Dressing with the seasons.

One of the things I realized when I moved to Canada was that I had to have clothes for every season. In the Philippines, we only had 2 seasons: wet and dry. It basically means it’s almost always sunny but it rains a lot during certain months of the year. The climate pretty much stays the same (always warm) and the sun rises and sets at almost the same time every day of the year.

In Canada, we have 4 seasons of approximately 3 months per season. For me, it’s always cold except during the summer, the last few weeks of spring, and the first few weeks of fall. I remember reading an Ad at the bus stop where it stated that there are only 57 days of summer. I remember feeling miserable about it kasi ba naman out of the 365 days of the year, we only get 57 really warm days! I sometimes wonder how the people in the North and South Poles do it… how can they stand the cold, frigid climate and the months when they don’t get sunlight at all?

What was I getting at with this post again?? Oh right, seasonal clothing.

So yeah, as I was saying, being in Canada means having clothes for every season. Not only clothes but shoes as well. In the winter, one needs a winter jacket, a coat, a pair of boots, a few warm sweaters and long johns/tights, gloves/mittens, and a scarf. In the spring/fall, one needs lighter boots, a light jacket/coat, gloves, a scarf and clothing that can easily be layered so that if the temperature shifts, you could easily remove some of your clothing and still wear something. The summer is the easiest of all because you can wear almost anything.

One advantage of having multiple seasons is that you get to wear a variety of clothes, experiment by mixing and matching items and you get to try on different pieces. You can re-invent your look or your style with every season. The disadvantage is that it can be quite expensive to get a good set of clothes for the year. I always end up wearing out a few of my clothes and shoes in one season so I sometimes end up having to buy new ones.

It’s funny because every time the seasons change, I find myself re-arranging my clothes in my closet. In the summer, I put my summer clothes at the top of the pile and during the winter, I do the opposite. Since it’s summer, all my sandals and flip flops are out right now and my boots are in boxes in the coat closet. I put away my gloves and scarves and take out my sunglasses and bathing suits.

When I am commuting to work, I like looking at what other people are wearing. It’s interesting to see what people wear depending on how cold or warm it is outside. Pagmalamig, pagandahan ng jacket/coat with matching scarves and killer boots. Pag mainit, pagandahan ng sandals/flip flops, summer dresses and tank tops. I have to say though that there are a lot of good, stylish dressers out there… from head to toe with matching accessories pa. Sometimes, I can’t help but be impressed when someone is dressed impeccably. It’s as if you can almost tell a person’s personality by the way the dress. May mga magaganda… meron din naming nakapagtataka… yung tipong di mo malaman kung anung umaandar sa utak niya at yan ang kanyang suot.

Don’t get me wrong ha, I don’t look at what other people are wearing just so I can judge them. I just find it all very interesting. It’s like watching a live fashion show unfold right in front me kasi eh.