One of the perils of global fashion dominated by countries in the temperate climate, is that from October onwards every year, I am, for some insane reason plagued with a desire to own and wear woollens, sweaters and God-forbid, boots in the hot tropical sunshine. It does not help that being global fashion, the fashion in the international clothing chains boast coats, sweaters, scarves, boots and any number of clothing styles to keep the warmth in and the cold out.
When you live in a tropical climate that hardly ever gets really cold unless you head up to one of the local hill resorts, the last thing you want to do is to keep the warmth it. You just want to let it out, baby! 😀
But I’m suggestible that way, so when I was in Uniqlo last week, I was suddenly seized with a longing to buy a woollen beanie hat. Yes, it was irrational. Yes, I would have looked pretty dumb but I still wanted it. I didn’t get it of course. Not THAT irrational. But I did succumb in other ways 😀
Are you this suggestible? If you live in a warm climate, do you sometimes get that irrational desire to wear something warm and soft and fluffy?
The only saving grace I’d say, are 2 things. The recent rainy weather isn’t letting up any, and during and after the torrential rains, the temperature drops significantly. It is then cool enough to perhaps, pull on a light cardigan and be perfectly comfortable.
The other thing is the mad tundra like temperatures in shopping malls and office buildings. In the tropics, air-conditioning has become pretty much a necessity if we want to get any work done and not just lie sloth-like, draped over our desks batting away weakly at dust mites while the heats saps our remaining reserves of energy. So, like a conspiracy, most office buildings and shopping malls keep quite a low temperature which makes it comfortable to work in, but sometimes, freakishly cold.
Which is how I justified the purchase of 2 very lovely and comfortable sweaters 😀
These were on offer for RM39.90 each, with a wide cut to the arms and body and a cowl neck. It is warm but not warm enough to go shovelling snow in. It might even be a wee bit hot to wear and walk outside in the tropical heat. But if you stay indoors and are in one of the tundra simulated shopping malls or offices in town, you will appreciate it 🙂 It’d also come in handy when travelling – airports and airplanes tend to be cold, and there’s always Spring and Autumn travel destinations 😀
Ah heck, just call me a slave to fashion. Bring on the winter clothing! 😀
Are you drawn to warmer clothing when its all the stores stock towards the end of the year? Do you think it irrational yet go ahead and wear/buy them anyway?
I naturally do think it irrational but as I said, it is possible to wear warm clothing here in Malaysia despite the heat, thanks to air-conditioning 😀 I bought me a fleece jacket a while ago that made me look like Cookie Monster. It was chilly 2 nights ago so I took it out and it was the most comfortable thing ever! Not too warm, and so lovely and soft and fuzzy! Loved it… even if I was wearing shorts underneath 😀
Paris B
I do! Doesn’t help that I usually travel in autumn and when I come home, I always miss layering and bundling up terribly. It’s also sad that when I’m in Europe, the stores are often stocked with the loveliest cold weather stuff than I can only look and drool over but cannot purchase since I can’t make use of them back home.
I make it a point to travel in Autumn too! I love the slightly cooler weather, but not too cold like winter, and that the days aren’t as short. Summers are too hot and Spring is too rainy LOL! So autumn it is for me! I didn’t go anywhere this Autumn though but I shall remedy that next year 😛 I’m like you. Wiping drool off my face whenever I pause in front of a store window overseas. We’re hopeless cases! LOL!
Oh well, my frens will always ask me the rationale or buying turtlenecks, wool leggings and knee-length boots. But for me, I can wear them anytime anyday, anywhere. *le sigh* I though I was alone!
Hey, we’re cold ok! 😉 I do own knee length boots but I pull them on only when I’m travelling somewhere cold. But for tops, its pretty much fair game. After all, it depends on our tolerance for the cold right? 😉
Wow! I adore woman wearing turtlenecks, wool leggings, … in warm weather.
As for myself, I love being bundled up all year.
Hey, Paris. I bought the exact same sweater for my HK trip, 😛 What a coincidence!
Woohoo! Great minds and all that 😉 Enjoy your trip!
Sigh. Sadly I’d have to wear 3 of those sweaters plus a parka to go outside now if I want to stay warm. Except I never have the desire to shop for tropical clothing ever. I guess the irrational desire doesn’t go reverse haha! Lovely sweater on you!;)
LOL!! You totally cracked me up 😀 In your sort of winters, I think I’d just stay in thank you very much 😀
One Word: YES
I love air-conditioning set to very low temperatures – don’t ask me why.
Your sweater is lovely and can be layered for cooler weather. And you’ve just tempted me into Uniqlo to have a peek Yikes
Thank you Rudi and hey! At least this sweater won’t break the bank 😉 Its not a very close knit either so it isn’t all that bad in our weather. Well, at least if you don’t plan on walking a walk in the sunshine, that is 😉
you do need warm cloth here in Malaysia! in cinema, in class and so many places that they make it so cold you feel like freezing!
You’re right! Oh my, the cinema is terrible! I forgot to bring a sweater once and almost froze to death 😛 Oh and was desperate for the loo once the movie was over! 😛
I love winter clothing especially long coats! I bought a few of them online hoping that I’ll eventually wear them when I go on holiday to a country with a cool climate. Hasn’t happened yet. Some of them are already two years old and hasn’t been worn yet! T^T
The other winter clothing that I have that aren’t long coats gets worn when I’m in an airplane, in the cinema and on gloomy, rainy days.
I’m guilty of at least one of that 😛 I have a lovely warm winter coat that needs airing but I don’t go anywhere cold enough >.< Yet the thought of going somewhere really cold chills me to the bone hehe... 😉
Hi Paris. I love your haircut. Do you mind letting me know where do you get your hair done and the stylist? It’s very difficult to get a stylist who does amazing (short) cuts.
Hi Jo, I go to Thomas at de Headline @ Lowyat Plaza 🙂 I basically let him do anything he likes with my hair and so far, so good! He convinced me I could take a really short cut and I’m glad I took the plunge. Good luck.
Haha Paris, I love the way you justified those purchases :p. Sounds totally reasonable to me ;). I actually never thought about this, I didn’t realised that the big chains also do winter wear in tropical countries. I love buying fluffy knits though, they looks so comfy, so yeah I do get the temptation :p.
Yes, sadly, I do have to justify these purchases hehe… 😉 Its very puzzling but Zara, Mango, Uniqlo etc have all their winter wear in full flow here, with windows of mannequins dressed up in full Fall/Winter regalia. Its mind boggling.
My thing is having to resist the urge to get a freaking trenchcoat and similar long-ish coats. Specifically, a BURBERRY trenchcoat. Not just the run of the mill khaki coloured one, but a black Burberry London short-ish trenchcoat (above the knee) with the black and white check lining. I know I’m crazy, I admit that.
I’ve plenty of hoodies, etc (from my days in freezing cold American Midwest) that I don’t wear a lot now cos I perspire even in the malls – window shopping is my cardio 😛 I just suffer through (but not often) the A/C in the cinema halls.
Ah Burberry trenchcoats are the best! Much too irrational to wear here and if you don’t go to cool weather places often (the Highlands do not count 😉 ) then the cost/wear can’t be justified. That said, its definitely something to aspire to! I like the shorter trenches too but I prefer it in the classic khaki colour. I did give in and purchase a trench from Uniqlo. I’m still looking for a chance to wear it 😛
Oh my, I was thinking the same thing yesterday after buying a fury jacket. What the heck, most days where I live are in the 70s and 80s, why did I just buy this jacket? I guess I just love warm weather clothes and layering.
LOL So I am not alone in this! 😀 The layering concept is great and the warm jackets and coats always look so chic don’t they? I guess we have to travel more to justify our purchases 😉
Erm no. I am a heaty person so anything warmer than a cardigan (not even the wool ones) or a scarf will suffocate me. :p that said, I do miss winter clothings and boots and those cute ear muffs that keep your ears warm. 🙂
You mean you are HOT?! 😀 I’m not particularly susceptible to heat or cold like some people but its so nice to snuggle up to something warm and furry… like a dog LOL! 😀
HAHAHAHA!! I’d like to think that too, but not really. I can be ice queen sometimes especially in front of annoying colleagues. :p So you are yin-yang balanced then. Good for you. 🙂
Sounds like me – ice queen 😛 We all need that ice queen persona else you end up being walked all over! (At least that’s what I tell myself 😉 )
I super love knitted clothings that I wish I live in 4 seasons country…but outside the office, it will be scorching hot and I will melt in my knitted wear! I recently saw a beautiful cream cardigan with wool blend. I was almost irrational to buy it, but then I remembered I will have to stay indoor when I wear it and these days even the central air conditioning is cranky. But I like the stuffs you got, cowl neckline and wide cut sleeves are just right 😉
You know, I used to think I’d love all the layering going on but after spending time in a cold country, I grew to hate it. Its heavy and cumbersome which really destroys all the romantic ideas of being all dressed up in winter LOL Still, one can dream 😀 I usually go for cardigans – you can remove them when you go out. I once bought a wool sweater with a wide cowl neck and 3/4 sleeves, thinking it would be fine. Almost got heatstroke LOL!
i have a fleece jacket too! and I thought I looked like I walked out from China…not sure why I bought it in the first place (was on sale). My office is so cold recently I had to put on an overcoat to keep me warm, and I used to be the one who still switched on the standalone aircon on top of the centralized air con.
See, its the sale thing. Makes us buy irrational stuff 😛
I get cols so easily that I can justify whatever warm clothing that I buy. Lol. For example, if I am anywhere in an air conditioned room, I’d need at least a jacket to keep me warm. But that’s usually not adequate. I usually need a scarf as well as a pair of socks…Even then, it might not be enough… Haha
Wow that’s drastic, but well justifiable for buying warm clothing! 😀
You can always say you are preparing to go to Paris in winter 😀 Its so cold here! 😛 I on the other hand would love to get more suede shoes but here you never know when its gonna rain.
LOL I guess I should you know 😉 But I find winter a bit too cold for me. I prefer visiting in Autumn when its just nice 😀 I was eyeing a pair of suede shoes myself but its madness in the tropics – too warm and torrential rain >.<
Eh stock up la. YOu’re coming to visit me (and Tine) in autumn right? RIGHT? RIGHT? RIGHT? Love that chunky knit you have. 🙂
But back to your question, yea, I usually stock up on knits during the warmer months. Better value that way!
That plan is on the books 😛 But I do have a lot of warm clothing already LOL! Its probably a good idea picking up warm clothes in Summer when there’s sales and vice versa! How I used to do it too
Yes! I love winter clothings, and usually have very little interest in tropical/summer clothings. I’m weird. LOL. 😀 So I’d usually plan my overseas excursions to somewhere with colder climate. Hehe.
I was eyeing a pair of boots from Clark’s ever since I saw it in a magazine a month ago. It’s the new Nice Melody. But just can’t justify the purchase due to our tropical climate. Until…now! The husband and I are moving to the US for his work. So now I can buy it. Ho Ho Ho. And so, this past weekend, the husband got it for me as an early Christmas present. 😛
Ooh what fun! Ok probably not so much fun to pack up and move across countries and oceans, but a fun adventure nonetheless. I have a friend who’s done it too for about a year or so each time. At least now you have a perfect excuse to play dress up for the different seasons and wear lovely boots to boot! 😉 Will it be a permanent thing?
I have a huge thing for boots. I currently have three pairs of boots hiding somewhere in the closet molding. I am very drawn to them even though it is silly to wear them in Singapore weather.
I feel you, Jacqueline! I need to go somewhere cold so my lovely boots can come out and play again! And then, I find I only travel with 1 pair each time. Sigh… I need more legs 😛
Not irrational! I’m drawn to boots and jackets and gloves…but I think the gloves are a bit OVER….hahahha! And yes, the weather has been quite cold in the evenings here with the rain. Why not right??
Eeks! I love looking at gloves too! I used to like the idea of leather gloves until I realised that woollen gloves kept my fingers warmer than leather ones did, and they won’t go mouldy! 😛 Nice to snuggle up under a fleece jacket or blanket these days 😀