The Seasonal Switch

As you probably recall, the seasonal wardrobe switch is when I take the upcoming season's clothes out of storage and put the old season's clothing away. Since this event is one I anticipate with entirely too much ardor, and I am constantly tempted to jump the gun, I have to make strict rules as to when it can happen.

Surprisingly, though, I've never really written the rules out, so I'm constantly changing them. This is the year it all changes. This is the year I detail the exact circumstances under which each wardrobe switch can occur. 

Rules for the spring switch

1. The transitional wardrobe (consisting mainly of short-sleeved and lightweight longer-sleeved shirts) comes out in the spring, and the winter wardrobe (the bulk of my sweaters, anything corduroy or fur-trimmed, and my snow boots) goes away. In this and all switches, a few pieces from the previous season are kept in back corners of my closet, in case of travel, or freak spells of unseasonable weather.
2. I must wait until the daily highs have reached at least 60­­°F for a week before making this switch. A week consists of seven consecutive days, not necessarily a Sunday through Saturday.
3. If the switch has not yet occurred by April 1, I can make it as soon as the forecast highs are above 60 for a week.

Rules for the summer switch

1. Summer clothes (consisting of sandals, sleeveless clothing, and shorts) comes out during this switch. Any remaining winter clothes and boots must be put away.
2. This switch must not occur until forecast daily high temperatures have reached 75°F for a week.
3. If the transition has not occurred by June 1, I can make it any time.

Rules for the fall switch

1. Transitional clothes come out at this time, and summer clothes get put away.
2. The fall switch must not occur until daily high temperatures have dropped below 75° for a week. In the spirit of true summer loving, I do not make any kind of allowances for an extra-long season of warm weather. I would happily keep my summer wardrobe out all year if I could!

Rules for the winter switch

1. The winter wardrobe comes out at this time, and the transitional wardrobe is put away.
2. This switch must not occur until the forecast peak highs have dropped below 60° for a week.
3. If the switch has not occurred by December 1, I may make it any time.

You'll notice the winter and summer switches only require a forecast of temperatures meeting the threshold, while the spring and fall transitions require those temperatures to already have been reached. The reason for this is that my transitional clothing collection is worn two seasons out of the year, so I prefer that those seasons are as short as possible. Secondly, my transitional clothes are just plain boring. They really only consist of a few items that are too warm for summer, but not warm enough for winter. With such a narrow selection that fits those criteria, it's not surprising I get tired of them quickly.

This year also marks a revision of the temperature threshold for summer. Highs 80 and above previously defined the summer season, but I have now expanded that to highs 75 and above. I am perfectly comfortable in sandals and tank tops when it's 75 degrees out, and it would be nice to have those options available for evenings and weekends (even if they would surely not be warm enough for mornings and days at the office). Plus, my summer collection is also my most numerous, so this rule change would allow me more time to wear it.

This year, ironically the year that I finally wrote down the rules, is also the year I threw them all to the wind, unpacking the summer clothes on May 5, when the weather was still rainy and barely topping fifty degrees. There was method to my madness, however; I was about to embark on two almost back-to-back trips to warm climates—New Orleans, Louisiana, followed by Hawaii just 4 days after my return. Because both of those trips would necessitate the wearing of lots of warm-weather clothes (and because by the time I'd returned from both, it would surely be summery back home), I had to bring out my summer wardrobe early.

For New Orleans, I did hold back the collection of new clothes that I'd been amassing over the winter, but while I  had my little break between travels, I got to enjoy that moment when I lay all of them on the floor and admire them before slowly trying to work them into my daily rotation! A few of them came to Hawaii with me, and just may show up on a fashion blog or Facebook near you!

That's 4 new dresses, 1 skirt/top set, 1 vest, 5 shorts (all too big, sadly), 1 vest, 10 sleeveless shirts, and 2 summer sweaters.
Can you guess which item was a gift from my boyfriend?

And then there are the shoes. I really went overboard over the winter and bought the same pair of sandals in two
neutral colors. I was thinking they might be good replacements for the black wedges I've had since 2012, but who am
I kidding? 5-inch heeled sandals will never replace a 3-inch wedge. Yet another unnecessary purchase. Sigh.