Things To Do Before The Seasons Change
[ 19 March 2008 ]
While the last official day of Summer in Australia was a long time ago, it’s still stinking hot — & when I say stinking hot, I mean 40 (that’s 100 for you Americans) degrees plus. I think it would be fair to say that most of us have had enough of the hot weather. Bring on the chill!
Regardless of what’s happening, temperature-wise, in your town, there are some things I think everyone should do in preparation for the upcoming season!
Buy new bedding
Summer is the season of romance & salacious rendez-vous, while Winter is more suited to hibernation & mass snuggling. Either way, it places your bedroom at the centre of most of the activities — meaning it is of utmost importance!
Your bedroom is the ultimate expression of who you are — so what does yours look like? More importantly, how does it make you feel? Is it a calm little nook, or more like a toxic waste dump? Do you bliss out on a regular basis or do you have a constant headache? You can always improve the way your bedroom looks, & if you do, you’ll find that it’ll help your mood, too.
You don’t have to go the whole hog & buy a new duvet cover, new sheets & new pillowcases. If you’re a bit strapped for cash, check out these pillowcases from Urban Outfitters! Otherwise, feel free to go nuts on high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, comforters reminiscent of fluffy marshmallows & lovely colours & patterns to make bed your favourite place to be.
Buy new sleepwear
If your pyjamas are looking a little worse for wear, & even if they’re not, now is the time to stock up on new sleepwear!
I was totally overdue for some new pyjama pants, so we went out on Sunday & hit up the sleepwear areas of David Jones & Myer (department stores here in Australia). Simon got some awesome stripey Paul Smith pyjamas from David Jones, while I trawled the underwear section of Myer. I picked up a pair of white & blue striped pyjama bottoms with a big pink bow by Miss Pink (Myer’s new underwear label), & a black simple slip dress from Bonds which feels amazing. It makes me feel like a total sauce mistress!
Wearing something glamorous or otherwise awesome to bed is a vastly underrated pleasure. Plus, it’s great to walk into the bathroom in the morning & see your stylish reflection! (Unless you are a vampire, in which case… sorry.)
Sort out your wardrobe
Next time you have a few hours to spare (like on the weekend), put on some good music & go through all your clothing for the opposite season. Pull out your sundresses & shorts & open-toed wedges if you’re heading into Spring, & take stock of your Merino wool jerseys, winter-weight skirts & collection of faux-fur coats if cold weather is nipping at your heels.
Work out what you’ll wear this coming season & what could probably be scrapped. This means YOU, irrevocably stained cashmere sweaters, tank tops that give you an unsightly armpit bulge & uncomfortable shoes! What you do with these things is up to you, your creativity level & how much effort you want to put in. You can recycle these things to make new items, donate them to charity, sell them on Ebay or fob them off on your younger sister, if you like!
Once you’ve sorted the wheat from the chaff, have a think about what you’d like to wear in the coming months. Are there any items your wardrobe is sorely lacking, like a plain white shirt, a new pair of jeans, some basic high heels or a good coat? Get out a piece of paper & make a list of the things you need. Put it in your purse & refer to it when the shopping itch hits you next.
Write a style concept
Going a step further from the wardrobe cleanse, write a style concept! I have written two in past: Fashion Report: Summer/Autumn 2007 & Fashion Report: Spring/Summer 2007/08. If you’re not exactly sure what you want to wear in the coming season, have a look through your style notebook, appraise your daily outfit photos, flick through some magazines & browse Style.com for some inspiration.
Start writing down things that appeal to you. Maybe you’ve decided that a leather jacket is essential, or that you want to rock the neogoth look. Don’t worry about it if you’re writing down lots of things that are seemingly unrelated — you can make it work (& you can always go back & alter it later!). It doesn’t have to be totally cohesive, & in fact, it will probably be more interesting & satisfying if it isn’t! I think sometimes we unintentionally draw ourselves into corners when we decide on our “look” for the season, which can be very limiting & frustrating. So, go with the flow! Allow your look to evolve & change. Don’t feel that just because you wrote down ‘skinny jeans’, you can’t wear any other kind of trouser.
Once you’ve written your style report, find some pictures that support the look you’re going for. Paste it all together, either digitally or on paper, & put it somewhere that you’ll see it all the time. Next to your wardrobe is an excellent place for it. Hopefully it will provide you with lots of inspiration for the coming season!
Come up with season-specific goals or milestones
Let’s face it, life is different in Summer & Winter. Winter is a great time for hunkering down & working on a project, spending lots of snuggly time with your loved ones & nourishing yourself. Summer is more about socialising — going to parties, taking up a new sport, connecting with new people & living it up. So it makes sense to have different things you want to achieve on either side of the year.
Some things you might like to do in Winter include watching every episode of The Mighty Boosh ever made, finding a new favourite hot drink, experimenting with a new recipe every week, going ski-ing or working on your masterpiece.
When it comes to Summer, you might be more inclined to work on your fitness, go swimming every few days, throw an amazing party, or escape to a tropical island!
If you need some more inspiration, I wrote these articles last year! Things To Do In Summer & Things To Do In Winter.
What do you do in preparation for the season change?
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala
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Don’t forget to look for a job to buy all these things too! (I am thinking of summer, though, not winter =P)
Isn’t daylights savings time coming up soon for you guys? Do many Aussies still find that annoying? (I was there last year and everyone hated it!)
sora — Yeah, we switch back on the 6th of April. (Well, it’s a bit different state-by-state but that’s when we do in Victoria.) & it sucks! It gets dark so early. Boo! I’ve never really understood the point of it.
I hate daylight saving time too. Here in Mexico it’s too dark in the mornings and it freaks me out when I get to college and it is pitch black!
After this Friday when I’m going to London with my friend I’m not going to be spending any money until my summer break…that’s 4 months – eep! But I’m gonna be buying all my new bedding, pyjamas and stuff like that then. I currently love the Superman pyjamas on the Topshop website and am trying to convince my mum to give me a little bit of extra money to buy them on Friday :P. And so you have our warmer weather! I wondered where it had gone – bring it over to England please Gala!
It’s almost Spring here— I need to do a lot of things you mentioned! Especially do more style concept work, because every time I have a good solid idea of what I like to wear in mind, I get distracted by things like Disney movies and flowing tops that I really probably won’t wear but I enjoy PRETENDING I would wear.
For Spring, I like to get a hair-cut! Time to neaten up my mess of locks. :) And oh, almost forgot! (Thanks, Preview button!) I like to make a mix CD for the upcoming season to set the mood. This year, I want to make a long one, design a gorgeous CD-sticker, and mail it off in a letter to everyone I know! My Spring mix looks like it’s going to be hopelessly optimistic, as per usual. <3
I never really get to have fun with the whole changing of seasons, because the seasons don’t shift very noticeably in Southern California. Boo. I mainly just trade in my cardigans and tights, and that’s that.
Oh wow I love that urban outfitters link. And I’m just about to get a new house so thank you the timing is perfect.
Thanks Gala, I bought the Twisting Tree Ring from ModCloth… I had bought a similar tree necklace from Tilkah and the ring would be a perfect match. I was surprised that the shipping costs to Australia were so high though ($22) :( I usually don’t pay more than $10 for shipping from the US on other sites.
whoops that last comment was supposed to be for your most recent entry about modcloth! Sorry!
Kerry — Haha, that’s okay. & I think the cost of shipping tends to depend on the method: insured or not, etc. But if you’re concerned about it, flick Susan an email, I’m sure she’d be happy to clarify!
Ooooh I luuuurve seasonal change – 2 days till the equinox, my pretties! I love all seasons and 99% of all weather (don’t like very dry air or the hot/humid/wet/windy combo), but autumn is my fave season and April is my fave weather-month. Here’s what I’m looking forward to:
Soup! I have surplus hangi-pumpkin in my freezer – mmm-MMM!
Beautiful low-angled sunlight for photos;
Wearing wool – baa! (yes I am from NZ- why do you ask?)
Scarves, especially making new ones;
Watching DVDs;
Candles on the dinner table;
Being awake for those later winter sunrises;
Dreaming of going to the snow (sometimes it happens!);
Reading in front of the fire;
Boots!
Rugging up and getting out in the elements;
Bare branches;
Putting my sunblock in storage – I wear it religiously for 6 months, and in winter I let my skin breeeathe . .
Oh, I could go on and on! It’s like 6 months of TiLT in one go! Heee!
(This is not really things to do BEFORE the seasons change, is it? Apart from, you know, GET EXCITED!!)
Mmmmmm soup in winter is delightful. Especially when curled up under a blanket on the couch.
Soup, soup a tasty soup soup a spicey carrot and corriander… teehee
I’m with Nadine, getting excited is an important part of the preparation!
well, here in toronto, we all can’t wait for the warmth! it’s been just awful, it’s been like -47568475687345693487569 (plus windchill!) for the past two months, and especially harsh in february, my hands are all rough, and dry.
the snow is still piled up in my driveway, it’s taller than my father’s van.. i can probably go tobogganing on it!
i’m sick of my poor fried up hair, which is so confused about what the weather is like outside, since i’m constantly moving from the indoors to outdoors.
i’m sure everyone here is sick of all the salt stains on their boots, and extreme wind chills!
during march break, i was shoveling snow at 1:30 a.m. in the morning to help my parents get out for work in the morning!
sooo.. BRING ON THE HEAT BABY! forget about winter!
(until i’m sick of all the swimming, and smell of sunblock of course! lols!)
Wohoo, here in Santiago is still hot, but nights are getting chilly; autumm-and then winter-are comming fast!
I decided I’ll but as many colored and patterned thights I can, and wear cute dresses and boots with them. Plus, I’ll buy my first pair of high-heels (the only ones I have are the golden ones I used for prom!); I HAVE to start wearing them and plus I need some for the oral exams in university (Laws school is super formal!).
I want to learn to sew too :) and cook! and cuddle below three layers of bed clothe! and drinking tea and eat sopaipillas (my country’s comfort food for winter!) yummy! :D
I’m definitely going to do the clothes one- especially since my production of the Vagina Monologues is organizing a clothing swap for Sunday! I need to go through my wardrobe and decide what I want to get rid of.
This is great! I love the style-focus. I can’t even fathom thinking about winter clothes right now though… and I have to buy a whole new winter wardrobe since I lost like 2 dress sizes, expensive!
Before Summer ends I like making sure I wear sunglasses as often as possible, and going to the beach as much as possible!
End of Autumn (quite possibly my fave season ever) I make sure I’ve done lots of leaf-crunching before Spring starts
End of Spring, I make sure I get my mum a bunch of fresh picked flowers from sticking outta people’s fences (though now I live elsewhere so I might have to send them!)
End of Winter, I either: a) make sure i’ve been skiing lots (passion!!!)
b) have fallen asleep at least ONCE listening to the rain on the roof/pavement… I miss this SO much in stupid dry Aussie! and having someone living in a flat on top of my flat doesn’t help either. gah!
I need new traditions!
I’ve been working on making new scarves for all my friends for winter. on friend is a huge harry potter fan, so i have knitted her a gryffindor scarf. one loves all things supernatural, so i have made one dark purple laced with sequins. another is a glamour queen so i have made her one that is white fur, and looks like a big fluffy boa!
i love making scarves, and winter is the best time to do it!
Hehe, you mentioned The Mighty Boosh! I bow down to thee, oh Gala of Good Taste!
That’s really the only thing I had to say, except that i love reading what other people are doing to prepare for the coming seasons :)
Natalie — I only just discovered it! We’ve seen the first two episodes… I am getting hooked :>
P.S. the only thing i could think of that i might do to prepare for winter is drink more beer. because beer = fat which = insulation = saving on heating bills.
obviously. lol.
also i may buy more egyptian cotton sheets, but this time in black (the ones i’m sleeping in at the moment are a kind of pale pistachio green). i become very attracted to darker colours during the winter, which is such a cliché! but they’re kind of comforting.
*oh my gosh I Luuurve those bedspreads& pillowcases from urban outfitters!! I have been searching for awhile now and can’t find any cool ones they’re all so girly or boring. But they don’t ship to Oz! boo! Do you have any idea where they might be stocked in Melbourne? Or anywhere to get similarly cool bedding in Melbourne town?
*Have been meaning to write a style concept for ages since I’m in the process of an overhaul. am considering meshing boho gypsy with sleek techy astrogirl..lol.
*and oh my golly buying all known episodes of Mighty Boosh is definetly on my list!! vince noir..sigh…“if only I could spoon with harold moon” LoL. My favourite episode is where they’re stuck on a desert island & they create coconut people..makes me chuckle just thinking about it.
*another goal for winter will probably be collecting my favourite children’s books& movies& finding and mastering some wicked vegetable soup recipes :)
ooh and hot chocolates from koko black are to die for& they somehow seem more justified in cooler weather..
xxoo
I found the perfect pillowcases on the Urban Outfitters website and got all excited, went to order and found they don’t ship to Australia! V disappointed :(
Do you know of somewhere in Melbourne they might be stocked?
Thanks sweet pea xo
oh my gossshh.. ok I ve just been zipping around the urban outfitters website.. they MUST come to Australia!! eep! I have a bonafide obsession! It’s like they took all my recent obsessions and turned them into homewares (stereo prints, flocked paisley, magenta pink, day of the dead skulls, frida kalo etc..)
sigh..
My big seasonal thing is the wardrobe switch. I have small closets so they need to be all shifted around to bring the seasonal items back out. I love it. I especially love moving and reorganzing my shoes although since I went to more of a color coded system recently I’m not sure how much I’ll do this year. The buying list and baking planning list are totally a part of the process too.
BTW – I like Daylight Savings time. Not only is it still light when I go home (yeah!) but my chickens sleep in later (double yeah!) and it saves about 10,000 barrels of oil a day as you don’t need to turn the lights on as much. So I think Daylight Savings Time ROCKS!
Luv
Poochie
I don’t know where to get those cushions anywhere but U.O.! But maybe you could try googling ‘chandelier pillows’?
Poochie — Oh, I love it in summer… just not in winter! :D
In Iowa (USA) it is still freezing despite our being in spring break. I am willing spring to come my way by: cleaning, embelishing, and organizing my room, studying like mad, eating a lot of fruit, and wearing wedges!
Ooh I may have commented earlier but I know what I forgot to put..
The Mighty Boosh is fantastic! I have them all on DVD and am seeing them live in November =). You really do have the best taste on earth Gala ;)The Mighty Boosh is awesome – I’ve been a fan for a few years now. Vince’s style is amazing (and wait til the Electro Girls episode).
Personally, I’m looking forward to higher temperatures (being in the UK) as it’s still FREEZING a lot of the time! It’ll be nice to go out and show off things that aren’t coats to the general public. Look out, here I come with the first summer of my blog :)
Just found the Urban Outfitters pillowcases on ModCloth…and they ship to Aus. Fancy that…hehe. :-)