If there’s one thing that’s great about the South, it’s the weather. And if there’s one thing that’s bad about the South, it’s also the weather. It gets cold enough to be annoying, but not cold enough to give us enough snow to play in. It gets hot enough to die, but not hot enough to… literally nothing. Nevermind.
And now we are in the most paradoxical weather season of them all. The first thing you have to be prepared for is the frigid mornings. If you have class anywhere between the hours of 8 and 10 a.m. (there comes my bad scheduling, back to bite me) you know what I mean. Once 10 a.m. hits, though, the sun pops out and summer decides it is not yet ready to relinquish its monopoly on backpack sweat. This state of affairs continues until about 5 p.m., when fall wins the tug of war and it gets chilly again.
How can you possibly make a decision on what to wear every day with this kind of variation? How can we deal with this kind of stress as college-aged human beings who struggle to take care of ourselves on a basic level? Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered (literally).
You know those 5-layer Mexican dips they sell at the grocery store? Sour cream and beans at the bottom, and guac, cheese and salsa to make the top pretty? That’s the basic approach I take to clothing. It's called 5-Layer Threads (patent pending) by Meggie.
Layer #1: Shorts and a basic tank top. Bro tanks are acceptable, but not encouraged. Whatever you do, make sure that this layer is suitable for your 1 p.m. crowd because that’s probably when it will make its appearance.
Layer #2: Long pants and a short sleeve shirt. Yes, I did just suggest you wear pants over your shorts. Who ever said that fashion was comfortable? Clearly not me.
Layer #3: Long sleeve shirt. The three-shirt thing we have going on here is very strategic. You will be prepared for literally anything the weather throws at you. I-want-to-die hot? Tank top. I-want-to-eat-ice-cream hot? Short sleeves. I-want-to-pretend-like-its-actually-fall hot? Long sleeves. With three shirts on, you are invincible.
Layer #4: Sweater. Let’s be real, this is mostly for the it's-fall-and-I’m-wearing-my-boyfriend’s-oversized-sweater aesthetic. But also for the 40-degree mornings. Drink your coffee, snuggle in your sweater and remember that in 2 hours you’re going to be stowing it away in your backpack for later.
Layer #5: The toppings. Scarf, mittens and boots for the morning. Chacos for the afternoon. You should probably go ahead and throw them all on together because who has room in their backpack for all this stuff? As you languish under the weight of all your clothing, keep reminding yourself that you are foiling the weather’s schemes one layer at a time.
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