The Curious Calendar
Dressing Between Seasons
I remember some Fashion Week event about ten years ago (when I was still invited to these things), on a rooftop along Fifth Avenue. This was when it really began getting warm late into Fall. Half the men at the party were excited for the season and broke out the corduroy and tweed. We were hot. The rest wore light colors and looked like it was still summer and they were very comfortable. One group dressed for the season as we knew it, the other for the immediate conditions.
It’s only gotten worse since then. There’s something perverse about wearing a straw hat in October in New York but if it’s eighty degrees what are you going to do? This is something I struggle with, so here are some evolving ideas about seasonal dressing without proper seasons.
1/ Don’t Be Stubborn. My favorite fabrics have weight and texture and I can’t wait to get into proper Fall clothes. But it’s ridiculous to wear a grey flannel suit when it’s balmy outside. Being uncomfortable is not a good look. You don’t want to look like Dirk Bogarde melting on the beach in Death in Venice.
2/ Look for Fall Patterns in Summer Weights. I often find myself wearing a washed cotton Prince of Wales check Drake’s jacket. It’s autumnal brown but not heavy duty, and looks like Fall but isn’t hot. If you find anything with a good herringbone or houndstooth pattern that doesn’t weigh you down then get on it.