What to Wear? (Seattle, Redmond, St. John: transplants, houses, live in)

[CityGirl72]

Originally Posted by bmsea

When I moved here from LA, all of my high-heel-open-toe-cute shoes went into storage. The fact is that what worked when I was driving to work and walking 25 steps to my office simply didn't work when I had to run to catch the 7:53 bus.

All my LA girlfriends may make fun of me for losing my sense of style, but my feet are comfortable!

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME! I'm from Calif too and I was so used to wearing cute heels everywhere - then I moved here - and not only am I COLD, but I need to be comfortable to catch a bus and then walk up and down huge Downtown hills...I miss wearing heels SO MUCH. I dress frumpy now too. Because all the cute springish stuff you can't even wear until JULY!!! I'm in sweaters through June - don't fool yourself - Seattle is much colder then Calif!

Everyone will tell you to "layer" - still after 3 years I rebel this - I hate layering - especially if I want to wear something cute - and then no one sees it under all those damn layers

I also finally bought a rain jacket - I call it my "conformity jacket"

[bmsea]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

I also finally bought a rain jacket - I call it my "conformity jacket"

Haha... I'm glad I'm not the only one... my first 2 years, I tried to wear cute london fog rain coats in cutesie colors, but I finally reverted to an REI special

[princessvanessa]

Being western Washington born and raised I really only use an umbrella if the rain is coming down in buckets. Usually I tilt my head downward so that my glasses don't catch too many rain drops and do my "gotta get to a dry spot" fast walk.

You know, now that I think about it that may be part of the reason Washingtonians are considered unfriendly---for the most part we are hurrying, with our head down, to find shelter. lol

[citywoman]

Yep if you carry an umbrella it pretty much marks ya as a visitor or non-resident.....

It's VERY casual as concerns dress. Unless you are working in an office, you can pretty much wear anything.......

Go to Eddie Bauer or REI or a similar store & buy a Gore-tex type jacket with a hood. It does tend to be rather damp & can be cool/cold in fall/winter.

I avoid suede shoes & other suede clothing cos of the damp climate. But that's just me!

Rarely snows but then it does you are on your own as there's no real snow removal equipment....Rarely need wool clothing---best to dress in layers.

Hoodies are great for the Seattle environment!

Summer/spring usually runs from about May thru October. Then the "monsoon" season starts.....

[mayfair]

I resisted Gor-Tex and carried an umbrella (lost them on the bus repeatedly) for about six months and then was assimilated into the Gor-Tex culture.

[jojo7]

I try to stock up on long sleeve t-shirts. I don't like layering and still don't because I feel like I have an extra 10 pounds on me. Long T's get you through from spring time to some not so hot days in the summer and through the fall. Just make sure whatever rain jacket/coat you purchase has a hood so you can ditch your umbrella. I honestly only use my umbrella when I am dressed up to go out with my husband and that's about it. Well, that's my fashion tip of the day!

[mlv311]

Originally Posted by ness

Is it true people from Seattle don't carry umbrellas? So...if you're building a wardrobe for Western WA what should you know? What is the typical winter outfit, summer outift of a WA native? Is there a perfect shoe for WA's moist climate?

Even if you preferred to use an umbrella, it's hard to manage one with the wind while waiting for the bus. If you want to dress like a local in Seattle, you need the GORE-tex outerwear, several fleece jackets, clogs and birkenstocks.

[brightcopperkettles]

When I first moved here, I was appalled at the way folks dressed; however, it did not take me too long to dress just like they do! It just made sense! I do not carry an umbrella any more (actually never did too much), and my shoes of choice are Clarks clogs, but I agree no suede! I wear long sleeves through almost the entire year, but then remember I was raised in the South, so it always feels cool up here to me.

[ness]

Originally Posted by jojo7

I try to stock up on long sleeve t-shirts. I don't like layering and still don't because I feel like I have an extra 10 pounds on me. Long T's get you through from spring time to some not so hot days in the summer and through the fall. Just make sure whatever rain jacket/coat you purchase has a hood so you can ditch your umbrella. I honestly only use my umbrella when I am dressed up to go out with my husband and that's about it. Well, that's my fashion tip of the day!

I don't know if they still have them but my husband bought me a powerstretch fleece from REI awhile back and it is a very sleek body-hugging black zip up with long sleeves. It is made of some super material that helps keep you super warm without the layer of a bulky fleece. I LOVE it.!!!

[pw72]

Fashion rules in Seattle? There are no rules.

There are very few eateries left that require a dress code. Canlis? Perhaps.

And as somone mentioned above, as soon as it reaches 60 degrees, younger guys start wearing shorts. Just one of those little oddities that make the NW what it is!