Clothing Epiphany

This summer has felt cooler than summers from years past.  I don’t mind.  I don’t like heat.  I don’t like to sweat.  I’d be fine with clouds and 60 degrees at all times.  In fact, I prefer the inside temperature of wherever I am to be 60 degrees instead of the stereotypical 70 degrees.  But those other people (rolling my eyes)…you know, the ones that CHOOSE to live here, have exact standards and prefer 80 degrees in the summer.  If it’s not 80 degrees in the summer here, people complain.  They complain if it rains (duh, you live in Seattle).  They complain that it's too cold. They complain if it’s too hot (above 82-85 degrees).  They’re never happy; you can’t please them. 

I took a gander at the weather almanac for the past couple of years around here since I’m a nerd who likes to do such things.  From March – September 3^rd, here are the number of days that have reached 80+ degrees in Seattle:

2010: 19 days

2009: 32 days

2010: 26 days

One can readily conclude that it is less hot this year than last year.  And last year was a bit hotter than the year before. 

Now let’s compare this to my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.  Same criteria: the number of days from March – September 3^rd of each year that hit 80+ degrees:

2010: 92 days

2009: 62 days

Dang, this year has hotter than last year for them!

No, I’m not becoming a weather researcher.  The actual reason for this post is due to summer clothes or, errr, the non-necessity of them in Seattle.  I have a little girl, and I have been under the assumption that little girls need summer wardrobes.  You know, a few pairs of denim shorts, knit shorts, sundresses, tank tops, a few pairs of sandals, lightweight short sleeve shirts, skirts/skorts, etc.  I am cheap, so most of these I found at clearance sales at the end of last summer, or they are hand-me-downs from older style mavens.  As I was rooting through her dresser and closet, she wore about … ummm… 8 summer things this year from her rather extensive summer wardrobe of about 40 summer things.  Now it’s not like she grows much, so there’s a possibility she’ll fit into some/most of these clothes next summer. 

What I will argue is that summer clothes are much “cuter” than winter clothes.  Tanks tops for toddlers are so much likely to make you sigh appreciatively than a cable knit sweater.  Let’s face it. 

The lesson I have learned over the past year is that if we’re only going to have 25ish days that hit 80+ degrees per year, she doesn’t need 30 summer outfits.  What I need to focus on is bulking up her winter wardrobe with staples like long sleeve shirts, a durable coat, jeans, tights, etc.  I cannot let myself be seduced by cute tank tops and matching shorts that she likely will only wear once or twice, if even that.    

Now if I lived in Pittsburgh, I could let myself be seduced by the tank tops.