Whether the weather, we must get dressed

Style exercises from mother nature herself

by Mac Rose

FROM THE ARCHIVES: 10/12/2025

An every seven days curation of touch sight taste and sound in relation to fashion and beyond. An accountability marker to maintain the never-ending curation of style, and to stay in contact with the senses through fabulous things.

Light Bites of the week

Transitional Weather Madness

I felt like I was being gaslit by all of Greenpoint on Monday morning when the weather dipped to a frosty 43 degrees, and I was the only one who showed up to Variety Coffee in a quilted puffer. I looked like an idiot. The man in front of me was wearing flip-flops, for Christ’s sake. I looked around the coffee shop: a light jacket paired with shorts, flip-flops and running shorts with a tank top, a cashmere sweater peacefully laying atop a black mini skirt. I couldn’t tell if I was in fashion purgatory or contrast-dressing heaven.

But it didn’t stop there.

Today in the park, another mid-forties morning, I plopped down for my daily people-watching with a triple-shot cappuccino. It was happening again. A primary red fleece Patagonia jacket paired with linen pants and loafers shot by me on a bike. I looked to my left. Striding down the cement, stroller in one hand, was a dad and a matching baby. He donned leather fisherman sandals beneath his cargo shorts and sweater-vest/T-shirt combo.

I didn’t get a look at the baby’s outfit, but it was probably best dressed. I keep getting ads for clothes on my phone, and when I click the link, 90% of the time it’s clothing for toddlers.

Right now in New York, we’re going through those blissful few weeks we’re allotted in the year for transitional weather. It’s a time in fashion where truly anything goes, and also, in my opinion, a test of your ability to stay present.

Sure, you could argue this weather is the worst. Freezing in the morning, boiling in the day, submitting to suffering for at least 50% of your waking hours because we can’t possibly fathom how to comfortably get dressed for this time of year.

Or, we can hail it for the golden moment in time that it is. A time where truly, anything goes. I wanted to try out a few unconventional combinations to see just how far I could take this transitional moment in time-

Graphic T-Shirts

Graphic tees are the ultimate cheat code for presenting your personal style to the world. Instead of taking the long route—identifying what colors, textures, and shapes translate your feelings into fabric and slowly curating a wardrobe that represents that—you slap whatever you feel on a cotton T-shirt, throw it on your chest, and call it a day.

I’ve noticed a few new things since coming back to the U.S. in terms of style discrepancies between Europeans and Americans. One of these is the massive amount of graphic T-shirts I’m seeing on the streets. And I don’t mean a graphic of a photo, or a still from a video game. I mean a plain shirt, with words to communicate something specific.

“Pray for World Peace”
“I Love My Hot Girlfriend”
“This Bag Does Not Contain Seven Live Lizards”

(The last one is actually printed on my favorite tote bag.)

There’s something I deeply admire about the American urge to preserve and promote individuality, and graphic tees are the perfect vessel to do that. I used them myself when I was first becoming comfortable with my queer identity. It was a way for me to signal being a lesbian in my own way, without adhering to whatever body or accessory modifications I felt were necessary at the time to indicate a queer soul was in this flesh. I’m looking at you, carabiners.

My graphic tee collection right now is pretty settled, and feels very reflective of different personality traits I like to emphasize. “Happier Than a Hog in a Puddle of Mud” makes my Southern soul giggle. “Burt’s Surf Shop! Best Spot in Town!” is a keepsake from one of my little beach hometown spots.

If your perfect graphic tee magically appeared in your wardrobe, what would it say?

Fuzzy Bunny Socks and Prada Loafers

It’s silly fashion moments like this that make my world go round. The whole outfit was actually the product of chilly weather, a foggy brain, and a need for a cappuccino. I left my giant sleeping T-shirt on, pulled an old grey sweater over it—which layered perfectly, might I say—pulled on some jeans, slipped on some shoes, and was out the door.

I like to sleep in fuzzy socks. The kind from the dollar stores that manufacturers don’t even bother putting elastic bands on at the ankle. I also always ask my parents for fuzzy socks for Christmas, and much like graphic tees my dad uses these socks as an opportunity to communicate how he sees me, and what he believes my current interests are. One time I got a pair that said “Rosé All Day.” He was a little off that year.

But I keep these socks until they give out, and one of my favorite and longest-standing pairs is this deteriorating bunny set I was gifted maybe seven years ago. He was feeling very in tune with nature that Christmas—so I got a bunny, my brother an alligator, and my sister a horse.

Anyway, I looked down at my feet while sitting on my bench in the park and noticed the pink bunny ears slipped out of my loafers. I couldn’t help but smile. I got these shoes in 2021 when I thought I had made it. My social media exploded. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t living paycheck to paycheck, or watching my caregivers live paycheck to paycheck. I wanted to celebrate—so I walked into my very first designer store in Soho and purchased a pair of loafers I knew I would wear for the rest of my life.

People always ask: How can I achieve looking effortless? And the answer is very simple. You don’t put in any effort. Instead of curating a wardrobe with the intention of tricking people into thinking you curated nothing, you focus your energy on going piece by piece, adding things that probably don’t make sense in anyone else’s wardrobe, until one day you notice your pajamas are interchangeable with your coffee outfits—and your dinner outfits and lounging-at-home looks are just the same.

I know I’m an overthinker, but looking at the fuzzy little bunnies popping out from the leather gave me a smile, and in the end, that’s what getting dressed is really all about.

Narnia

If you’ve been around for a while, you may have noticed childhood is something I write about often. Its complexity is an endless source of inspiration for me, as it is for most people. I rarely go a day without seeing something that sparks a memory from it. On one of my walks, I came across this lamppost that shot me right back to my obsession with The Chronicles of Narnia.

There are certain stills I remember vividly. The texture of the Turkish delight. The smooth red leather of Susan’s quiver laying across a cotton shirt. And honestly, any single one of Lucy’s royal dresses.

Am I going to build an outfit inspired by someone’s coronation ballgown? No, probably not. Actually, I might. But even though this was just a small blip of a memory, I still felt it was important to note.

Oftentimes, we get caught up trying to understand our personal style strictly through clothes, and we forget all the other things that make our personality what it is—when personality is the very thing style tries to communicate. Identifying style is rarely about clothes. Sometimes it’s about the movie that made you decide you wanted people to see you as brave. Or the books you escaped to that nurtured your independent and warm personality. Or the way your house used to look when you came home from school at age 10.

Take a moment to think about five core personality pillars that make you you. Then take a look at your wardrobe and see if you can choose a piece that represents each pillar.

Does your wardrobe match you?

Outfits of the week you may have missed

Style Exercise of the week

Build a transitional weather outfit using conflicting pieces.

We’ve discussed in the past how to do this by mixing dress codes, but this time we’re going to mix seasons.

Start at the bottom of the frame and choose a shoe that screams summer. Then move up a bit to your bottoms, where we’ll switch things up by choosing a winter piece. Move to the middle of the frame by pairing a fall-appropriate top. Finally, end with an accessory up top that’s perfect for spring.

You can play around with the order of your seasons—it doesn’t have to follow this exact sequence. Just make sure you’re mixing pieces that you feel a bit hesitant about at first, and see what new combinations emerge when you lean into some weather madness.

That’s all for this Sunday. After a little over a week I’d say Im officially adjusted in New York. Thank you for your patience while I stumbled through getting dressed this past week and I look forward to sharing more fabulous things as I’m back to my routine!

Remember, style is everywhere—don’t miss it!