Christine wore this outfit on a day when it was -9 wind chill in the morning, so that seems like a promising basis for a Coldville winter outfit.
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| From work-it-blog.blogspot.com |
I upped the warmth factor (and reduced the professionalism factor) by using my MVP black quilted vest as the top layer in this outfit. If I'm going to wear a single layer of t-shirt on top, I need to give it some oomph in some way, and this is one of the easiest ways there is. So easy that I wore it two days in a row....and it's not the last you'll see of it this week.
Dark blue top with ruffle neckline (thrifted, Lands End), $2.00/wear+
Black quilted vest (Mountain Lake/Stage), $1.82/wear
Dark grey wide leg trousers (thrifted, Lane Bryant), $1.00/wear+
White polka dot scarf (Target), $2.85/wear
Grey leopard flats by Fergilicious, $0.82/wear
Outfit total: $8.49/wear
In the process of putting this together, I decided to purge the grey pants I originally was going to wear. The fit was pretty meh and I had this other pair that I like better--so why don't I just wear this pair each time, instead of splitting my wears?
One thing that was different about the other grey pants is that they were longer, so I could wear them with my leopard wedges. With these pants, I'm back to the leopard flats (now at under $1 per wear). (I'm trying to ramp up my wears of the leopard wedges with skirts--where heel height is so much less of an issue.)
In other news...I think I mentioned that for long-range outfit planning purposes, I have recently established 8 sartorial seasons for the Coldville calendar. The most critical element is whether skirts are worn with bare legs or with tights (and whether flats are worn with socks), but I also adapt sleeve length/level of layering, switch out certain items (like corduroy skirt and lightweight cotton skirt in my brown skirt category), bring in limited seasonal items (tall boots I only wear with tights, nude/gold shoes I only wear with bare legs), and (to a certain extent) shift the color scheme. I looked back at my outfits for the last couple years to estimate the length of the tights-free seasons. This is my first year of using this schedule, so it will doubtless need tweaking, but here's what it looks like right now.
| Sally's Sartorial Seasons | |||
| Winter/Spring | Mar 1 | Mar 30 | |
| Spring | April 1 | May 15 | |
| Spring/Summer | May 16 | June 30 | No tights |
| Summer | July 1 | Aug 30 | No tights |
| Summer/Fall | Sept 1 | Oct 15 | No tights |
| Fall | Oct 16 | Nov 30 | |
| Fall/Winter | Dec 1 | Jan 15 | |
| Winter | Jan 16 | Feb 28 | |
If you were going to design a sartorial season schedule for where you live, what would it look like?
7 comments:
Texas Winter (Dec - Feb): Often need a jacket; sometimes need a coat.
Summer I (Mar - Jun): Occasionally need a jacket, more or less room temperature.
Texas Summer (Jul - Sep): Can only wear short sleeves, will most likely be miserably hot outside no matter how you dress or the time of day.
Summer II (Oct - Nov): Same as Summer I.
I actually did not know what sartorial meant, though it's a familiar-sounding word. And then it turned out to be so quotidian.
Yes, I'll play!
Winter*: October 31 - February 14 (wear long pants and layers) (yes, I am a cold-weather wimp)
Spring: February 15 - April (may need sweater, umbrella, and/or sun hat)
Summer: April - July (shorts and hats)
Hellfires: July - August (nevertheless, you still need a sweater for inside public places)
Fall: September - October (may need sweater, umbrella, and/or sun hat)
There is generally a week or two of what I call "real winter" during this period which means wear a winter coat and an earflap hat and a scarf (and turn on the heater in the house), but these days or weeks come at random times during the "winter" season.
Heh, good one Tam!
Ah man, I missed the chance to give my seasons great names like you guys did.
I had sort of forgotten how jacket-vs-no-jacket is a thing down there, much more so than what I think of as the trench coat/wool coat/puffer coat levels we have.
Reading these descriptions, I really don't miss that Jul-Sept Texas Summer/Hellfires season. But I guess you can enjoy not having Fall But Winter is Coming and then Mild Winter, Actual Winter, Arctic Winter, and Warming Winter (the last 4 of which require a coat) for 5 of your seasons.
Our seasons are determined by time of day as well as time of year, i.e. if it's evening, you always need a jacket or coat except during a heat wave (so a couple weeks a year). And depending on where exactly you are, you may need to add or remove layers or change outfits completely to adjust to the microclimates. The biggest differentiator is whether it could possibly rain or not. But generally and roughly speaking:
May-June: Summer I (no rain)
July: usually cool and foggy, prompting tourists to buy fleece jackets and complain (or, in some areas, it could feel like summer) (no rain)
August-September: Summer II (no rain)
October: Summer III clear skies and perfect (no rain)
November-Feb: Fall/wintery and could be cool & rainy, or it could feel like Summer (hopefully rains)
March-April: Spring and/or Summer (hopefully rains)
You'll want to dress the same way whether watching the 4th of July fireworks or the New Year's fireworks, but you may as well not bother with the 4th of July because all you'll see is illuminated fog.
Jen, it is rather mind-boggling how driving a short distance and waiting a couple hours can change the weather so thoroughly where you are.
It's interesting that rain/no rain appears to be more significant than broad seasonal temperature changes. Sounds like having a jacket and/or being prepared for rain is a good idea!
As for the idea of going out to see New Year's fireworks, wow! :)
In Denver, the summer was glorious but I always knew fall was just around the corner. I got tired of the cold when I lived there. Here we have hellish Texas Summer, but are consoled by having two entire nice summers, one on each side of the Texas one.
I am a huge fan of room-temperature weather. I like being able to walk outside without having to think about clothes from a temperature perspective.
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