John's spring fashion review: A splash of color

The spring season brought pale pastels and bright colors, too

Jun 24, 2025

Spring is a fun and festive season for fashion. If you saw me wearing a yellow suit or bright green jacket around town, then you may agree.

This year’s spring season ran from March 20 through June 21.

While we had a few hot days that kept me from wearing anything too hot, I was able to find a lot of variety of everything from shorts to suits this spring.

I was inspired to put together an outfit of yellow, purple, pink and blue from these colorful centerpieces at the Polk County Westside Community Center. (Photo courtesy John Naughton.)

I generally start the spring with light pastel colors such as a mild yellow, lavender and a dusty rose pink. But there were lots of opportunities for bright green and orange, too.

Most of my daily wardrobe selections involve two or three colors, with various hues that can be light, bright or dark. Four colors in the same outfit is simply too much… or is it?

I visit the Polk County Westside Community Center several times every week and was inspired by colorful table centerpieces that combined pink, yellow, purple and blue. I managed to put together an outfit with all four colors (see above). It was a challenge, but quite a bit of fun.

I love pairing a light color with an eye-popping bright color. That’s how I wore my dusty rose suit with turquoise. (Photo courtesy John Naughton.)

In April, I took several long driving trips that allowed me to take my personal fashion show on the road. (One trip took me to 12 states; I packed three suits and a variety of shirts. The wardrobe included both casual clothes that travel well and more formal items that are showy.)

I wore a dusty rose suit (a favorite) with turquoise on part of a Midwest journey. When I visited the President Benjamin Harrison home in Indianapolis, I discovered a blue coffeepot that matched my shirt, tie, hat, shoes and socks.

For a look back at John’s 2024 spring fashion review, check here.

My taco costume went over well at the Valley Junction Cinco de Mayo celebration in West Des Moines. And I made a Corona-costumed friend. (Photo courtesy John Naughton.)

But I don’t wear suits every day. During West Des Moines’ Cinco de Mayo celebration, I received a lot of attention for wearing a taco costume, a giant sombrero and red and green colors of the Mexican flag.

Several people posed for photos with me, and I couldn’t resist sharing one with a woman dressed as a bottle of Corona beer. After all, aren’t tacos and beer a great combination?

Howdy! A friend’s Western-themed birthday party allowed me to dress like a cowboy. (Photo by John Naughton.)

Another costume opportunity came when a friend hosted a Western-themed birthday party. So I reached into my closets for a pair of jeans, cowboy boots and hat, and a fancy Western shirt. Yahoo!

Orange you glad I tried mixing yellow and orange together? (Photo by John Naughton.)

Perhaps the brightest outfit I wore was inspired when I saw yellow and orange together on a package. I typically don’t wear those together. But I decided it would be a fun challenge… you can see the results for yourself.

As the warmer days of late spring arrived, I started wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts. Most of my suits stay in the closet because they the weather may be too hot. Exceptions are mornings and late evenings, church and funerals.

I’m hoping that some milder summer days will let me wear suits once in a while. That would definitely be fun to wear my purple and turquoise suits at the Iowa State Fair.

Until then, let me know if you spot me out and about in bright colors.

Note to readers: John Naughton is a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. He writes about sports, travel, music, food and fashion. Here are some of his recommendations from his many colleagues: