeling too plain.
Sometimes when I’m putting together an outfit I’ll notice that things are veering too far into a particular aesthetic lane and make small adjustments to rebalance. In this case, the striped tee and white pants alone were feeling too preppy, but the addition of a crochet bucket hat, a beaded necklace, and bright metallic blue sandals brought things back to a less categorizable, more personal place.
This skirt did a lot of heavy lifting in my wardrobe the last time I was pregnant, and it’s starting to do the same this time around now that it’s the right season. The yarn is a very lightweight wool—perfect for transitional weather when you can have bare legs but still want to feel a little cozy. I like pairing it with something monochromatic and textured on top, and dark shoes.
Thus concludes my spring 2025 outfit lineup. I hope it sparked a few ideas, or at the very least, permission to lean on what’s working—again, and again, and again.
xo Harling
Was waiting eagerly for this look book and it did not disappoint! Also - love the addition of the pearls. I have my grandmothers pearls and love them but never know how to wear them… you’ve gotten my creative juices flowing!
Always love your rainy day-looks, because those can be really tricky! And the colour combos are all expert-level