Vintage Shopping for Spring Outfits

Inspired by The Row and BODE

If you read The Phantom Tollbooth as a kid, you might recall the chapter when Milo accidentally winds up in The Doldrums. The Doldrums is the place “where nothing ever happens and nothing ever changes.” It’s gray and monotonous, and being trapped there makes Milo feel drowsy and dull.

The Doldrums as depicted in the 1970 movie adaption of The Phantom Tollbooth

It has recently occurred to me that the same could be said for the month of March, as far as style is concerned. We’ve officially reached the point where it feels like winter should be over, but the actual stretch of days between now and true spring — i.e. the kind of weather where you can wear shorts with a sweater or jeans with a T-shirt and not a scrap of additional clothing — seem infinite.

In the book, to get out of The Doldrums, you have to jumpstart your brain with a little mental activity. I’ve been trying to do that over the last week by revisiting the Spring 2024 collections from The Row and BODE — both reliable vehicles for thought-provoking material. These collections feel like a step in a more casual direction for both brands — or at least, their respective versions of casual. Beyond the more obvious signifiers like distressed jeans (The Row) and socked feet (BODE), the characters they managed to conjure through styling are people who look inspiring not because they are dressing up for a special occasion, or an important meeting, but because they appear to care deeply about using clothes to express themselves while simply living their ordinary lives.

Below are four looks that made my wheels start to churn with possibilities across the transitional arc of spring dressing as a result, plus a slew of *mostly* secondhand and vintage shopping links to correspond with them.

THE LOOKS

Two looks from The ROW and two from BODE, arranged from left to right in weather-slowly-warming order.

THE LINKS

I’m no minimalist, so you can imagine my intrigue when look #10 from The Row’s spring collection kept haunting my thoughts (in a good way). It’s the kind of outfit that inevitably prompts a double take — if only to ask yourself if looking cool can really be that straightforward. The hero piece of this look — a buttery, mid-length leather coat — is retailing for $10,900, but fortunately there are ample secondhand alternatives to contend ourselves with.

1. Vintage leather coat, size XL, $279

2. Burberry pants, size 4, $72

3. Everlane essential organic crew, sizes XS - XXL (men’s sizing), $12

4. Birkenstock Tatami olive green suede slip-on shoes, size 6, $75

5. Vintage leather coat, size M, $141.61

6. Derek Lam 10 Crosby pants, size 10, $84

I’m pretty sure this look appeals to the not-entirely-small part of me that wishes I still worked in an office. The ultra relaxed, almost beachy vibe of a slightly oversized linen polo is just right with a below-the-knee pencil skirt silhouette, effectively making it look effortless and not at all stuffy.

1. Vintage Tiffany Elsa Peretti burgundy lacquer bean necklace, $379

2. Leather choker with silver toggle, $35.69

3. & Other Stories cross-cross leather sandals, sizes 4 - 11, $139

4. Black leather bag, $136.74

5. White linen popover shirt (also comes in a ton of other colors including pale pink!), sizes S - XXL (men’s sizing), $60.18

6. Celine red wool skirt, size 12, $98.75

7. Banana Republic pink linen shirt, size S (men’s sizing), $30

8. Aggie Georgettte Chordas vintage red leather skirt, size 10, $80

And with the inclusion of a raincoat, it’s also worthwhile inspiration for when you’re inevitably stumped about what to wear on a drizzly April day.

1. Vis a Vis parka, size XL, $73.50

2. Vintage raincoat, check measurements for sizing, $50

3. Ganni parka, size M, $159

I will always appreciate a reason not to change out of my pajamas in the morning, and BODE is leading the crusade with the outdoor-appropriate styling of the tropical PJ pants from their spring collection. (Much to my delight, Miu Miu followed suit with multiple pajama-adjacent looks in the brand’s fall collection that debuted earlier this week).

1. Miu Miu pants, size 0, $140

2. Cotton block print pajamas (also comes with a matching shirt), sizes S - XL, $53.77

3. Suede babouche loafers (multiple colors), sizes 5.5 - 10.5, $67

4. Altuzarra silk wide leg pants, size 14, $87.75

5. Nanushka cotton wide leg pants, size S, $43.50

As per BODE, the addition of the right spring-appropriate outerwear will make said pajama pants looks intentional instead of sloppy. Something with structure, like a lightweight, neatly tailored jacket. “Chore coat” and “barn jacket” are the magic keyword phrases here, if you’d like to delve further into this search yourself.

1. Vintage navy chore jacket, size S/M, $93

2. Vintage faded indigo chore jacket, check measurements for sizing, $112.75

3. Martin Plan coated cotton beige jacket, sizes S - L (men’s sizing), $166

4. Vintage butter yellow chore coat, size XL, $55

And finally, spring’s answer to winter’s “it” sweater (the one with the cow that made me jealous every time I saw someone wearing it and depressed every time I saw how much it cost… anyone else?) is equally playful but a bit more subtle. Embellished with flowers, a lighthouse, and a green swan, it could easily read twee, but with the asymmetrical placement of the design and thoughtful styling, it exudes an appealing eccentricity instead — one of BODE’s signature flexes.

1. Vintage cotton nautical sweater, size XL, $175

2. Chloe navy silk shorts, size 8, $63

3. Vintage wool L.L. Bean sweater, size L, $75

4. Dsquared green silk shorts, size 4, $60

5. Vintage wool woodland creatures sweater, size XS, $248

6. Lepton black silk shorts, sizes XS - XL, $32.99

xo Harling