With record-breaking hot temperatures in New York, and hail falling in Westwood, it’s hard to know how to predict the weather.
It’s even more difficult to guess how to dress, just in case of a torrential downpour or a sunny afternoon.
Some may argue that global warming does not exist or is at least not a result of human influence, but others link it to commerce and chemical reactions. Disposability, which is arguably the cause of global warming, is not only responsible for changes in climate, but for changes in fashion, too.
I watch as my peers wear coats one day, and skimpy skirts the next. Fashion changes seasonally, but now we get to change seasons within the same day.
With the weather changing mid-afternoon, how do we accommodate the already fast-changing elements of style while aligning our wardrobe within the parameters of a thermometer?
Whatever the weather may be, here is a new dress code for those who want to stylishly incorporate global warming into their wardrobe:
Keep a bikini with you at all times. You never know when it’s going to be hot enough to wear one or cool enough to take a dip in the hot tub.
Warm feet keep your whole body warm; on cold days, wear skinny jeans with boots, and on hotter days, opt for boot cut jeans with open-toed shoes.
Dress in layers. You never know the next time it might hail, or the next time you get caught up in a midday bout of strip poker. This is also useful if you end up wearing the layers for long enough to need to appear as if you’ve changed ““ just change the order of the shirts. Make sure your bag is big enough to hold all those layers you’ve got on.
And definitely don’t tie your big UCLA sweatshirt around your waist. Nothing says “unfashionable” more than that.
As your body temperature is largely controlled by the temperature of your neck, bring a scarf, but wear a V-neck.
When in doubt, bring gloves, and maybe earmuffs too. Buy scarves that can double as cute belts, or that are compact enough to fit in your purse or backpack, yet are large enough to cover your neck.
Get waterproof shoes; you’ll either need them for snow, rain or your own sweat, depending on the weather. Or at least don’t wear your slippers out, just in case it rains.
With changing minds (and temperatures), our clothes change constantly. Fashions have been made to put on and sweat off with the next season.
But there are instances where we can ask, is (or was) it really worth it?
Aerosol cans, filled with hair spray, were definitely responsible for a large part of hair prior to 1978, whose CFCs, in turn, are arguably responsible for at least small part of global warming. Definitely not worth it.
Fashions change, but our culture is left with remnants of fashions past.
Going through clothes as quickly as spray cans leads to more global clutter.
This clutter fills up the atmosphere of our homes and apartments. We as consumers fall for trends and then spring them out.
When you buy clothes that fit into many contexts, you can rid your closet of these disposable items.
This way, we stop more global disasters from happening, such as the less likely “global clothing overcrowding,” and the more likely “’80s revival fad.”
There is equilibrium where trendy meets timeless and warm meets cold. It is a balancing act, but being the right temperature in the fashion climate is easy: Always look hot.
For what to wear today, regardless of the weather, e-mail Rood at drood@media.ucla.edu.