Boston’s unpredictable clime melds fashion with function
Warmer days are here again and the mercury is rising slowly. But Cambridge’s clime is anything but predictable. Spring may be for shedding layers, but once the coat comes off, it’s often toted around anyway. The weather usually doesn’t make up its mind until June, but that doesn’t mean fashion falls by the wayside — it just makes for smarter dressers, with preparedness flirting with flair. Students making the most of the outdoors and Harvard’s Common Spaces demonstrated this again and again, with notable spring trends a contrasting mix of minis and knits, lace and leather, floral and boots, and pops of color — but not too much.
“For spring, I like to wear a lot of long skirts. I’ve yet to fully cement my spring wardrobe, but I love cropped jackets and bright colors,” said Susannah Maybank ’15, who made this top she’s wearing. “I’m really into pastels and florals, and I’m trying to mix some winter elements in here, too,” said Linda Wei ’15, from Belmont, Mass. “But I love spring because I get to break out the dresses again — I’m a dress girl.” “I haven’t done laundry in a month,” said doctoral student Andrew McDowell of his patriotic ensemble. “I like mixing girly things with rugged stuff,” said Marissa Brock ’14. “For spring I really like maxi dresses and flowy skirts with crop tops.” “I’m from the Netherlands. I saw this shirt and thought, ‘This is a nice shirt.’ I’m a simple man. People sometimes confront me and tell me I’m wearing a bad combo,” said Pim de Zwart, a visiting scholar at the Weatherhead Center. “Today I wanted to look relaxed yet chic. For spring, I’m into a lot of sundresses and wide-brimmed hats. I love wearing boots with most things,” said Ayo Matory ’14. Jaemin Cheun ’16 (right) and Nicky Kwon ’16 may be donning neutrals, but “if I wore this in Korea,” said Cheun, “I would look out of place.” There, they both agreed, color is key. “I put this on and I was really confident about it but someone told me I looked super dated, like I stepped out of an ’80s exercise video!” said Monica Ukah ’16. “These shorts used to be a pair of jeans I got from Goodwill. For spring, I love a lot of prints, African-inspired prints, and crazy shoes.” Tourists Emma McVeigh (from left), Katie Boyle, and Seainin Corrigan all agree that Cambridge is much more casual than their native Ireland. “My must-haves for college are a good pair of jeans and boots!” said pre-frosh Asia Stewart, here for Visitas. “I’m to the point now where I spend so much time in school that I stick to neutral colors with nice little details,” said Graduate School of Design student Sam Moen. “Some people at the GSD look so great and they have more money than I do and go all-out. I like basics that fit well.” “Being from NYC, black is sort of the uniform,” said Jake Roundtree, a Ph.D. student in government. “I’m just trying to wear what’s comfortable. I’m a bit of a minimalist.” “I love fashion and I love thrift stores,” said Amy Jin ’17, a native of the Bay Area in California. “This dress is from a thrift store, and every day I’m in high heels. Shoes are my favorite.” “Spring is finally here!” exclaimed Akanksha Sharma ’14. “I’m headed to San Francisco after graduation so this makes me excited to leave New England. I have a corner of spring clothes and I brought them to the front of my closet yesterday.”
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