For Texans, summer means one thing: Heat. Oppressive, stifling, melt-your-lipstick-into-a-greasy-puddle heat. Summer in Texas is third degree burns on your hands from touching the steering wheel. It is three showers a day. It is two cans of sunscreen a week because the ONLY thing you can think about doing is going to the pool, which by end of July feels about as refreshing as a hot tub.
But don't get me wrong. I hate the winter. A forecast of temperatures hovering around freezing leads me to unleash a string of profanities at Mother Nature, meteorologists, frosted windowpanes and soggy mittens. I spend the majority of winter huddled under down throw blankets, nursing mugs of tea while shivering next to my space heater. I hate gray snowy days. I abhor the time it takes me to heat up my car. I despise the fact that I always, ALWAYS lose one of my gloves during the first cold snap. I become a cranky, irritable, whiny douchecanoe filled with melancholy, reminiscing about days spent outdoors on restaurant patios drinking coffee, people watching, and blissfully bathing in sunlight.
However, if I was forced to admit to one enjoyable thing about winter, it would be dressing for it. Winter clothes are cozy and sensuous. Sometimes, when getting dressed on frigid mornings, I liked to pretend I'm a chic 1960's snow bunny vacationing in Aspen or St Moritz or some other glamorous wintry place. I would wear cozy sheepskin coats and hand knit scarves and adorably fluffy ear muffs with an charming, girlish look on my face. My hunky investment banker boyfriend would whisk me through aspen woods to our enchanted snow-covered cabin, luxuriously appointed in antlers and Ralph Lauren furniture and Native American textiles. He'd light a massive fire and play records while I nibbled on tapas and sipped red wine. It would all be very mountain resort opulence, with sable furs and Scandinavian quilts and four-ply cashmere sweaters and Turkish coffee laced with brandy. And horses. Horses we would ride bareback. Because that's how they do it in the Swiss Alps. Or so I've seen on The Travel Channel.
Despite my penchant for wool and velvet and cashmere, I cannot deny that summer clothes are both less expensive to shop for and much more fun. Tee shirts, simple cotton dresses and flowy maxi skirts are the foundations of my summer wardrobe, and I rarely (if ever) spend more than $30 on a garment. I feel more inclined to wear color and prints in the summer, and stores are more than eager to meet my demands. So Yes! I say, to strappy layered tanks. Yes! to metallic strappy sandals. And YES YES YES I MUST HAVE THAT GIMME GIMME to sunglasses and gauzy tunics and sleeveless blouses and cutoff shorts. There's always something new to buy - a bright pair of denim shorts, a floral skirt, a silk blouse. Furthermore, a stream of sunny, warm days only intensifies the impulse to shop. With layers impeding progress, shopping is infinitely more complicated in the winter, what with down coats, heavy sweaters and scarves to drag around.
The NY Times recently published an article regarding fast summer fashion, with the opinion that lower prices and a larger inventory encourage consumers to spend more on apparel in the warmer months.“People shop and dress differently in the summer,” said Catherine Moellering, the executive vice president of the Tobe Report, a trend forecasting firm. "Dressing is simpler, not as tricky. We all give ourselves a bit of a break.” Furthermore, she added: “The availability of inexpensive, high-turnover, trend-driven fashion encourages people to shop more often, because they know that they’re going to see something different, and that’s what they’re looking for.”
Fashion chains such as H&M, Forever 21, J Crew and Zara have become adept at churning out warm weather fashion, often replenishing inventory weekly or even daily. In summer, fabrics are lighter and less expensive to reproduce in nearly every segment of the marketplace. As a result, shoppers are quicker to open their wallets and buy items from a variety of stores, picking and choosing from different departments.
Now I ask you: Do you tend to shop more in the summer? Which season do you enjoy dressing more for, summer or winter?
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| Thrifted Ann Taylor blouse; thrifted Theory skirt; White Mountain sandals; estate sale vintage clutch; Old navy belt; Charming Charlie bracelets |
Get the look!
I wnat to put my hand up that pretty skirt
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