My iPhone is obviously my best friend, so it’s no surprise that I refer to it when deciding what to wear in the mornings. It’s routine: iPhone sounds my alarm, I turn it off, and then I check the weather app. I’m the kind of person that likes to keep the season in mind when choosing an outfit, because honestly what’s worse than a pair of new suede sneakers ruined by water damage (i.e. rain, puddles and subsequent tears over the loss of the my go-to shoe)? But it’s not just the actual weather outside that plays a role in most people’s everyday outfit-building process: for those of us who put greater emphasis on the color and material of our clothes, staying seasonally appropriate is important. Summer is brights, crisp whites and fabrics that are light (forgive the unintentional rhymes), while winter is dark, layered, and sometimes grunge-y. That’s all fine, well, and somewhat obvious. But then there’s the age old question, what about the liminal spaces—the in-betweens—the fall and the spring?
Well, ladies and gentlemen, luckily I have several Fashionistas for friends, one of which has agreed to help me devise a solution to that very unnerving issue. You see, the trick is to embrace the ambivalence. So you’re not sure if it’ll be sunny or cloudy, or hot or cold, or windy or rainy? Then take pieces that are somewhat opposed, both in color and in coverage, and throw them together! This Fashionista’s light wash ripped denim is perfectly indecisive, with just enough fabric to keep warm but also allow ventilation, and her long sleeve off-the-shoulder black bodysuit adds a grunge factor while keeping her warm but not *too* warm (will shoulder action ever get old? Maybe, but not yet…So let’s keep milking it). The color contrast between the two pieces perfectly sums up my feelings going into fall weather—my heart is with the sunny days but my body is with the “60 degrees and below” ones. But wait, that’s not all, there’s more! In fact, there should always be more: that’s the second tip, layer. It’s just as easy to put on a jacket or two as it is to take them off, which makes layering ideal for weather that changes throughout the day. In this outfit, the cardigan is kind of like that friend that you invite on a night out just in case your other friends ditch you—don’t get me wrong, I REALLY do like her, but she probably wouldn’t be here if I didn’t actually NEED her.
But at the end of the day, Fashionistas/os if I could only give you one piece of advice, it would be to wear what makes you feel good. Whether that means a full length shapeless raincoat or a mid-thigh summer dress because you’re feeling equal parts stubborn and rebellious, just do you.
