Does Fashion Head South for the Winter?

I saw the nuttiest outfit this morning. Some girl was wearing sweatpants over her jeans tucked into black boots and a teal jacket with a pink sweatshirt poking out of the bottom. She had navy blue gloves on, a purple scarf wrapped around her neck, a black hat, and a red scarf wrapped around her head and face on top of that. Her nose was red as a stoplight, and she was walking so fast I thought she was going to knock someone over. Hah. What a dork. Oh, but by the way … hehe … it was me.

What does a girl have to do to stay warm in Chicago!?!?!

Typically during my 2-hour commute from home to the office I spend some of the time people watching – mostly because I can’t find a more exciting way to pass the time! I observe the funny quirks of the man who is always late for the train and the way he scrambles to get his dollar in the parking meter before the train doors shut. I watch for the woman with the blonde ponytail each day, because she carries the best purses. I wonder constantly how women’s hair continues to look so nice after it has been blown around by the Chicago wind (I certainly haven’t figured out their tricks). And I wonder what the stories are behind the people begging for money on the sidewalks – there must be some to tell.

But above all, I loooooove looking at the fashions … and during my walk from the train to the office I see lots of different styles. Now, of course, not everyone in Chicago has the greatest fashion sense, but many do … and so, I observe. Cute skirts, fancy boots, layers, accessories, jackets and more all make their way on to the streets of Chicago. It’s like inStyle magazine for free and in real life – woohoo!! But now, as the winter weather is fully upon us, the great Chicago fashions are slowly going into hiding. Shucks!

It seems that as the temperature gets to be below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and the breath of the people outside is there for everyone to see, the women care less and less about the way they look and more and more about keeping their ears from getting frostbitten – go figure! From time to time I see women walking in single-digit temperatures with no hat or gloves on and I can seeeeee the redness of their skin aching with numbness, poor girls. But others, wrapped from head to toe with warm fuzzy layers walk as quickly as possible to their destinations to keep their body heat up and to get out of the cold sooner.

Guys, on the other hand, seem to brave the weather a little more boldly than the women. I see men without hats or scarves much more frequently than women (typically with less hair on their heads too), and even some with frozen fingers, clenched tightly inside their pockets without any kind of additional protection. Come on guys! You don’t need to impress us with your strength against the freezing weather – we want you to bundle up! It’s the same thing when men refuse to carry umbrellas. Silly, silly boys, we’re not judging you … we know that by carrying them you just want to make it to your destination warm and dry! Geez Louise!

So anyway … as my walk to work becomes less interesting in the chills of winter, I can at least look forward to the warm weather that will soon enough arrive, and the cute fashions that will break out from beneath those big, puffy winter jackets. In the mean time, I think I’ll grab some hot chocolate … because I can’t feel my toes anymore! Brrrrr Chicago!!!