Rainy day fashion calls for comfortable shoes, functional umbrellas

by Jen Neisser, contributing writer

Soon after the first month of my freshman year, I realized rain is a common weather condition in Harrisonburg. As a senior, I feel obligated to pass on my advice about rainy weather fashion. After all, just because it’s raining outside that doesn’t mean your fashion sense has to go out the window.

As college students, we cannot get away with particular fashions when it rains simply because we rely on walking as our primary mode of transportation. Even if you are a commuter, there is still a significant deal of walking to your destination — unless you have a fantastic parking spot.

The key phrase to stick by in rainy weather: Keep it casual. With the exception of an interview or a presentation, business-casual attire is completely wasted in this weather. That means no high heels. Heels are simply not fitting for walking through puddles.  Rainy days are the time to pull out your comfy sneakers or your crocs.

Rain will ruin your leather or suede. Unless you’re looking to retire a garment, don’t wear either. A wool sweater is OK, as long as you wear a jacket over it when you are outside; wool does not have a nice scent when it gets damp.

Also, don’t get caught in “the double jacket disaster.” When a person’s overcoat does not have a hood, their solution to the problem is to wear something with a hood under the overcoat and use that hood as shelter. I would suggest wearing a thicker-hooded sweatshirt or jacket instead.

The jury is still out concerning rain boots. While they serve their purpose, there are a few rules to stick by. First, rain boots should only be worn with jeans. Second, if your rain boots are the same color as your shirt, pants and umbrella, you may have too much of a good thing, which actually equals bad. But if you can wear the rain boots — keeping these rules in mind — and pull them off, I say go for it.

I would recommend wearing a pair of jeans or warm-up pants on rainy days.  Mini-skirts are not a good choice — enough said. Make sure that the pants don’t drag because you do not want to sit through class with your jeans soaked. It’s uncomfortable!

I suggest pairing the pants with a fitted top and a hoodie. If you have a Gore-Tex jacket that repels water, that works even better. Save your oh-so-cute outfit for another day. After all, if he doesn’t notice you in your hoodie, should you really be wasting your mini-skirts on him? Clashing colors is never okay, and bad weather is not an exception.

Before you leave for a rainy day, don’t forget the best accessory of all: an umbrella. Don’t have one? Get one. The Museum of Modern Art sells neat, artsy ones at momastore.org. I’ve checked the forecast for the week, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better!