Baby, it’s cold outside today
Before any of us could switch the air conditioner to heat, thecold was a-coming. With harsh winds, gray skies and temperaturessimilar to New England, Dallas’ mock “fall” hasofficially left. And boy it couldn’t have come anysooner!
Maybe I’m riding on this train alone, but I could not bemore excited that the temperatures have cooled down. Hailing fromChicago, I’m used to this cold weather nearly year-round.
Maybe the Weather Man was getting a little sick and tired of allour bitching and moaning about the heat. “Fine! You want itto cool down? How’s this, suckers!”
OK, so the cold is a little drastic. Just last Friday, I wastotting around in a tank top and jeans. But aren’t we all upfor the change? I’m sure all the boys disagree with me, what,with the warm winds blowing up skirts left and right? But nowit’s out with the short skirts and skin-baring tops and inwith the Uggs and ponchos. (Enter groan.)
Instead of turning your bitching on me about some fashion trendyou will never understand, let’s focus our attention on theattires of winter. From the sweater that our parents have beenputting on us since before we could walk, to loafers galore, wintergear has finally arrived.
Magazines have been pushing fall clothing since September. Andwhile the rest of the nation was fighting off red noses,we’ve been fighting sunburns. It’s difficult for usTexans, as stores do not understand our problem when they announce”Tweed is in!” and it’s 80 degrees out in lateOctober.
Fall is all about color. No more dreary browns, but vibrantpurples and blues. Even J. Crew has more greens and oranges than asupermarket. And cashmere is everywhere! Although it is a pricierarticle of clothing, cashmere is one thing that will hold up fordecades. In fact, I still have one of my dad’s old cashmeresweaters from the 1970s. I just don’t recommend the”argyle” pattern, which is the big diamonds indifferent colors. It’s cute for girls but a little toolibrarian-nerdy for most boys to get away with.
Sweaters, due to their versatility and millions of styles, areone thing that does not have to be “just thrown on.” Infact, girls often look sexier and more sophisticated in sweaters.They have the appeal of “Well, I’m just studying atStarbucks drinking my latte, what are you doing?” You knowthe one.
Hats are definitely a staple for cold weather. Because summerintroduced such a variety of hats, winter brings newermanipulations of the summer gear. Von Dutch’s trucker hatsnow are appearing with tweed. Humm, interesting. A trucker hat withtweed. What’s that, like model meets Krispy Krememanager?
There are also those Britney Spears-Newssies-ice cream truckdriver hats. They’re cute, but you have to make sure you canactually get away with them. I wouldn’t recommend shoppingalone for one of these.
One of my younger sisters wears them all the time. She’salso 5’10” and gorgeous, so she can pretty much getaway with anything. The hats may not keep you warm, but they sureare cute on the people that can get away with them.
At first, I thought this next look was a joke. I only saw theman from far away (and for anyone that knows me understands howmuch of a problem this alone could be) and really didn’tunderstand. Is that a dog on his head? Over the baseball cap? Oh mygoodness, Elmer Fudd is walking across the street.
Similar to the Looney Toon’s cartoon character, J. Crew isnow making two combinations of the hat that made this stumpy hunterfamous. In plaid or wool, baseball hats have two “earmuffs” that buckle at the top when your ears are feelingtoasty and can easily be let down when the wind is getting harsh.Let me remind you, I thought it was a joke at first. Perhaps aHalloween costume that was accidentally left on.
But the more I thought about it and stared at this man (almostgetting hit by two cars, by the way) I decided I like it. It isconvenient- you’ve got the brim to block the sun and the woolto block the wind. Genius!
See how fun winter can be? Just bring out your Patagonia fleecethat has been hiding in the back of your closet because the coolweather is here to stay! Just curl up with some hot chocolate, aglowing fire and your sweater and you are having one goodnight.
Hill Fischer is a senior English major. She may be contactedat [email protected].
