The long range forecast tells you one thing -- but you get something entirely different! On a recent trip to Ontario, I experienced this twice. I spent the first few days near Toronto with my brother, where the weather was much colder and windier than predicted, and despite having packed layers, I nearly froze on our lakeside walks Next came a dressy-ish evening work event in Toronto. I wore a "suit" of my blue knit jacket, silk blouse, blue wide legs, raincoat, and cream boots and felt appropriately and comfortably dressed for the occasion. Then I left for Kingston for more work and visits with friends. There, the weather was a balmy 18-21 and sunny most of the time, and I was often too warm!

Still, it was glorious to walk along the lake and check out the autumn colours.

I took a leaf from Dee and aimed for the 3x3 capsule (3 bottoms, 3 tops, 3 toppers -- aside from activewear) but in the end I added more mid-layers (i.e. sweaters), and was glad I did.

The new boots were excellent for comfort except for when I wished I had something other than boots. The runners are my active-wear ones, meant for long walks or hikes or jogs, not fashion. But because my only other choice of footwear was ankle covering, I was often too warm and and had to rely on the sneakers in a few situations where they didn't look particularly good with the bottoms. I wish I'd brought my blue oxfords instead. The velvet pants were also not the best choice.

Oh well -- live and learn -- maybe?

How do you manage packing for transitional weather? Any great (or awful) experiences to share?

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