Hi. How many layers are you wearing right now? While you count, I just want to remind you that it’s summer in Australia, New Zealand, South America and Southern Africa. Like, people are wearing shorts and going to the beach and squinting while they eat sliced strawberries and stuff. I’m sorry if this is a blow to your morale, but that’s why I’m here to bridge the gap between reality and your fantasies with the above slideshow.
When the sun came out last weekend in New York and the city transformed into a temporary Disneyland of goodwill and cheer, I saw the power of vitamin D firsthand. I walked down a sunny sidewalk with some friends, sunglasses perched on our noses and light sweaters hanging off our shoulders. We looked around and saw smiling people in flip-flops and shorts and swingy spring dresses and couldn’t help but laugh. It was sunny, yes, but it was also only sixty degrees. We were nothing if not not seasonally overzealous, but it just felt so good. Don’t forget: There is a biological reason we get stupidly excited for summer.
This week, we’re back in the 40s in New York — it’s still February, let’s not get greedy — but last weekend was important in that it reminded us that we have something to look forward to.
The above slideshow of Australian beachgoers/heaven-havers, captured last month by Australian photographer Tabitha Karp, was originally meant to offer all of us a little escapism this winter — and it still does — but after this weekend I’m thinking it could also serve as a style guide of sorts. Who says we can’t appropriate beachwear for February? I’ll do anything to recreate the fleeting joy brought on by this weekend blip. Ideas:
A thin, oversized T-shirt (under a cardigan and then under a coat)
A huge, floppy hat (instead of a beanie)
Massive sunglasses and a sloppy ponytail (that serve no purpose beyond making you feel good/look kooky)
A sundress (over pants)
An ice cream cone (eaten under a blanket)
Maybe this is the seasonal affective disorder hack we’ve all been waiting for?
Photos by Tabitha Karp, follow her on Instagram.
