Five ways to solve your Easter weekend style dilemmas
The clocks may be springing forward, but let’s rewind to December… Remember your go-to Christmas outfits? Surely festive velvet and jolly shades of scarlet featured heavily. While sequins during December are an annual tradition, Easter offers far more opportunity to dress individually, while lighter days give joyful chances for wider ways to celebrate in style.
Although with this choice, comes complications. More options and less obligations can equal multiple dressing dilemmas. It’s a champagne problem, but how best to navigate the obstacles around dressing for Easter weekend?
Staying true to your personal style, travelling to destinations that don’t suit your clothes and, of course, unpredictable spring weather can all lead to wardrobe woes. Yet there’s no need to dread Easter dressing.
We asked five women for their outfit ideas and top tips for navigating the Easter holidays in style.
Dress for the changeable weather
While some years see Easter feasts accompanied by dollops of SPF, 2024 sees Easter arriving early. With it, the winter chill is yet to disperse. We are desperate to slip into something a little more springlike, but the reality means thermals aren’t such a crazy idea. How to manage your expectations of sunshine with the actual weather?
Karen Peacock is the co-founder and chief creative officer at Albaray. “I will be heading to Devon over the long weekend and plan to pack for comfort and warmth.” Layering is the solution. Lightweight tops are more versatile (and Easter-appropriate) than chunky jumpers. Choose a lighter colour palette to nod to the season, too. “A striped jumper is very useful, as it can create so many outfit options,” advises Peacock. “I will also pack a waistcoat. Albaray’s navy satin style is a perfect addition – it’s relaxed yet has the option to dress up if needed.” A true wardrobe hero, waistcoats can add a twist (and more warmth) to any look.
Navy satin waistcoat, Albaray, £75
Pack a multi-tasking dress
With less family pressures than Christmas and more optimistic weather, escaping to the countryside for Easter is tempting. Eshita Kabra-Davies, the London-based founder and chief executive of rental fashion app By Rotation, is decamping to Dorset for the long weekend. Although what happens when there is a disconnect between your day-to-day wardrobe and your destination? Panic purchases should not be the response.
A knit dress is top of Kabra-Davies’s packing list for its useful versatility. “It’s warm but also chic. For dinner at the pub I’ll wear mine with a cardigan from Jacquemus, heeled boots from Dear Frances and my Saks Potts Foxy coat in sage green.” Remove the layers if the sun comes out.
She’s also the poster girl for fashion rental and proves its use far beyond wedding guest dresses and special occasion gowns. “For daytime walks I’ll wear a Barbour jacket and, as I don’t own a pair of wellie boots, I’ve rented some Hunter ones.”
There’s no need to dress like an Easter bonnet
To chime with the prettiest season, there are assumptions that everyone wants to wear pastels and ditsy florals. But if neutral tailoring is your default look, why would you abandon your sartorial principles? Davina Wedderburn, head of brand and communications at the British Fashion Council, will spend this Easter in a more relaxed mode. “I’m going to hang out with my husband and boys. We’re taking it easy,” she says.
Instead of a fancy frock, Wedderburn will be in trousers. “You can dress up a great pair of trousers – whether relaxed or tailored,” she says. “I love wearing a knit jumper, tailored trousers and chunky sandals. It shouldn’t make sense to have a jumper and sandals together but it’s one of my favourite looks for spring and transitional weather.” If it’s particularly chilly? Just add socks and an oversized blazer.
Have fun with vintage
If maximalism is your thing, Easter is an ideal time to indulge – especially as there isn’t the pressure when hosting to cook a roast, allowing you to concentrate on the decor and your outfit. “With Easter you can have fun with the meal, anything goes,” opines Philippa Gulotti, founder of online preloved designer boutique Matisa Market. With the feast pre-prepared, Gulotti will be channelling languid Palm Beach vibes with a printed pre-loved Gucci two-piece. “More is definitely more so I’ll load up the table with my mother’s vintage China and a ruffled tablecloth while my own outfit echoes this maximalism.”
The vintage silk blouse is the result of a dedicated search for Tom Ford’s Gucci collection from 1999, while the coordinating trousers are a recent reissue of the print, found on Vestiaire Collection. “I like to be barefoot at home but as I’m hosting I’ll wear my collapsible Gucci Brixton loafers so I can slip them on and look pulled together but still feel relaxed.”
Embrace the action
How to mesh practicality with style? If your Easter Sunday revolves around a trip to church, followed by an egg hunt, look to Rosanna Falconer for inspiration. The creative consultant and table linen designer admits to a competitive streak. “I have children, so I should have grown out of this, but old habits die hard. Trainers are a must for the Easter egg hunt.” Falconer also recommends a pair of velvet Mary Jane flats to switch into, and wear with her beloved dresses.
“The clocks going forward mark both me and my wardrobe emerging from hibernation. I embrace florals for spring, in all their lack of originality, but always have a cardigan to hand.” When faced with the temptation to buy something new for a special occasion, Falconer is firm. “The novelty of a new dress quickly fades. As a serial repeat wearer, I promise nobody ever notices if you wear the same over and over.” For this Easter and the next, and the next.
