As girls from Los Angeles, our opinions about rainwear are newly developed, but extremely strong. It’s that special time of the year again when we get to see poorly chosen and ill-fitting coats, muddy rain boots and matted hair around campus. To avoid judgement from yours truly, we highly recommend that you read this article — and please, don’t be afraid of some serious self-reflection.
First off, if you expect us to compliment you on your new Hunter rain boots, you clearly don’t know us. Just because we live in Portland doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to slosh water all around Howard. For a sturdier, long-lasting, but still stylish look, check out the Portland-based brand Danner. Danner boots can get pretty pricey, though, so opt for some Blundstones for a more accessible boot.
For our next critique, we turn to the greatest LC “don’t”: umbrellas. There’s a reason you don’t see umbrellas around campus. We’re not exactly sure what that reason is, but using an umbrella is strictly off-limits if you want to fit in on campus. A chic and effortlessly cool alternative to an umbrella is a raincoat made by RAINS. This company’s coats are around $100, plus it’s a Danish company, so you’ll seem especially ahead of the curve – which we all know is an LC student’s wet dream.
Are you the type of person who takes shortcuts and walks through muddy grass in order to be half a second earlier to class? If so, it might be time to consider drastically altering your lifestyle. The rainy season should spark within you a greater sense of awareness and an ability to respond quickly to emergency situations of all kinds. You should be making a clear and concerted effort to change your route to class each day. If you wish to ignore our suggestions, at the very least, do us this: when arriving home at night, assess your shoe situation; most likely, you will need to take action and scrub them clean for at least a solid half hour (we recommend Jason Markk “Quick Wipes”).
And then there are always those people who couldn’t care less about changing their shoe choices when the weather changes (we don’t even want to talk about the people who decide not to wear shoes on campus). Along the lines of carelessness, we find it valuable to discuss hair maintenance on especially rainy days. Sure, we all have that bad day when there is no hope in saving your hair from complete havoc/ruin. However, there are simple steps you can take in advance to avoid hair that is knotted, matted or simply unkempt. Braids are a savior, and you have options. Go for some trendy dutch braids, a simple single braid, or something excessive that you beg your roommate to braid for you. If your hair is too short for any of these hairstyles, opt for a beanie. After picking one of these options, your hair will (hopefully) stay intact, as will our sanity.
So there you have it; the dos and don’ts of Portland rainwear, brought to you by Shade and Mila. We leave you with this: whatever your style preference, we advise that you reflect on the implications that come along with your choices, for there are students on campus admiring, judging and monitoring you.
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