The seasonal divide - YouLookFab Forum

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The seasonal divide

Runcarla

Veteran

My mother used to joke that where we lived when I was little (Duluth, Minnesota) had two seasons - winter and the 4th of July. (I remember wading in the shallows of Lake Superior wearing a bathing suit and sweater!). Nowadays I live in a place that truly has 4 seasons:

Spring - April and May
Summer - June - August
Fall - September - November
Winter - December - March

Though I am thinking about spring constantly, the reality is that where I live, March will resemble winter much more than it will Spring. In other words, it’s too early to abandon puffers, toques, gloves/mitts, or boots. The evidence of my iPhone photo collections supports this, as much as it suggests a raincoat, umbrella and waterproof footwear will be my friends in April going into May, but I better have shorts and breezy dresses ready for June.

Do you have much longer to wait for the seasonal switcheroo? I understand folks in the Southern Hemisphere will be prepping for cooler temps. Do you get snow? How do folks deal with the itch to change things up when it’s ‘too early’?

*I think the ‘spring drops’ are just starting at retail.

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36 replies

Latest reply was from Ginger

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Here in NZ we change season officially on 1 March so it is now autumn. It feels like summer still except a teensy bit cooler on some days and getting darker sooner. Still have Daylight Saving a bit longer- when that stops the season has obviously changed.
My clothing changes very gradually and with the blessing of my large walk-in wardrobe I keep everything out all year, maybe just change the position a bit.

Anonymous

Well, generally our seasons follow the equinoxes/solstices pretty well:
Spring-mild summer 3/20-6/20
True summer-6/20-9/20
Warm to mild fall- 9/20-12/20
Deep Winter to mild winter- 12/20-3/20. It's actually mild enough to be coatless today, but often it can still be cold at Easter.
Fall is generally warmer and drier than spring here.

Sal

Veteran

Whilst 1/3 is considered the first day of autumn it is often middle of March when we start to see the true change in seasons. Late summer/ autumn is usually lovely weather here- Spring is much more fickle and erratic.

I do switch out my closet - I may even put away a few high summer pieces today that I know I won’t wear again. I am in no rush for autumn though- I enjoy summer and being peak COVID wave the more going on outdoors the better!

Bonnie

Veteran

True Winter is in December but Jan/Feb/Mar have a lot of days of spring/summer weather, too. Yesterday, it was 85F, today is 75F, and tomorrow is predicted to be 65F, for example. I've decided that I have to keep a lot of options in my closet to be comfortably dressed.Which makes for a lot of items because the percentages of cold to hot weather days is so variable.

unfrumped

Veteran

Where I live, spring has started but it has been known to snow or have freaky cold weather in March or early April- unusual though. More likely, temps now tracing high 70’s but might have some rainy days in 50’s still.
Since I wear really warm things even indoors during deep winter, I can now pack most of those away , because I won’t wear that type daily now, but keep out a couple of cozy things.
Now is when I can wear “ medium warm “ things, and layers.
I’m working on being more intentional about combining either light- over- warm or warm-over- light, so I can wear more of my wardrobe and see what still works.
For example, I might wear a merino top with a lightweight cargo or safari jacket, or a light knit top, even a T, with a leather jacket or blazer, or a silk ( or silky) shirt with a fleece or lightweight down. For errands and some similar things, I’d mostly be able to keep on the topper, ( so not have to immediately remove & lug around), but would have the option to un-layer if needed. Also maybe lightweight puffer vest or fleece vest with lighter tops ( sort of like Angle’s plan— I couldn’t wear a thin knit or woven shirt with just a vest, last month).

JAileen

Veteran

Funny, we’re in a transitional period. Last week was the coldest day we’ve had all winter, and I had a coffee meetup with YLFer Cate. It was 9F (-12C) in our backyard that morning, which I consider really cold. Cate is from Duluth and it was nothing to her. She didn’t even wear a real coat.

Yesterday a friend came over with her two adorable mini wiener dogs, and it was nearly 70. I think I got a sunburn on my arms. I am getting ready to plant peas tomorrow.

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Lesley

Veteran

Your calendar resembles mine, although spring might also just be May! Ugh. I really battle with not overbuying for the warm months, because I have so much zest for that time of year. I did just take a trip somewhere hot, which is not helping (I'm wanting to shop for tanks and shorts, when in reality I'm looking at months and months ahead of pants and sweaters!).

RobinF

Veteran

Here in Michigan our seasons are about the same as you. It is starting to feel like spring is coming but definitely still coat/boot weather. It's supposed to be nice this weekend, maybe a high of 60 which will be a nice taste of spring but back to the 30's next week.

CarolS

Veteran

Um, there will be no peas planted here for SOME time. This was taken about a week ago and we've had a bit more snow since then. Daytime highs hovering between -6C and -16C for the next couple of weeks. We'll see some melting on roads and sidewalks on sunny days, but the real spring thaw is still a distant dream.

We've had about double our usual amount of snow this year. Our first snowfall was around Nov. 9, so by the time we're done with the spring melt (maybe mid-May?) I think we'll have gotten to enjoy at least six full months of snow. Maybe a bit more than that.

Also, this winter was CRAZY cold -- I think we spent most of February under an Extreme Cold Warning, and January wasn't much better.

My Seasons:
Winter Nov to mid-April, depending on the year.
Spring mid-April to early June, depending on the year. Can start e
Summer mid June to August (this includes a period I of gross summer that usually hits for a few weeks around mid-July and abates a week or two into August)
Fall September- October - Although sometimes September can be gloriously summer....

I also have a picture somewhere of me standing in front of a pile of snow that must be close to 10' high on a residential street in our neighbourhood. And piles just like it are on every corner...

I guess this explains a few things about my wardrobe...

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Runcarla

Veteran

@ CarolS - when I lived in Timmins, On, I took my winter fashion inspo from Winnipeg Fabbers, since I knew your weather was going to be my weather in a couple of days

@ JAileen - I’ll be starting seeds indoors in two weeks.

@ RobinF - I think we are on the same parallel!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

When I lived in Ontario, my weather was similar to yours, though my fall was a bit shorter in Kingston and spring came about a week later.

I'm still getting used to the patterns here. I do switch my closet out, but not the whole of it any more. I have many more cross-seasonal items than I had in Ontario. (I also have a larger closet so can spread out a bit more and keep less stored for that reason).

Spring is on its way here -- the songbirds have arrived and the deer are out looking for tender shoots to munch. But I'm still wearing layers, boots, and a puffer much of the time. I won't change out my clothing until the end of the month (around the equinox) or even sometime in April. Last week it was so cold I was wearing my big Ontario parka!

Our seasons do typically follow the solstice/ equinox but with some refinements

Cool Spring -- 2/20 to 4/20.
Warm spring -- 5/20 to 6/20.
Juneuary -- 6/20 to 7/20.
Wildfire/ heat dome season. 7/20 to 9/20
Early fall -- 9/20 to 10/20
Later fall, aka atmospheric river season and dark season -- 10/20 -- 12/20
Winter 12/20 to 2/ 20

Cool spring can be pleasant. Warm spring is absolutely gorgeous. Wildfire season can be gorgeous too, if the fires and heat domes stay in abeyance. Early fall is lovely, though not as colourful as in the east. Winter is...well...it's a mix. Some cold and snow, some wet, and lots and lots of overcast days and darkness.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Our long summer starts around May and lasts through October, although peak heat is usually August-September. It will soon stop raining until around October, with a few freak exceptions. The winter is mild with many spring like days, but also chilly and wet enough for coats. Spring is brief but sweet with the citrus blossoms beginning to bloom even now.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

We have the opposite problem. It's "summer" weather about 10 month out of the year in Southern California, but that makes our mild winters feel really cold to us. We also deal with weather thats swings wildly back and forth, so one day this week reached 90 degrees F, and on Friday it will barely reach 60 and will rain. I don't do a seasonal switch the way my things are right now.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

The struggle is here, and it’s real!

We had sunshine for the last 3 days. That’s unusual enough this time of year that Berlin-based social media accounts commented on it. I sunbathed on my balcony, was chagrined that I nearly got a light burn with a very light UV index of 2. Tried to stand up & do a little cleaning out there, but it was too chilly—Upper 40s/ around 7.

It will stay this way for months. And I will be chomping at the bit the whole time.

Spring here probably starts in April. June might have some days in the 70s, or maybe not.

We can rely on summer weather July-Sept (but it will be interspersed with cooler days)..

Cool and rainy fall is Oct-early Dec.

The long Johns come out sometime in Dec and I wear them, at least sometimes, through March. There are two distinct seasons here though—Dec-early Feb is dark and cold, classic sweater weather. In Feb, however, the sun comes back and the longer days make me want to wear springy stuff, but it’s too cold.

Writing this out has brought a breakthrough in my thinking about seasonal dressing: I’m fine with my fall/winter looks, even if people don’t find them as exciting as my summer attire. But I might want to think about pieces that look springy but *feel* warm for late winter/early spring. Then again, the part that really bugs me is probably *how much* clothing, regardless of any color/pattern/style, I need in this weather. No amount of shopping can change that, unless I wear snow pants every day.

Brooklyn

Veteran

Summer is very dominant here. Summer starts in December but in reality it can start getting very warm in October and stay that way until May. January and February are high summer - very humid. May, June are usually cool but pleasant. July, August are cold. But Winter is pretty mild and it doesn’t snow. Daily maximums around 16-18C (but sometimes low 20s) but cold over night (6-8C).

Usually by this time of year I’m sick of summer but it’s been coolish (although still humid) and very wet this year so I feel a little sad it’s over. But there’s still at least a couple of months of warm weather to go. To give you an idea, my wedding day was in April (mid Autumn). It was 29C on the day I got married and it’s been similar ever anniversary since.

I keep all my clothes out except shoes. I will probably do a full shoe switcheroo in late April. I’ve already started bringing out the boots because of the wet weather.

Staysfit

Veteran

Runcarla and RobinF, the seasonal pattern here is pretty much the same as yours. Spring and Fall are so short that I lump Spring with Summer and Fall with Winter when planning my wardrobe transitions.

rachylou

Veteran

No. Cal here… mad temps… it’s been swinging between the 70s in the day and the 30s at night. I call this season False Spring

Joy

Veteran

We usually have snow in May, so long winters. I divide spring into cool or cold spring with pastel or bright sweaters and jackets and warm spring with lighter weight things and shorter (cropped) pants. Mid days can get warm but mornings and evenings are usually below freezing for a long time. The hardest part for me is postponing any garden planting until June as anything planted outside earlier will probably freeze. Spring trees rarely bloom and for several years now the first tree leaves have frozen and secondary leaves come out later.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I realize I had my dates wrong up there (not that anyone cares!)

"Juneuary" is the season when it is unseasonably grey and cold and it typically lasts all June, not all July!

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I’ve found perhaps my body seasons have changed as I get older. Even though I feel quite as active as in the past so I wouldn’t have thought my metabolism changed that much, it seems spring and fall have kind of disappeared as to wardrobe needs. I’m generally cold and need layers on top and long pants from late September through April, with just a week or two of “transition” on either end. In April and May I like to have a pink sweater, spring mood but still warm. In the September-October months, perhaps an orange or gold combo of top and sweater serves that purpose - seasonal but warm.

Around the first of June I suddenly get too hot and can finally go for shorts and light tops, mostly sleeveless ones, which are all I need until into September. I think the climate seasons might still be the same but my dressing approach has changed a lot.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

Spring in Atlanta starts showing its colors by late February, with flowers, but it's usually mid-March before we get the temps to match. Spring and summer are my favorite seasons, and I always get fidgety for spring clothes, so I usually try to add some color pops with accessories and a couple of thicker pullover sweaters in spring colors. This year I thrifted a sky blue thick cotton sweater, and picked up a pink sweater at consignment. I have thinner sweaters that I usually wear throughout summer, because of the air conditioning here, but I've started layering those now, with lightweight tees, and lightweight toppers.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Suz, Juneuary is what we can get here too!

For the most part, our seasons follow the calendar, starting at equinoxes and solstices. Don’t think I’ve lived anywhere else like that.

CJH, maybe that’s why I get into the berry wardrobe idea so much early in the year. Lightbulb moment!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Suz said! We both live in the PNW, which has four distinct seasons

Spring in Seattle is colder and gloomier than Autumn. Especially in the morning. But the days are longer because the clock changes.

VERY RAINY.

Summers were never hot. But now they are thanks to climate change. But they thankfully do not last for long. Seattle is not built for heat and few homes have a/c....when these days we actually need it!

Winters were never that cold. Now they are. Lots more snow the last four years.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

“ the days are longer because the clock changes.”
Lol, what? I’m not sure what you were trying to say here.

Interesting that the climate swings seem more extreme in the US than in Europe.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Stag, that was a little unclear! Let me try again. I meant that in Spring - like in two weeks - our clocks go forward an hour so that there is more daylight during the day. It's colder but light for longer. It's light till 10pm in June around here. So the days feel like they are longer, IYKWIM. The days in Autumn are warmer but the days are much shorter because it gets dark quickly. Clock goes back in November.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Here it was the first day of meteorological spring a few days ago but you wouldn’t know it,it’s dark and grimly wet.Our springs are so variable sometimes unseasonably warm ,other times snow.l am itching to get my spring stuff out but realistically the end of April is usually more sensible.
Quite often we don’t actually have a prolonged period of what l would call spring weather,we go straight into summer heat or remain in winter!It makes dressing nicely quite difficult as a lot if layers being dragged on and off is the usual look round these parts.

JAileen

Veteran

Carla, I planted our peas. It’s in the 50s and cloudy and so perfect for working in the garden. But it may snow tomorrow!

At the end of January I started a bunch of lavender. Only about five percent have come up. We had some major work done in our backyard and now have a lot of bare dirt. I love lavender, and hoped to avoid buying a bunch at the nursery.

I’ll start our tomatoes in a couple weeks, inside, and won’t plant them outside until Mother’s Day. Even then, I’ll put a WallOWater on each one, and also on each squash, eggplant, and pepper.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Angie, yes, I’m familiar with “Daylight Savings Time”—most US states have it, and Europe also changes its clocks at the start and end of the summer. What was confusing was that you said days are shorter, as if there was less daylight because of the way clocks are set. Nothing we do with our clocks is going to change the number of hours of daylight. Some people prefer to have the sun rise and set at an earlier clock time, so there is an “extra” hour of daylight in the morning. Other people prefer to shift that hour to the evening, so sunrise and set occur when the clock says it’s an hour later. But whichever way it goes, there is no more daylight during the day. Autumn days are shorter because of the earth’s tilt on its axel and rotation around the sun, not because of how the clocks are set.

Sal

Veteran

I should add that I can have the itch to shop a bit earlier than things are available. The forum does not help this problem!!

For example I was looking at boots in January when there were none really available.....

I do try and enjoy each season for it's own beauty and pleasures - the beach and the long nights in summer, the fruit and produce in autumn along with the cool nights and hot days, the cosiness of winter and the chance to wear my coats and boots, and the hope and clear light of spring with flowers blooming.

I don't find it as easy in winter - but I do love being a winter sports Mum - last year of it though....

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