Becoming A Snowplow

Can we just talk about the cold for a moment.

While Joburg was dealing with downpour after downpour this holiday, this summer gal was having to deal with icy temperatures and frosty fingers. In a fashion spread entitled Incredible Bulk, New York Magazine prefaces its selection of puffy jackets with the words:

This winter you’re not a pedestrian – you’re a snowplow.

A kind of helpful preparation and cautious warning all in one, in a sense.

The issue of fashion, and being fashionable while functioning as a snowplow, is something my lady friends and I have been discussing a lot. How does one begin to look pretty and attractive while wearing this:

In South Africa, we really do not know the first thing about cold weather. We may think we do, but no. All our wintery nights have been nothing in preparation for my walking these city streets. Often, I’ve ended up feeling as if I have been to the dentist and had a whole bunch of anesthetic injected into my face - so much so that I battle to form sentences and talk properly to people, once inside. There goes striking up thoughtful, intelligent conversation with the cute guy waiting next to you at the traffic light!

But it’s a new and exciting experience and so I am enjoying my climate change. Besides, the snow can be oh-so-pretty – in its early, pre-slush stage!