Before You Shop Pre-Spring 2026 — Try This: A Wish List That Isn’t About Buying
As the first Pre-Spring 2026 collections begin to appear on the high street … there’s a particular moment each year when the shift begins — not in the weather but in the messaging.
Key colours are named, trends quietly declared and your inbox starts to tell you what the next season should look like before you’ve had a chance to decide how you want to feel.
Rather than rushing toward what’s new — I ask a quieter … more useful question: what am I being drawn to right now?
Before I buy anything … I create a Pinterest board.
No captions, no rules and no intention of shopping straight away.
I pin instinctively — pieces that slow me down, colours I keep returning to, silhouettes that catch my eye — this becomes my wish list … not as a checklist but as a record of attention.
What’s revealing about doing this at the start of a season is how patterns surface naturally.
The same moods appear across different images.
Often … it isn’t about novelty at all but refinement.
Pre-spring is transitional by nature which makes it an ideal moment to notice rather than consume.
Once the board feels complete … I step back and translate it into language.
I ask what these images are responding to emotionally.
A desire for ease? A need for clarity? A subtle shift in how visible I want to feel?
When you name the feeling first — decisions become simpler and far more sustainable.
This is where mindful dressing lives — you start to recognise how much of what you’re drawn to already exists in your wardrobe in another form.
You stop buying because something is “new” and start choosing because it belongs.
Often, the most considered wish list points toward one or two thoughtful updates — or none at all.
Pre-Spring 2026 doesn’t ask for reinvention — it invites awareness which has a way of shaping style far more confidently than trends ever could.
Build Your Own Pre-Spring 2026 Pinterest Wish List
Create a Pinterest board and name it simply — “Pre-Spring 2026” or “Lately”
Pin instinctively … without labelling trends or explaining your choices.
After a few weeks … look for repetition — colours, styles, shapes or textures that keep reappearing.
Identify the feeling your board expresses before the images themselves.
Cross-check with your wardrobe and notice what you already own.
Write three words or short phrases that describe the direction you’re moving toward — Does it feel aligned? Does it feel like you?
If you decide to shop … start with one or two pieces that supports this direction … not distracts from it.
Your wish list isn’t a shopping list — it’s a conversation with yourself.
If you would like any support navigating the new season — translating what you’re drawn to into a wardrobe that feels intentional, aligned and wearable — let me know … I would love to help.