This morning Penny, Kasey, and I saw a good example of Anticipatory Attire Syndrome.
It was about 30 degrees, and the sun was still below the horizon. I was bundled up and wearing winter hat and gloves as we made our way along the Yantis Loop, when suddenly we saw a female jogger trundling past wearing only running shorts and a t-shirt. Her bare legs looked about the color of a boiled lobster and her face did, too. She was obviously freezing, and I don’t think the shivers and good bumps were helping her running style.
Her predicament is not uncommon this time of year. Winters in Columbus tend to be so gray and glum that, with the first hint of spring, some people go all in for the expected change in season. When the skies are clear but the temperature is still on the south side of 50 you’ll see people out in shorts, acting like it’s high summer. They are so eager for a little warmth they just can’t help themselves. Then they catch a cold.
Let’s be smart, people! Spring is a transitional period, made for sweaters and light jackets. Hold off on the shorts and t-shirts and flip-flops for a little while longer, will you?
I always say that her choices look good — because, in fact, they always do. The unfortunate reality, however, is that my opinion is without value because I have absolutely no fashion sense. I can’t distinguish between subtle shades of black. I don’t know when — if ever — it’s appropriate to wear plaid. I have no clue which colors “go together” and which colors “clash.” (“Clash” seems like pretty violent imagery for a clothing-related issue, incidentally.) Indeed, I can’t even figure out how to hang up most of Kish’s clothes, what with all of the mysterious straps and outsized or undersized holes, much less express a meaningful view of whether they logically should be worn together.
This is not an easy question. For men, well-knotted ties and shirts that button to the neck are pretty darned uncomfortable, and if you are in a meeting where you have to wear your suit jacket, it adds up to a truly hot, binding ensemble. Kish tells me, on the other hand, that panty hose are about as uncomfortable as clothing can get.
