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The
Clothing Chronicles ================================================
In This Issue: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope you had an enjoyable Passover or Easter! If you missed me last week, it was because I was playing hooky - well, sort of. My girls were off for spring break, and Peyton, my middle child, caught a nasty virus that landed her in the hospital, dehydrated. Yikes! Nothing like seeing your four-year-old hooked up to an I.V. to remind you of just how precious life really is. She's doing MUCH better now, has returned to school AND tormenting her siblings, and will tell you, when asked, about the night when she should have been at home asleep but was "getting a drink through her hand" instead. Hopefully, it's nothing she'll ever have to repeat. So having weathered THAT little drama, it's time to get back to work and look at another sort of dilemma: namely, what to wear for the unpredictable weather that accompanies every change of season. Should you dress according to the calendar -- or to the fashion season? Today's article ponders that question. Enjoy!
Diana P.S. If you missed any issues of THE CLOTHING CHRONICLES this year, you can catch up here: http://www.theclothingchronicles.com/archives/index.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How To Transition The Seasons In Style When the calendar says one season but the weather is stuck in another, which one should you dress for? The one it should be, or for the temperature outside? The answer: dress for both. Yes, I know that can be a challenge. Particularly when the weather fluctuates from day to day or even from hour to hour. But since the weather hasn't committed to a season, neither should you. Instead, you need to strive for pieces and combinations that span either extreme without getting stuck in one or the other. Sound complicated? It's not. Just try these handy tips: 1. Start With Year 'Round Fabrics While fabrics like linen and heavy wool look great at certain times of year, they tend to be season-specific and are therefore limited in their use. Buy them in small quantities and strive instead to build your wardrobe around fabrics that can span the seasons easily, like jersey, cotton, silk, and denim in weights appropriate to your region. 2. Buy Year 'Round Colors Once you find fabrics that span the seasons, build your wardrobe will year 'round colors like black, white, navy, brown, cream, taupe, and camel. Use your accessories to add seasonal color and splash and keep the hot pinks, corals, and lime greens to a minimum. Yes, a little color CAN be fun in the warm months, but go cheap when buying season-specific colors. Unless you live in the tropics, they'll only see so much use. 3. Keep Neutrals Handy
4. Layer, Layer, Layer Self-regulate your temperature by adding or subtracting layers as the weather changes. Blazers, vests, cardigans, and twin sets all work well this time of year. 5. Let Your Accessories Do The Work
6. Mix Pieces From Both Seasons
So why bother catering to both seasons during the transition? To avoid becoming a fashion victim. Victims flip through fashion magazines, love what they see, buy what they see, and start wearing what they bought as soon as they can, regardless of the weather. It's as if they lose their ability to think somewhere amongst those perfumed pages, and boldly march out to model their wares weeks before they're appropriate. Which is why they shiver or melt, depending on the season, and become the source of unending amusement for those more in touch with reality. One true fashion lemming - er, follower - that I know began wearing her suede pants in early September, the first week after Labor Day. Which might have been okay in say, Alaska, but this was Houston and the temperatures were in the high 90's. She was okay as long as she was in the air conditioning, but an employee in-service on this particular day took us out to the parking lot to learn how to use a fire extinguisher. The trainer started a small fire that we were each required to extinguish. Between the heat of the day, the fire, the blacktop, and her clothes, poor Leslie collapsed from heat stroke. Her ordeal was joked about for years, all at her expense. The lesson? Until the weather makes up its mind where you live, don't commit to one season's wardrobe. Use layers, neutrals, and accessories to see you through the next few weeks so that you can look good, command appropriate respect, and avoid looking like a fashion victim. Don't be hot or cold. Be flexible.
************** Until next time,
Diana Pemberton-Sikes
http://www.FashionForRealWomen.com ------------------------ Published by:
Top Drawer
Publications, LLC Copyright © 2004 by Diana Pemberton-Sikes All rights reserved. |
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