Most of growing up comes from learning that things are ephemeral—life, love, pain—and this includes the weather conditions when you walk out your door in the morning. For those of us in Florida, this means realizing that whatever the weather was like five minutes ago is irrelevant to what the weather is like now and learning to dress accordingly. The Florida dresser is more or less the Inspector Gadget of fashion, ready for humidity levels of over 100 percent and afternoon thunderstorms in summer, or zero-humidity winters with permanently grey skies. In the current awkward stage of mid-winter weather, we’re faced with the challenge of mornings that leave you shivering at the bus stop transitioning into toasty afternoons and sweat stains on your sweater as you walk across campus. Let’s start at the bottom of an outfit that can make it through the temperamental weather of our average winter day in Florida.
Camp socks and old-school sneakers
Lighter than boots, retro-looking sneakers paired with patterned camp socks will still keep you warm while letting the kindergartener in you have her moment. You were happier then anyway, right?
Leggings
Pants? Not pants? Leggings are somewhere in between. They’ll keep the wind from chilling you to the bone but still let you breathe in the afternoon.
Slim-fit turtleneck and over-sized button-down
This pair lets you layer without weighing yourself down, combining the leaner look of the turtleneck with the looser fit of the button-down, allowing you to easily remove layers throughout the day. It may also make you look like the next great American poet.
High ponytail and long necklace
Keep your neckline clear with a high ponytail and make this relaxed outfit feel more pulled together with a longer necklace to complement the high neckline of the turtleneck.
Winter in Florida is a confusing time for all of us. The leaves turn red and fall to the ground, yet frat boys still walk around in basketball shorts and flip flops. But with the right choices you can still dress to intimidate your enemies without giving in to the weirdness of Florida winter.