Saturday, October 30, 2010

Rainy days...

I've been banging on quite a bit about the weather fashion choices we make. Not to keep on it, but a very good friend divulged to me last night that she is a part of a whole new world of weather fashion. RAIN PANTS. She wears rain pants. This is because there aint no rainy weather which is going to stop her from riding her bike (she does live in Amsterdam.)

This got me thinking. Is she serious? What does she actually look like in these rain pants? Then I moved to the more sensible contemplation of how often we tailor what we wear to match the elements thrown at us by Mother Nature. The probable answer for most of us is not enough!

When I was little and getting ready for school camp, nothing gave me more giddy bursts of excitement than reading the printed list of what to pack. It often looked like this:



Everything about these lists screams sensible. Which is appropriate, because when you’re a kid you’re totally cool with wearing a hand me down Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles windbreaker. You just want to be dry, have a good time and win the “make a raft” challenge.

The lack of fashion self consciousness we had as kids is the perfect marriage to have with the weather. As adults we do sometimes make these sensible choices, like when we go white water rafting, but more often than not we’re in a constant battle of newly straightened hair vs humidity, open toed sandals vs torrential flooding. 

So,  I've been inspired by the rain pants and have now deduced that dressing for the weather is the ultimate un-fashion victim choice. We need to play friends with the outside and meet it halfway by donning a three quarter sleeve when the sun is out, but there’s a hint of wind, and making sure we have a covered toe in the wet. 

Rain pants are definitely the new black.



In Amsterdam tomorrow, all the talk of rain pants will pay off. This place gets WET. Temperatures will also be NEARLY deserving of the winter coat. Good thing the canals are so pretty…

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

When you don’t have an umbrella that cheeky cardinal rule kicks in, it’ll rain. Probably pour. The weather gods love a gag!

But do you really want to be carrying around a golf caddy worthy sized umbrella in potentially blazing sun? What about the teeny, emergency, in your bags ones? Are they really going to do the job?

I’m not going to go all mythbusters and roadtest the durability of these spindly protectors from the wet, but I will list some pros and cons and hopefully inspire someone to create the ultimate weather dome.

TEENY IN YOUR BAG ONES


Pros ** fits in your bag because it’s teeny

Cons ** the teeniness makes the bones somewhat fragile and this will inevitably happen:




That looks so, so sad. 


HUMONGOUS GOLF SIZED ONES

Pros ** the ultimate rain protector

Cons ** carrying




With those two options it's clear someone needs to be come up with a sturdy dome, which can also slip into the most delicate of pocket books.

Maybe these folk know how to do it?


Futuristic AND protective.



Genius, seriously. How hard is it to walk next to someone and keep underneath the umbrella edges? Answer, super hard and awkward.



It's like she's in the TV show Gladiators!!!


I'm not sure how any of those babies fold up, but surely you’d be the driest belle at any rainy ball. Lets all get inventing!


London tomorrow, no need for any kind of brolly! In fact it looks like it might even get to, shock, three quarter sleeves weather! (16 degrees +)

Or so it seems...the weather gods might be having a damned comedy night up there.


PS:


??

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Where For Art Thou, Weather?

I really don’t think trust issues come into it. It’s just that sometimes you feel like you don’t know who to rely on, who to go to for the truth, who will genuinely have your best interests at heart and ACCURATELY REPORT THE WEATHER.

Example A 



Trusted BBC weather site…. Or so I thought.

Example B



IPad weather app.


WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???

You may feel I’m overreacting, but I think weather reading might just be a science. Like, there are machines and gadgets and things which gauge the weather, to a DEGREE. One degree means everything (see afore posted rant about the winter jacket rules). There is also a big difference between heavy rain and a cheeky sun peaking through fat drops of intermittent rain (which is how I interpret the second graphic). 
Aren’t these sites getting their data from the same source? Or are there other rogue Jess Keeley types professing to know more than the MET?

So what to do when we want a reading? You need multiple sources, obsessive analysis and to show a complete lack of loyalty. For instance if it’s your outdoor celebrating event day (wedding, 21st, 50s Mad Men pool party) start checking sites a week in advance, and then only stick with the one giving you the best outcome. The others are lying. If all you want to do is crochet and watch Buffy for six hours, quote your weather excuse from the most rainy of predictions.

Or be your own predictor. See afore posted video of my own obsessive weather predictions from a deserted island. I could not sleep unless I’d told everyone it was going to be a cloudy morning, but would DEFINITELY clear up by breakfast and ultimately end in us having THE BEST DAY EVER.

So make your weather sites work for you. Denial is one thing, delusion is another, but both work when you’re confused and wearing one gum boot, one sandal.*

* I’m aware this post is somewhat contradicting the previous subject matter of peaking too early. That’s what it’s like in this crazy, unpredictable world of weather watching. Subject tornado!!

London today is looking delightful. Yes, both above predictions have sun, seems correct, and 11 degrees, probably incorrect. Today calls for being moderately rugged up, not layered to the hilt. Just make sure you stand in the sun…



Sunday, October 17, 2010

Peaking too early

Those first pleasant, glowing sunbeams begin to inch their way towards your doorway. Your windows start to present their frosted, foggy panes first thing in the morning. All you want to do is  burst open your summer/winter wardrobe in a massive proclamation of the new season. 

Don’t! 

There’s such a thing as getting too excited, jumping in too soon, PEAKING TOO EARLY. 

Case in point, music festivals. In this instance let’s look at the gorgeous Queensland (nee Byron Bay) festival in Australia, Splendour In The Grass. Indeed it’s Splendourous and there is definitely grass, but what there shouldn’t be is this:


** Genuine Splendour In The Grass punters.

This festival in held in July. In WINTER. It’s cold. Sure, you get the glorious bursts of wintertime Aussie sun, but this is not the place for bikini tops, short shorts or anything sleeveless (much less TOPless). The need for arm cover in most parts of Australia extends through the winter months until you reach MAYBE October. Sleeves until October. I’m going to make bumper stickers.

For those of us in the Northern Hemp, I’m as excited about the upcoming winter as the best of them. In fact, it’s going to be my first genuine all snowing, all open fire winter. But I’m not getting ahead of myself with the layers. Unlike the GIRL I SAW ON THE TUBE WEARING EAR MUFFS.


** Not actual girl

That day I was wearing a t shirt.

I recently bought a new winter coat and now I have a rule. (Weather is all about rules... and high pressure systems.) No winter coat until it’s less than 15 degrees. And then no WOOLY scarf until 10 degrees. It’s about stages and I’m not peaking too early.

(I had a friend who had a 20 degree rule. Once it was 20, it was time for a shorts party. I now concur, but only if the shorts are of reasonable length.)

PLAY BY THE RULES. And all will be well.

London today: amazing, sunny, fresh, slighty chilly, makes you happy to be amongst it kind of Autumn day. Tomorrow? More of the same! Top of around 15 degrees, so the winter jacket remains firmly in the closet.  

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Weather & Fashion

Ladies (and gents, who am I to gender stereotype clothing?) word of weather/fashion advice. If there was ever one, NOW is the time to have the courage to grab yourself a pair of these pretties…



TIGHTS WITH HOLES. No, I’m not talking Courtney Love HOLE era rips (see what I did there?), but tights which I’m sure have some kind of fashionable name that I don’t know because I talk about the weather, not the catwalk. They sport deliberate holes.

Now, this isn’t for the looks (even though I know your pins deserve a good airing). Wherever you are, with the changing of the seasons, you get about a month gap when it’s about to become too cold or too hot, and more or less coverage would be needed. Embrace the change! Celebrate the delicious little gusts of breeze that will find their way to your bare skin through hopefully pretty, and flattering, cut out flowers. They also look great against a background of falling autumn leaves and budding spring frangipani. Frolic away. **

**As demonstrated in picture. See how much fun she’s having? That’s from http://www.misspandora.fr/?s=louise+fleur Totally French.


London today, disappointing. Went to bed with multiple sources quoting George Harrison (Here Comes The Sun! This also seems apt in a John Lennon birthday way), but woke to a view resembling a day time soap opera camera lens. Hazy, misty and hard to make out fine detail. 23 degrees my ass, multiple sources. Wear a cardigan.


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

A note about the weather.

Pretty simple this one.

This sucks:




When you want to be watching this:



At the last night of open air cinema in London.

Patrick Swayze was right when he sung ‘She’s like the wind’ (and rain). This fatal combination (ouch, sorry Pat. Has it really been a year??), resulted in a home alone Friday night with Season 1 of Buffy.

Other chanteurs who are quite happy to celebrate the weather in song include Belinda Carlisle 'Summer Rain' (it IS great, isn’t it Bel?), Crowded House 'Weather With You' (not even narrowing it down there, it’s just ALL the weather), and pretty much the only Blind Melon song everyone knows, ‘No Rain’ (bit late for me guys). Surely you have a favourite weather song? 

Oh, just remembered Len ‘Steal My Sunshine’. And wish I hadn't.

Tomorrow in London? As above. 

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Long grey cloud indeed...

First, the disclaimer. This blog was NOT started by me. For all intents and purposes though, it shall be maintained…by me. A delightful and inspiring group of ladies we’ll call THE GIRLS started this blog on my behalf, knowing I had neither the ego nor the nous to start my own. (Oh come on, of course I have the ego). It may also have been because they were genuinely impressed by, and sick of, my narration on the weather each day.

I love discussing, looking at, complaining about and stumbling through the weather. That big blue, grey, orange sky affects us all. Black or white, rich or poor, it’s still rain or shine. A ruiner of special occasions, a maker of pleasant memories, the weather is our day to day inconstant.

I hope to not go all “full on complete double rainbow” on you (no promises), but if you’d like to share each fresh page of the novella of the weather with a like minded friend, you’ve found the right place. And on we blog...

It’s showing some scattered showers and cloudy skies in London today. Don’t be deceived, it’s warmer than it looks. I got a sweat going baking some scones…