Spring is a season of balance – longer days, softer light, and that familiar urge to slow down and savor what’s right in front of us. For our latest collection, we looked to the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice as both inspiration and mindset: designing clothes for the in-between moments, when everything feels just a little more aligned.
We caught up with Guin and Helena from our design team to talk seasonal inspiration, design decisions, color and prints, and how balanced living shows up in the clothes we make – and the lives we lead.
Toad: Let’s start at the beginning. What inspired this spring’s collection?
Guin: This one started with the Spring Equinox – that moment of perfect balance. When your days start to balance your nights and the air temps start to match your body temps. Everything feels perfectly poised to slow down, savor the fresh air, and find quiet moments of joy amongst chaos.
"We designed this collection for the in-between moments that make life full – like summer’s first firefly, hammock naps, and the sound of cicadas."
Toad: Spring is a season of balance and renewal. How did that translate into the fabrics, silhouettes, and textures you chose?
Guin: That sense of balance really influenced material decisions – lightweight versus sturdy, flow versus structure, minimalist versus detailed. There’s also that feeling of warm nostalgia that we hope always comes through in our prints and styles.
When we think about spring and renewal, florals naturally come to mind, and we definitely have plenty of those this season. Ditsy florals continue to be an important, easy-wearing scale in our assortment. Alongside them, we introduced some more unexpected prints that still live in the floral camp but carry a bit more emotion. Optimistic color pairings really bring that feeling to life – like Crabapple Samba and the Toucan print in our Tate fabrication (coming soon in styles like the Tate Dress and Tate Top).
One print that truly speaks to renewal – and our love of critters – is the Camp Cove butterfly print. You’ll also spot butterfly motifs tucked into other garden florals throughout the line. Sometimes our conversational prints are front and center, but we also love layering in a few Easter eggs for customers to discover over time.
On the texture side, we played with something new in our Sunkissed franchise – a gingham and solid take on a seersucker fabric. It’s floaty, light, and breathable, making it perfect for the spring-to-summer transition (hello, Sunkissed Skort Dress and Sunkissed Strappy Tank).
“Sometimes our conversational prints are front and center, but we also love layering in a few Easter eggs for customers to discover over time.”
Toad: Were there any specific places, moments in nature, or experiences that helped seed the aesthetic for this collection?
Guin: A big seed of inspiration came from digging through vintage farmers’ almanacs and old field guides. They’re rich with observation around the progress of the seasons. Where I’m based in Minnesota, our summers come with incredibly long days that feel like they never end. That sense of abundance – light stretching late into the evening, time slowing down – really influenced the mood of the collection.
“A big seed of inspiration came from digging through vintage farmers' almanacs and old field guides. They’re rich with observation around the progress of the seasons.”
Toad: Can you give us a peek into the design process – how do those mood boards become real clothes?
Guin: Our mood boards really speak to the Toad ethos – optimistic, warmly nostalgic, and a bit cheeky. They’re often a mix of candid photography, art prints, and images of nature or food that convey color, texture, or a sense of place.
Toad: Color plays a big role in seasonal mood. What palette are we embracing this spring?
Guin: We look closely at vintage details and color references from yesteryear, and that foundation helps us build color stories that translate across yarn-dyes and prints – creating familiar combinations that are echoed throughout the assortment (you’ll see this continuity across tops, bottoms, and layering pieces this season).
The season begins with a peachy, dreamsicle-inspired pastel lineup – Dusty Cedar, Gold, and soft tints like Weathered Blue and Wintergreen. Purples are really having a moment, so we introduced Faded Lilac as a focus color, paired with greens like Cilantro, a pale-yellow Meyer, and layered blues.
As we move into high summer and introduce new drops, the palette becomes punchier, highlighting Crabapple – a saturated reddish pink – alongside Toucan, Palm, and Kyanite. Together, it creates a slightly twisted take on primaries that feels playful and energizing.
"We look closely at vintage details and color references from yesteryear, and that foundation helps us build color stories that translate across yarn-dyes and prints."
Toad: Any must-have colors or favorite pairings?
Guin: We’re especially loving some of our clearer blues, like Dusk. Yellow is having a bit of a comeback moment – Toucan is a personal favorite, with just enough warmth to make it wearable across a wide range of skin tones. Cilantro continues to be one of our most useful and beloved colors, working beautifully in both prints and solids. And we’re embracing a retro nod to brown this season – Earth is quite grounded and plays effortlessly with everything.
Toad: What functional details are most important when designing spring clothes?
Guin: Comfort is always a major focus for us. Details like our FlexForm waistband add ease for better fit – whether you’re between sizes or just moving through a busy day. We pay close attention to seams and stitching that feel good against the skin, and fabrications you fall in love with at first touch – with the right amount of stretch, drape, or softness for the intended style.
One piece I really love this season is the Bianca Crew Sweater (and its patterned pullover counterpart). Its pointelle design allows for layering while still offering airflow, making it an ideal warm-weather sweater. We also developed a new collection of tees and tanks in our Whisper fabric – a blend of organic cotton and modal. It’s lightweight, incredibly soft, and features a scoop neckline with just-right proportions (like the Whisper Tee and Whisper Tank).
Pull quote:
“We pay close attention to seams and stitching that feel good against the skin, and fabrications you fall in love with at first touch.”
Toad: Are there prints or motifs that tell a larger story about balance and nature?
Guin: Kalamkari-style prints continue to be an important technique for us. These prints mimic traditional woodblock processes and are often inspired by elements from nature. The Fletch Shirt’s Midnight print is a dreamy vacation toile – think beach naps, cocktails in hand, blue skies, and palm trees in your peripheral (a standout in our men’s assortment).
Another favorite is the Airscape Shirt Ink Pattern, while chest stripes remain a Toad staple – 90s nostalgic, familiar, with that “snatched from Dad’s hamper” energy.
The Coaster Cord Canoe embroidery references one of Toad HQ’s favorite days of the year, when we paddle around the Santa Barbara Harbor with friends from Wilderness Inquiry and Alpha Resource Center. We hop into outrigger canoes, share a lot of laughs – and once even spotted a whale (more on that magical annual experience here).
Pull quote:
“Those moments – paddling, laughing, being together – are woven right into the clothes.”
Toad: Any hidden details customers might miss?
Guin: We’ve included light-support bralettes and bodysuit constructions in a few key styles, including the Sunkissed Strappy Tank, Solstice Tank, and Sunkissed Skort Dress. The Sunkissed collection also features hidden secure zip pockets in many dresses and bottoms – one of the reasons it’s such a great travel-friendly lineup.
Toad: Do you have a personal ritual that helps you feel balanced?
Guin: I always take a barefoot stroll through my backyard to say hello to our napping great horned owls. I love listening to the hum of activity on hot summer days – putzing through my overgrown garden, checking on pollinators, looking for soon-to-be monarchs munching on milkweed, and seeing what blooms or tomatoes might be left after the deer’s late-night feast. Those quiet, observational moments make my day.
Helena: My recipe for success in any venture is a coffee from my partner in the morning and a good sit in the sun with my cat. I keep a stack of Post-it notes handy to collect doodles when inspiration strikes. Most of them stop there – but every once in a while there’s a gem that sails through and lands in the final assortment.
“I keep a stack of Post-it notes handy to collect doodles when inspiration strikes.”
Toad: If you could style one piece for the first day of spring, what would it be?
Guin: The Balsam Cutoff Jean in the Weathered Blue Print. It’s neutral enough in color to wear anywhere, but still makes a statement through the print. I’d pair it with our Whisper Tee for something easy and casual, or our Holly Shirt if I wanted to feel a bit more dressed up.
Helena: I have a soft spot for the Bianca Patterned Pullover this season. I sketched the floral using oil pastels to give it a painterly feel, and the waffle knit adds an unexpected twist to a classic pullover. It’s the kind of sweater I’ll bring everywhere – over my shoulder, in my bag – just in case.
Toad: How does Toad&Co's 30th anniversary show up in design?
Helena: The anniversary has been a really fun invitation to dive into our archives and remind ourselves where we came from. So much has changed, but so much is the same – we’re still calling ourselves Toads, our mascot is still a little lizard, and we’re still making the best clothes we can in the most sustainable way possible. Fun fact: I also turned 30 this past year, so Toad and I are the same age, which I think is cute.
Guin: We're always referencing where we've been with the product, especially some of the early Horny Toad pieces. One fabric we re-engineered with that history in mind is the new Mission Trek (re-imagined from our smash hit Vespa fabric from the early days – IYKYK). It's a lighter-bottom weight that's perfect for spring and summer, but still durable and highly functional. True to the original Vespa, it's got a great mini herringbone weave which creates a unique and really wearable texture on the surface of the fabric.
“So much has changed, but so much is the same.”
Toad: Any advice for the season ahead?
Guin: Always say yes to an ice cream in any shape or form! Start your garden planning in winter. Take after dinner strolls with dogs and babies. Find the stars and planets and look for the moon. Go swimming. Mingle at the farmer's market. Swing by your favorite patio for a drink and nosh with your pals. Wear sunscreen. Host a low stakes party and invite everyone you've been missing – who doesn't love tacos?
Helena: For me, it’s being outside as much as possible. I live for summer, it’s my favorite season. One of my favorite ways to spend a summer afternoon is to hit up the local grocer or farmer’s market and load up on summer peaches then spend the afternoon by a body of water – doesn’t particularly matter what, beach, pool, river, all of it’s fun. The pro tip is to let the peaches get warmed by the sun before eating them – nothing like it.
“Let the peaches warm in the sun before you eat them – there's nothing like it.”
