By Elsa Buehler | Staff Writer
If the pessimistic memes on Twitter about bizarre weather conditions weren’t enough to inform you, Spring 2017 is here. This year, the typically cheerful season promises sporadic sunny days and absolutely zero consistent weather patterns.
Already, we’ve seen extreme wind, countless rainy days and have even been affected in passing by Winter Storm Stella. Temperature range varies from day to day during this largely unpredictable beginning of spring. Nothing is certain. Nothing is guaranteed. So, if you’re thinking that the first day of spring was your chance to trade in your layers for a light jacket, think again. In an effort to help our readers through the dreary days to come, we’ve developed this helpful Spring 2017 fashion guide to attack the coming season with sense and style.
Hot right now are the heavy winter coats that we’ve all been wearing since October of 2016 — and I do mean hot, since they never fail to result in making you an overheated mess for that one class you’re always running a little too late to. This look works especially well when alternated on a daily basis with your slightly less warm jacket, in which you will likely freeze on your walks to class, thereby creating a vicious cycle of coat-swapping.
Spring 2017 may also be the perfect time to invest in that pricey pair of L.L. Bean, Hunter, UGG or Dr. Marten’s boots that are popular during the winter months on campus. There’s a decent chance of catching a deal on them now, since no one (manufacturers included) could have anticipated a demand for them in the spring season. Another plus is that such fine shoes would likely last you well into April, and would be of use to you for the majority of the calendar year.
Cocktail dresses are a wardrobe essential for many of Duquesne’s female population. Designed to wear in ideal springtime weather, they may or may not be the most suitable, given the chilly conditions of late. Nonetheless, sorority members can expect to be spotted on the occasional Tuesday sporting such dresses sans coat and en route to a formal chapter meeting. This same pattern is also noticeable around campus on weekend evenings, as many girls prepare for a night out after a long week. Sacrificing comfort in the name of outfit coherence, such girls, if asked, will insist mid-shiver that they are most definitely not cold.
Similarly, at the very first hint of a sunny spring day, or even one above 40 degrees, many male Duquesne students can be found wearing shorts. Guys, be assured that this enthusiasm does not go unnoticed on campus. Particularly commendable are the dedicated few that don shorts year-round, displaying both physical endurance and commitment to their decision to wear shorts based on an evidently generous forecast. This spring, the weather that shorts were intended for may come at any time. Until then, shorts lovers, do your thing.
Finally, it is important and practical to maintain a seasonally appropriate color scheme. It seems that every spring, designers and department stores alike fail to revolutionize by promoting light, pastel colored clothing lines in Easter-y plaids and florals. Why draw more attention than necessary to your paleness (a direct result of your lack of a spring break beach trip) with colors that will only wash you out? Instead of embracing traditional tones like every other year, demonstrate your defeatism by wearing deeper-colored clothing. Try to stick with colors typically associated with the dreariness of winter: maroon, navy, olive, grays and blacks across the spectrum. How to accomplish this air of externalized seasonal depression? Easy: just keep wearing exactly what you’ve been wearing. This last tip not only saves you money that would otherwise be spent shopping for new clothes, but is actually necessary, since the weather hasn’t improved much since winter anyway.
Trends may come and go, but if you follow these guidelines, you’ll be dressed for success (or at least survival) this semester.
