excited to wear this spring

Kia ora and welcome to clipboard, an occasional newsletter by Reilly Hodson. This time, I'm enjoying the days getting a bit longer and thinking about outfits for the warmer months. As always, if you enjoy clipboard, forward it to your coolest mates and spread the word!

An unconventional way that I mark the change in seasons (in reverse) is Derek Guy of Die Workwear's "Excited to Wear" series. Every six months Derek writes about the types of clothes he's personally excited to wear for the coming seasons, and it's always packed with great inspiration - not just new clothes to pick up, but new ways of wearing the stuff that's already in your wardrobe. Every time one comes out, I take notes, save the moodboard pictures he includes along with each item and finish reading it feeling more excited baout getting dressed than I was at the start. You can read the latest Spring edition here.

So, occasionally, I blatantly steal that format in the hopes of creating something similar on a southern hemisphere schedul, and grounded in the different (less American) clothing culture and inspiration we have here in Aotearoa. So here are a few things I'm excited about wearing now that the sun is still out at the end of the workday.

Big shorts
If the weather permits, I will almost always choose to wear shorts in a casual environment. I don't own sweatpants, or sporty trackpants, so when I want to get active or just be comfortable, I return to shorts over and over again. For years I was stuck down the inseam discourse, insisting on wearing very short shorts, mostly Patagonia Baggies.

I still love a short short, but since last year, I've been going a bit more into wider and longer silhouettes, which aligns with what I'm enjoying in trousers at the moment - fuller in the leg, a bit longer than the cropped carrot pants I loved in an earlier style era. Last summer I wore my pair of Gramicci G Shorts almost every day, and they're starting to get that great soft distressed feel that well-worn cotton drill gets. This year, I've added another, bigger pair to the rotation, with Checks' Hakama Pleated Shorts. They're the closest thing to an office-appropriate short I've seen, and I think open the door to more interesting combinations with shoes, socks and tops than the more outdoorsy Gramiccis.

Good options: Checks, Gramicci, Thom Morison, Larriet, Buddy

Collared shirts
In the winter, I put all my collared shirts away in favour of knitwear over a tee, but they remain my favourite pieces in my wardrobe. As the sun comes out a bit more, I can get away with an untucked shirt as the sole layer on top, and I live for it. Over the years I've honed in on my favourite silhouette - boxy without being Instagram-brand vibes, slight curve on the hem, the kind that you can wear done up or undone, but never tucked. The best shirts like that come from Thom Morison, but you can find great options on a budget all over the place, including at your local op shop if you know where to look. The more worn and beat up the better, and bonus points if you've worn a hole through the elbows and patched them up.

Good options: Checks, Thom Morison, Our Legacy, Porter James Sports, MHL, Concours

Dickies
The search for great pants (trousers if you're fancy or British) is a constant one for those of us who obsess over our clothes too much. We live in a golden era of pants. Every single style you can think of - pleated, straight, cropped, baggy, overly long - is available from some TikTok person or big fashion brand. Even with infinite choice, though, I keep returning to Dickies. They're reliable, affordable, and fit almost exactly how I want trousers to fit. I now live a few minutes from Dress Smart in Onehunga and the Dickies outlet there does two pairs of pants for $70. At that price, you can try new colours, swap between their classic styles, and wear them into the ground, without being too worried. At the moment, I have the classic 874s in cream and forest green, and the wide-legged double knees in navy - all are in heavy rotation and I'm particularly looking forward to getting my cream pair to the perfect level of worn in after a few more washes.

Cotton knits
I've written a few times about my skin's distaste for scratchy wool jumpers, so as the summer gets going, I really enjoy cracking out my lighter, cotton knits - not just because my skin prefers it, but because they provide the autumn-winter layering opportunities without leaving you sweating too hard, and are perfect for those summer evenings at the beach when the wind picks up but the sand is still warm. If you catch a particularly warm day, tie it around your shoulders like a trust fund baby!
Good options: Porter James Sports, Moreporks, Checks, Commoners

wish list
While I'm always an advocate for shopping your wardrobe, there's always something on my list to pick up. Here's a few things I'm eyeing up:

• Gorp sneakers: During the depths of the pandemic experience, I wore exclusively Salomon XT-6s when I left the house. Extremely comfortable, slip on, and perfect for any terrain, they were exactly the shoe for those long weekend walks with nothing to do. I wore through my first pair, but this summer I want to get back outside, so I need a new pair. I've been potentially influenced by Blackbird Spyplane's Oboz collaboration, and Wellington's Coffee Outdoors' promotion of Norda Run, but to be honest, I'll most likely end up back where I started. No complaints.

• Buddy tee suits: Buddy's hemp tees are some of the best in the business, and I've been influenced by their great content of the full buddy "suit": a tee matched with shorts, or trousers, for the full comfort vibe. Perfect for a lazy weekend!

• New sunnies: Some people say they always lose their sunglasses, but I have never been that kind of person. I like to invest in one good pair and wear them every time the sun is out. More recently, I've been thinking I'd like to have a couple of options depending on the situation, so I'm looking at options for a new pair. Open to anyone's thoughts or tips!

• Lightweight outerwear: A little lightweight jacket is the perfect way to dress up a t shirt with no effort, and it's a move I lean heavily on, particularly as an office worker who still needs to look professional even when it's hot and the AC isn't working. I have a few light jackets that I cycle between, but I'm looking to expand the rotation with a chore coat (don't tell GQ), and maybe a really light blazer?

Spring-summer can be a tricky time to get dressed, but it's also the most fun time to be alive, so have some fun and don't take yourself too seriously! I'd love to hear what your spring wardrobe looks like, so hit reply on this email or hit me in the DMs to share your thoughts!

That's all for clipboard this time, thanks for reading! If you like clipboard, forward it to your friend who transitioned from Euro summer content to too-early beach pics on IG. I'll be back in your inbox at the end of the month for a monthly roundup of good stuff. If you want to get in touch, you can reply to this email, or hit me up on Instagram, I'd love to hear from you.