Dressing for forecast fluctuation
Welcome to transition weather, aka the summer-to-winter vibe shift
What the fuck does 60° feel like?
No matter how many times I feel it on my skin, my body only distantly understands the tactile reality of 60° and absolutely does not retain that information for later. That seems fair, as it’s somewhat of a white whale to calibrate weather-appropriate attire based on changing Fahrenheit readings and Real Feel™ data in this transitional time of year. Here in the Wild Wild West of an in-betweensy season, a change of 4 measly degrees or shifting cloud cover can render your whole outfit psychotically impractical or neurotically over-done at the drop of a Stetson.
If you’re shouting at your screen, “Ever heard of layering?!” — October is over, but I dig the Rocky Horror spirit. Keep it up. And yes! That’s one crucial technique to employ this season, but hear me out: Layering is actually a huge bummer. I find that the more garments comprise an outfit, the more those layers have to yield to each other’s patterns and colors, lest the look become too busy. As a result, it sometimes seems the colder the weather gets, the drabber the clothes.
Luckily, we’ve not fully succumbed to cold weather yet! Less luckily, today it’s 66° in November (which means at any given moment, it could feel like 58° or 72°). We must prepare to ride out the unpredictable zigs and zags of this climate rollercoaster, and I have some outfits I’ve worn this season as examples and tips to share:
Look at the Material
Mesh, leather, suede, mohair — certain materials conduct heat and help you stave off layers like overcoats for just a little longer. It's my preferred way of holding onto the vestiges of summer; skirts, shorts, and the pleasure of showing skin are still in play. That said, you can easily add light layers, such as a leather blazer to Look 1, a trench to Look 2, and an army chore jacket to Look 3.
Covert Layering
Under sweatshirts and billowy tunics, you can sneak tanks, t-shirts, and bodycon long sleeves for extra warmth on 54° mornings, and as a removable layer for when it's 65° later that afternoon. As such, pick your under-layers with the intention to d'off the disguise (the top layer) when it gets warm. When winter formally rolls around, covert layering can be advanced using turtlenecks, second skin tops, heat tech, and sweaters.
Sweater Weather
Fall in New York is a beautiful thing; The trees burst with color that contrasts the concrete and steel more dramatically, brownstone stoops are decorated with leaves and pumpkins, New Yorkers show off their black wardrobes in a cornucopia of textures... It's understandable to get a high just breaking out your sweater collection once again. Again, you can see I'm hell-bent on keeping bare skin and unexpected color in play for as long as possible, knowing that winter is looming.
The 65 Surprise
For a summer baby like me, this is joy. This is rapture. This is mania. You wake up in the morning and the temperature reads 65°, which means it (the temperature, your day, your will to live) can only go up from here. My only tip is take advantage of these days. For every 70° November day there is an undeniable twinge of existential/climate dread. I’m going to urge you to choose pleasure. It sustains us! Wear a dress or a billowy, light button down! Embrace florals and sandals and basket bags like it’s spring, not fall! Throw on an outfit that only has three (3) blissful pieces! Time is a construct and our time is limited on this earth.
Convertible Clothes
Many approach getting dressed by electing one key garment as a base and riffing on it. This is “back to school shopping” season, and whenever I welcome something new into my wardrobe, I take an afternoon to do just this — making as many outfits as possible with the newbie. This process not only validates the purchase, but presents options for convertible styling. Making a look convertible means identifying very simple tweaks that augment its seasonality and your comfort. In Look 1 (above), a light layer like a t-shirt can be easily subbed for a suede bomber, and vice versa. Just carry the right bag to stow your option. Look 2 (below) depicts the tried-and-true 90s grunge delicacy of tying your flannel around your waist. The preppy cousin of this method is draping a sweater over your shoulders or tying it into a pseudoscarf.
Drab Layering
Here's your damn layering! When it’s cold, it’s simply a necessity. I’m by no means mad at these looks, but we can agree the colors are drab. You might claim I’ve stacked the deck, that it’s decorative gourd season, motherfuckers, and it’s my duty to embrace ochre, amber, navy, plum, and brown. But when I know a coat has to top off the look, it helps to choose just one of these colors as an accent and keep the rest of the look neutral and tonal. In both fits I’ve employed knits (a cardigan, a sweater vest) over tees and executed some color contrast (cream/charcoal and white/black and cobalt) for dimension.
The week ahead calls for lower temperatures, but no one can say for sure if this is the official descent into winter or if there’s more second summer in store. Either way, you’ll find me flexing mesh, covert layers, sweaters, and convertible clothes under hats and scarves to greet the coming tundra.
The amount of outfits and ideas in this one piece - you have fed the masses and we are stuffed!!
Unexpected takeaway: In writing this piece, I discovered just how many Free People items are still in regular rotation in my wardrobe. I have nothing to say for myself, I’ll let Ms. Bradshaw cover it.
“…Seasons change. So do [people]. [Clothes] come into your life and [clothes] go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart."