I am a self-confessed summer baby, or as poet Nayirah Waheed eloquently put it, a ‘sensitive summer thing’. There is nothing like the gentle warmth of the sun, or the childish fun of a white tennis skort to make your mood immediately lighten. Pastels dominate my wardrobe, and ‘y2k’ outfits of halter-neck tops and pleated miniskirts immediately transport me back in time to lying in the garden dripping ice-lolly juice all over my coloured clothes. Such memories don’t compare to sitting by the window watching the rain, or wearing gloves to do your reading because the heating has already broken.
However, it is equally true that the fashion of autumn brings solace to my declining mood and seasonal grumpiness. Colossally wide-legged jeans have injected a great joy to my wardrobe as I recently purchased the Topshop Ones, which were conveniently on sale. It has been a trend, in my circles at least, that the width of our jeans increases at a correlative rate to our age. Skinny jeans are a thing of the past, and cannot even be sold for £5 on Depop. Mom jeans ruled my undergraduate years, and I always feared that the wide legs of the ‘cool’ crowd were too out-there for my understated wardrobe. But with a new city, and a new postgraduate course, I have committed myself to making my silhouette as broad and undefined as possible. I hope that when the lights of the library cast a shadow against the wall, all that can be seen is a blurred and fluid form.
In another defiance to the figure-hugging styles I wore in summer, I have grown to love shirt-jackets, or ‘shackets’ as they unfortunately seemed to be called. After wearing my boyfriend’s shirt one evening, I realised that they could aid the oversized silhouette I so desired. I then found a vintage Wrangler jacket with green and blue check on the torso, and plain white corduroy arms. Coupled with my dark blue puddle jeans there is no way that my true bodily form could be seen. Finally!
The tiny tank top look must also be replaced in the transition to autumn. I refuse to stop wearing them in totality, but instead throw a big vintage jumper over the top. My most recent has been a vintage white Courregés sweater I found in the depths of Depop. It represents a similar but distinct aesthetic to the American sweater trend, and the paleness of the colour brightens up the dark visuals of the autumn-winter wardrobe.
Finally, a puffer coat over all of this must be added, because we are in Edinburgh now (it’s freezing here – really so freezing!). I invested in a North Face strawberry-coloured Nuptse coat, because I truly fear that I may never leave my flat unless there is some down sleeves that can come with me. But equally bulbous silhouettes can be found on cheaper high street stores, and if you really want to invest in the vintage vibe, plenty of retro puffers in thrift shops on and off line (although I would worry that they have lost their warmth).As I walked home the other night in my newly put together Look, I felt slightly better about the summer pastels I have left behind at my mum’s house. Actually, I can’t lie to you, I brought them all with me, just in case.
Image: LbC via Flickr