The main Jewish festivals are extremely well timed for topping up a seasonal wardrobe – especially Sedarim and Passover shul-going, which offer a perfect excuse for some spring fashion shopping.
With busy lives and limited budgets, we need pieces that will not only look good across the Seder table but will also work for other parts of our lives.
The dress remains important in spring 2024 and is offered in lots of fabrics, prints and in many cuts, though the current aesthetic requires a narrower, more structured silhouette. Versions of the shirt dress remain a key shape in spring, while the Sixties-inspired A-line shift is having yet another “moment” offered by, among others, Gucci.
The skirt also remains vital to a modern wardrobe, offered in S/S 24 in all kinds of prints, cuts and fabrics, including satin for daytime.
Directional cuts include A-line or bias-cut midis and maxis while key details include asymmetry, thigh-high slits and sarong-style wraps. The denim skirt, a wardrobe no-brainer that can be dressed up or down, continues to be a key piece, offered by Chloe, Stella McCartney and JW Anderson as well as by denim labels and more affordably at many brands including Cos, Monsoon and M&S.
Midi and maxi continue to be key hemlines in dresses and skirts, though shorter hemlines are offered, including minis and a “new” ladylike, on-the-knee length. These are sometimes labelled “mini” to avoid confusion with a longer skirt – don’t dismiss it without checking the length measurement.
For a fashion-forward look at Seder or synagogue, pair a skirt with a crisp shirt or a blouse in a solid colour or in a print – available at many brands, high-end to high street. And if temperatures fall, add a layer of warmth with one of the season’s covetable cardis or a knitted tank.
The blazer, which is again a key piece in S/S 24, offers a layer of warmth as well as a polished look. The new crop of boyfriend blazers are offered in many fabrics in both double- and single-breasted versions, sometimes tweaked to be oversized, or given wide shoulders. Find them at many brands and prices, including Gabriela Hearst, Blazé Milano, Me+Em, Boden, Mango and Zara.
Other cuts include high- neck blazers, sometimes collarless often in bouclé or other textured fabrics, often boxy or embellished with bold buttons. Find these at, among others, Toteme, Veronica Beard, Hush and Zara.
In colour, there’s a refined minimalism at play in the palette of pale and dark neutrals shown on runways such as The Row and St Laurent and now offered by many brands, high-end to high street.
Other noteworthy neutrals include navy, tobacco and khaki. But the reality this season (and probably for ever) is that women will no longer be herded towards one “trend” colour (or style), so as well as pale neutrals, myriad shades are offered – blue, lilac and green at Loewe; blue, lilac, lemon, red and pink at Gucci – making almost all shades all on-trend all at once.