The Wisdom of Seasonal Living
How nature’s changing seasons invite us to adjust our pace, our routines and what we wear.
· 4 min read · Tania Cottew
Winter, for me, is about the joy of being able to wear my gorgeous coats, hats and gloves, and wrapping myself up in cashmere. Summer is about soft, flowing dresses in silk. Spring and autumn are a mix of both, depending on the daily weather.
Each season brings something to enjoy. I wouldn’t want to hurry through winter without appreciating the clothes I love wearing, any more than I would want to miss the ease of a summer dress.
Perhaps that is a simple place to begin with seasonal living: noticing what this part of the year offers, rather than wishing we were somewhere else.
There is no need to feel the same all year
We often expect ourselves to carry on at the same pace regardless of the weather, the daylight or how we feel.
Yet a cold, wet afternoon and a warm, light evening invite quite different things. Sometimes we want to be outside and make the most of the day. Sometimes being comfortable at home is enough.
Our lives don’t always allow us to follow those inclinations. There are appointments, responsibilities and people who need us. But where we have a little choice, we can allow ourselves to respond.
A quieter evening. A little time in the garden. Something warm around our shoulders. Small adjustments count.
Let your wardrobe respond too
A change of season needn’t mean putting away one complete wardrobe and bringing out another.
Spring and autumn are particularly good reminders of that. A morning may call for a coat, while the afternoon feels quite different. A favourite dress might need a cardigan one day and nothing more the next.
Rather than dressing for what the calendar says, we can dress for the day we actually have.
Keeping a few useful layers within reach makes that easier. So does giving ourselves permission to combine pieces we think of as belonging to different seasons.
Rediscover before you replace
There is pleasure in returning to clothes we haven’t worn for a while.
The first occasion for a much-loved coat. A hat coming out again. A silk dress that suddenly feels right when the weather warms.
Before deciding what a new season requires us to buy, we can take a little time to see what is already waiting.
Some things may need airing, cleaning or a small repair. Others simply need to be remembered.
Seasonal living doesn’t have to become another set of rules to follow. It can be a gentle habit of paying attention: to the weather, to what we enjoy, and to what would make today feel a little more comfortable.
There is something lovely about having a reason to look forward to every season.