L-A: So, the Halifax forecast for the next week is Depressing with a 60% chance of Miserable. I’m not even kidding:

Ugh. Only the ducks in the Public Gardens are happy about this forecast. And while weather like that might make you want to go back to bed, your employer might not be impressed if you do. One of the few bonuses of being a student is that I can stay home to do work on crappy days.  Not that I get much done at home, but the option is there. But what to wear when you’re headed out into the elements and still look good?  First off: get some good boots.

Hunter Boots, or should I say Wellies, are lovely and sturdy, albeit a bit on the expensive side.  But they are endorsed by the Queen and by Kate Moss:

And really, you can’t go wrong with either of those endorsements. But even if you can’t afford a pair of Hunters, that doesn’t mean you can’t own a great pair of rainboots.  I’ve got a fun pair of brown boots with orange and yellow polka dots and I always try to show them off when it rains out. They’re too cute to hide. They make me wish I had skinny jeans that could tuck inside my boots (but my hips refuse to fit into them, making the skinny jean one of my natural enemies).

And speaking of endorsements from the Queen, I’m with her 100% on the Fulton Birdcage umbrella:

I think she has one for every outfit. You don’t need to be so matchy matchy (actually, you shouldn’t be so matchy matchy, unless you are HRM) (funny story: when the husband moved to HRM -Halifax Regional Municipality – he would read signs that said “by order of HRM” as an order of Her Royal Magesty and thought it was a bit micro-managey of the Queen to make laws about being in parks after dusk). I’ve had two of these umbrellas in the past and loved both of them. They actually hold up better than most umbrellas.

Of course, this is the point where I advise against spending your money on an umbrella if you live in Halifax. Cute umbrellas are wasted on this city.  Not because they aren’t appreciated, but because weather in this city kills umbrellas.  I got through an entire fall season with one of my birdcage umbrellas, until a weather bomb killed it. Which is why I’m going to recommend a good rain hat for this windy city:

okay, I’m not sure that one is actually a rain hat, but I saw one just like it at Coach that is a rain hat (and on a day like today, am wishing that I bought it) .  It is cute and it keeps your head dry. Yes, you will probably get hat hair, but if the alternative is looking like a drowned rat, which are you going to choose? That’s what I thought. I’m going to recommend getting something that sits low on your head, so the wind doesn’t carry it off.

Now, let’s pick out a coat. No one does coats better than Burberry and it’s classic trench (only $1300 on net-a-porter!). And no one has made the drowned rat look work better than Audrey in her trench:

This look was recreated for, what else, Gossip Girl:

Is there anything Leighton Meester can’t wear well? (Okay, maybe there are a few things. But she’s otherwise so cute and the poor kid is facing a sex tape scandal, so I will forgive her).

I love the trench coat look, but like the umbrella, it’s not always practical in Halifax where the rain comes down sideways and in sheets. I made a solid trench coat purchase from H&M about four years ago and I still love it and get compliments on it. Alas, it’s only good for days when the rain isn’t too heavy or it is merely overcast. The trench coat in our blustery city requires a hat or an umbrella and we’ve covered that already.

When it’s all said and done, I end up going out looking like a duck/dork in my bright green thing from MEC:

A final thought on rainy day fashion? Skirts and tights. Because there are few things worse than wearing rain pants when you’re not camping and one of those things is having to sit around work in wet pants. I once ended up in the bathroom at Chabaa Thai trying to dry my jeans off with paper towels and then had to sit in the restaurant freezing cold and damp.

And one last thought on weather and fashion: I’m kind of in love with the idea behind the Feather Report (fashion + weather = feather) blog. It’s one of those “wish I had thought of it first” ideas.  She updates daily based on the forecast. I think we need one for Halifax, just to make choosing an outfit easier. Then again, sometimes it seems that the forecast rarely applies and I end up carrying around a raincoat on sunny days or going without on the rainy ones.

Okay Ally, thoughts? And to anyone reading this: got tips on what to do about a purse/bag on a rainy day? I hate having a bag full of wet papers and books.

AllyG: I am completely miserable. I was able to see the short-term forecast earlier which indicated craploads of rain until Thursday. Which I was cool with. Why? Because FRIDAY IS MY BIRTHDAY AND IT HAS TO BE SUNNY. Hubby and I are making the trek down to Smith’s Cove to visit my parents for the weekend. And yes, it is indeed a “trek” when you need to pee every 10 minutes and it is a two and a half hour drive. Every summer we go down, no matter the weekend, it seems to rain. Honestly? Even looking like Kate Moss in Wellies wouldn’t make me feel better about this.

It is weather forecasts like the one above that make the most sane Nova Scotian want to pack up their bags and move to LA to live their drive on making a cameo on The Hills . And no, it’s NOT just me…how excited are you for next season? I LOVE Kristen Cavallari! She’s totally going to get all up on Justin Bobby! Although I totally miss her and Brody. Do you ever quietly weep to the YouTube tribute videos? Yah, me neither.

It’s just SO sad…

Anyways, sigh, yah…what do we wear when it rains…blah, blah, blah. I just can’t get aroused for this post, but I’ll give it my best go. I saw some cute rainboots in the window at KAS on Spring Garden Rd. Adorable little patterns in bold, shiny colours…

Ok, I can’t do this. I can’t. I refuse. I REFUSE TO GIVE IN TO THIS WEATHER. THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO BE WEARING.

Street style as shown on Flare Magazine’s website. Granted, the shorts are a tad too short for my advanced age, but this is wishful thinking. I also need to buy a pair of gladiators (we’ve talked about this before). My friend Tara who writes the fabulous blog Edge of Twenty Eight got the cutest pair of glads at Biscuit General Store on Argyle. The best is that they are flats which means my prego chubster feets can dig!

They are sort of like the ones Gwyneth is wearing below, but black. I suppose you could wear this outfit in the @$#@$# rain.

I don’t want to end this post all bitchy-like, so I’ll focus on the postive. My friend Jo bought a pair of Madden Girl shoes that are JUST like the Louboutins I love!

She even got them in red. I can’t remember where she purchased them, but I’ll check and get right back to you.

I feel better already!