With only a few weeks left in the quarter and finals approaching, life seems pretty dreary to some. We are all tired of lugging around raincoats and umbrellas, even though I personally will never get tired of strutting in my fashionable rain boots. While we will be packing on study sessions, soon we will not be packing on the layers. Spring is almost here!

Oh, spring! The quarter of lying out to tan on the grass, 12-unit course loads and, of course, outfits with color. I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of sticking to my winter “browns, grays and blacks.” Please, give me some pinks, lavenders and yellows! However, they will be sequestered in my closet until the weather plateaus at 75 degrees…bummer.

Speaking of closets, we all should prepare ourselves for what I call the “changing of the guard” that will happen sometime between now and the first day of spring quarter. Obviously, I take this event very seriously. This involves digging out garment boxes from under my twin bed and reviving my clothes that have been hibernating since last summer. Yet, not everything has to go. Luckily for Stanford students who are not provided with two closets by Stanford housing, there are winter pieces that can be converted into spring pieces. What a relief!

Let’s start with winter’s favorite shoes–boots. Your leather boots can stay! Pair them with a lightweight, flowy dress or brightly colored short skirt. If you are going out, they can dress up an outfit and break you from the ‘sandal rut’ that we all fall into come springtime. However, let me make clear that Ugg boots do NOT fall into this category. Please do not put Uggs where they do not belong. They belong with long pants only, not skirts or shorts. You do not want to look like an awkward seventh grader who still thinks that Limited Too is an acceptable place to shop.

Let’s move on to button-up shirts! I am so happy about this one, because I am a new convert. These transfer to spring so well. Keep them buttoned up or leave them open with a complimentary colored camisole underneath. Brighten up a more ‘wintery’ button-up with a spring colored undershirt! Get creative! Your button-ups can be paired with your light-colored jeans and shorts, and even skirts.

Another easy way to make your short winter dresses and skirts spring-like is to just ditch the tights and boots, and pair them with wedge heels or sandal flats. This is also a great time to put on those brightly colored scarves and jewelry. No one will ever remember that you wore that dress for half of fall quarter!

When I say that you should stash your stockings, I do not mean that you should stash your leggings. On the contrary, you should keep them nearby, because they lend themselves to easy outfits when you wake up late for that oh-so-early spring quarter 11 a.m. class. Pair with your light-colored sandals and flats, and your loose-fitting jersey racer-back tops. This outfit may be too simple for your taste, but you can dress it up with dangly earrings, bold bracelets and especially long, chained necklaces.

One more reminder–come spring quarter, make sure to put away your North Face!