Seasonal confusion?

catgirl

I see lots of these looks on fashion blogs and find them very confusing (referring to the first photo in this series with the capris and oxfords):

http://images.thesartorialist......832Web.jpg

How is is cold enough for a long winter coat but warm enough for bare legs? Of course, here it's snowy, so bare legs and non-boots won't work no matter how warm it is in winter.

Your thoughts (Suz, I know you're with me here!)?

12 years ago

Dressing

37 replies

Latest reply was from Janet

rute

Veteran

eh eh I think the blogger try to dress the pieces from the new collection and it's too cold!
I see a lot of bloggers with sleeveless dresses and snow on the photo!

12 years ago

lynne

Veteran

Good question.

12 years ago

Sara L.

Veteran

I see lots of bloggers in outfits that I can't understand. It's usually lots of layers on top with bare legs on the bottom. Where do they live where 3 layers of shirts work with shorts and pumps? If it's warm enough for bare legs aren't they boiling under all those upper body layers?

12 years ago

Jules

Veteran

Sometimes I think people bust out their long winter wool coats because they like them, and unlined, sometimes even LINED, they are not that warm by my Canadian standards. But with the hat and scarf - yup, it looks like two different outfits.
I'm also confused when I see people indoors here wearing short pants and flats or pumps, sockless, on the coldest days of winter. There's a whole underground shopping network connecting a big mall and office towers here, so maybe they get to work and switch from their boots, maybe they have on nude knee highs. But it just looks wrong to me.

12 years ago

deb

Veteran

Here in northern Calif. we have always done this. When I was a girl, we could not wear pants to school so it was shoes, and skirts or dresses. And this was public school. We wore these outfits no matter what the weather. I guess we just adjusted to not feeling our legs and feet. This was the 60's and pantyhose were not invented yet and tights were too expensive.

12 years ago

Anonymous

It looks strange and not very chic, in my opinion. If it's cold enough for a wool coat, there is no way I'm traipsing around with bare legs and feet. Outfits like this scream, "I care more about looking a certain way than using my good sense!"

12 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Well, here is another outfit in the snow, with no socks that I can see:

http://www.thesartorialist.com.....her-paris/

12 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

That (the first outfit) would look pretty normal here in So Cal. This would be her "morning on the way to work" look, and her ankles would be a little cold. By afternoon it would be warmer and she would lose the scarf and hat and be wearing the coat unbuttoned.

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

Fashion people in NYC do this. It's about the look, not comfort.

12 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

MaryK, perhaps seasonal confusion seems more bothersome to those of us who live in extremes!

12 years ago

Tina.b

Veteran

I'm always intrigued by this phenomen as well, particularly when I visit different cities. Where I live winter means super cold and lots of snow, so you don't see a lot on ankle. But when it starts warming up even a little, people tend to really embrace it (they break out the shorts). -10 feels a lot less cold in March than it does in November.

12 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

We're always confused here, Una. It was wintery-for-here most of this week (50s) and today the forecast is for mid-70s.

12 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Tina b., agreed! People here come in from -60 out in the Bush and are wearing shorts and t-shirts because it's all of 10 here!

12 years ago

Astrid

Veteran

I could never do this. And I agree, it does look strange to my eye. But I have always cold feet and legs anyway, so maybe that's the reason. I'm the one with the wool socks in the winter boots.

12 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

Actually, I'm more struck by the dorkiness of the whole outfit than the few inches of bare leg.

Heck, I can't even see how people wear bare legs at work in summer, since the offices/hospital temps are actually colder in summer than in winter. But at least I get the coming and going part is very hot or cold in those seasons.

12 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I see people on the street dressing like this. For life, not just for photo ops. That's what I don't get: Sandals on gloomy, wintery, overcast days...

12 years ago

Aida

Veteran

(psssst! Nude hose That's what I use for warmer-but-still-cool winter/spring days (48-60F). Works nicely.)

12 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

It gets even more seasonally confused to my eye. People wear turtlenecks, scarves and coats with sandals. I don't get it at all.

But I am a hypocrite in all of this too. I don't find a little Summer dress or short shorts worn with boots, booties or shooties seasonally confused. I guess I am just ULTRA sensitive to cold feet!!!

12 years ago

MsMaven

Veteran

Pants were forbidden at school when I was a girl, so it was shoes, (lower calf "snow boots" on stormy days) anklets, knee length skirts and heavy winter coats. In grade school we wore "long stockings" i.e. tights and then knee socks. By junior high no more knee socks unless you wanted to die of embarrassment. In college I could finally wear pants once in a while, but I had a part-time job 2 days a week and wearing pants would get you sent home.

I grew up in Salt Lake City so there was plenty of cold and snow. So this outfit doesn't look so strange to me--but it's definitely a throw back to what I consider the dark ages for women's clothing. (Garter belts, pointy bras, girdles and seamed stockings that bagged at the ankle. )

12 years ago

harmonica

Veteran

both outfits would be.... eh... i don't have words... snow, icy wind and bare legs.. nope

12 years ago

Ajoanna

Active Member

I've been seeing this look a lot on blogs this year too. I could understand it if the person is in California or even Florida (where it can be 40 degrees in the morning and 80 in the afternoon), but it looks a bit silly in genuinely freezing cold weather.
My other personal pet peeve is mini shorts worn with tights and boots. It's rather seasonally confused, plus when the wearer puts on a coat, it creates the allusion of only wearing tights on the bottom.

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12 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

I don't get it either, especially #2. She has snow, so clearly she is not in Florida or SoCal.

All I can think is that they do it for the photo and then dress normally. Or, they have a really high tolerance for being uncomfortable!

12 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Thistle, the second shot is in Paris.

12 years ago

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

I question this myself and don't like being cold, so don't understand the look if it is done purely for style...

12 years ago

Raisin

Veteran

I don't get it either. I find this a lot with blogs, which is why I generally find them to be unhelpful because a lot of outfits are unwearable for most of us on a normal day. I think a lot are posed to look good, but not practical. I even wonder a lot of the time if they even wear the outfits they post, or if it's just for the blog.

12 years ago

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

In general, I love a playful approach to fashion. I'm not very concerned about the weight of fabrics in regard to seasons, or trying to avoid mixing a light cotton skirt with wool tights and tweed, to name something. But bare legs in freezing temperatures, that is plain stupid to me. I do think a lot of the blog outfits are for posing only, like a pice of art on an exhibition. Many are hardly wearable. I also question mile high stiletto heels on persons that actually work for a living.

12 years ago

Lyn D.

Veteran

And what about that guy lying in the snow in only Ellen trunks on the Ellen Degeneres show the other day? :0

12 years ago

Jjsloane

Veteran

This is my main problem with boots with no toes and outerwear with no sleeves (exception being puffer vests)

12 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Una, HOW did I miss this treat you set out for me!!

You KNEW I would take the bait and run with it, my apoplexy in full force!!

Oh heavens. How do I LOATHE thee, seasonally confused look, let me count the ways?

It's just plain dumb.

Aida, nude hose would not even BEGIN to be enough if you needed a hat like that. The two things just don't match. Without the hat and scarf, yeah, sure (assuming the coat isn't as warm as a wool coat I would wear here). But WITH the hat and scarf? Nope. Doesn't fly.

Okay, now that's off my chest, I do agree that geography influences what will seem seasonally confused to us.

Angie, I admit it took me a while to come around to the idea of boots or booties with a dress and no hose. That was tough at first....but some of this footwear is clearly designed for mid-range (vs. genuinely cold) temps. Like the Report booties. No way I would wear those in the winter here. I MIGHT in a Seattle winter (if I could find a dry day). I WOULD in a San Francisco winter. But not where I am now. Where I live now, I need serious winter boots. Anyway, just to say that I will admit there is some leeway on the whole "seasonal" thing.

Just not thick woolen hats and bare legs. No.

12 years ago

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