Going sleeveless in November

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to Emporiyum, a food vendor fair in DC. I knew I wanted to wear something a little more exciting than my usual Sunday uniform of jeans and boots, but I didn't know what to expect from the climate at the event. It was supposed to be indoors, but it was also supposed to be pretty cold outdoors. Vendor fairs are often held in cavernous drafty halls, and if people were allowed to come in and out at will, it could get quite chilly! On the other hand, it could also be very crowded, and the combined body heat of hundreds of attendees could make it quite toasty!

How to prepare for the equal possibilities of too much heat and too much cold? Well, how about this interesting garment?

 

 

When I found it on Swap.com (for 2$), it was described as a "sweater," so I expected it to be hip length or shorter. I thought it would be loosely knit, and the perfect tool to achieve a boho vibe on summer days.

Wrong! The solid portion cleanly covered my butt, and the fringe extended down to mid-thigh. It was clearly more of a dress than a top, and it was way too thick and heavy for a summer outfit. But with huge armholes and no sleeves, it didn't seem very practical for winter either. The one thing it might be ideal for was the uncertain temperatures at Emporiyum. The heavy fabric would keep (most of) me warm if it proved to be cold, but the lack of sleeves could be a saving grace if it proved to be hot.

I layered the dress over a brown camisole, to cover up under the gaping armholes. For my legs, I went full-on winter with heavy knit tights and some brown flat boots (the "story for another time" I promised isn't really much of a story, but in case you were wondering, these are the boots I bought at the thrift store in Nashville).

To accommodate for colder temperatures, I wore a pair of floral arm warmers my mom got me for Christmas last year (one of my all-time favorite gifts, even though they were both left-handed, and I had to detach and reattach the thumb of one of them before it was wearable!) My outrageously large teal dangle earrings just happen to match the leaves on the gloves!

For the final removable layer of warmth, I picked a light denim jacket. It wouldn't be enough to keep me warm if I ended up standing outside for long periods (so I kept a wool coat in the car just in case), but it ended up being just right for the event. The fair was held in a building, but one of the two rooms was semi-outside (enclosed in the heavy clear plastic walls that are common at winter events). When we arrived, it was crowded but not too crowded, and cold but not too cold, and my jacket and arm warmers were just right to keep me warm. By the time we'd been there for 20 minutes, it was packed, and I was quite comfortable removing my jacket and stuffing it into a bag.

I noticed almost everyone else in the fair was dressed to the nines in their winter gear, so I'm actually astonished I was able to stay comfortable in a sleeveless dress. But then again, my thermoregulation has always been unpredictable, and maybe, when my body wants to be free of confining sleeves, it finds its own way to make it work!