There's an old saying that my parents love to reference: if you don't like the weather in New England, wait a day. This past Tuesday, however, it was more like wait half an hour. I woke up at 8 a.m. with the rain falling hard and the sky awash with steely clouds. By the time my class ended at noon, the sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the wind was blowing a pleasant chill. This weather pattern is disconcerting to not only the weatherman but also to the weather-conscious student. Those who left their dorm armed with wellington boots and umbrellas this morning and found themselves surrounded by late risers in flip-flops come noon.

I don't know if it is people from the South or California who are still clinging on to the flip-flops, but here in New England, October is not a beachwear type of month. The time for flip-flops has passed, and they should probably be relegated to the bottom of your shoe pile. It's been fascinating watching the transition into fall footwear. Many times during the recent days, I've seen the female population on campus split evenly between sandals and Ugg boots. I'm going to make the argument that it is too late and too early, respectively, for these shoes. Autumn is my favorite footwear time of the year: no flimsy sandals, no snow boots, just funky rainboots, embellished flats, and less practical leather riding boots.

The fall weather can be dreary and on mornings like Tuesday's, all I want to do is stay curled up in bed and not venture into the drizzle for an 8 a.m. lecture. These days there will be much more practical and comfortable outfits around campus, as people will not be strolling along and admiring their peers' apparel but rushing into the cover of buildings. I was still impressed to see how well put-together students look. The photo on the right was taken despite the mist, and her outfit struck me as very casual and comfortable but also striking in its simplicity. I know the picture is in black and white, but the sky blue and yellow of her sweatshirt, complimented by the yellow of her short and fleece-lined rain boots, stood out all the more brightly on this dismal day.

After the morning of rain, the sun came out, and the footwear I had really been hoping to focus on today began to emerge: fall flats. Flats are the only footwear that is universally appropriate: summer, winter, casual, formal, whatever. There is a pair of flats for every occasion. They are subtle shoes, not prima donnas like the high heel, so when I found a pair that stood out to me, I was excited to see another wonderful pair right next to them. These two friends embodied the essentials of early fall fashion: a lightweight scarf, a bold blazer, straight cut jeans, and low-key leather flats.

I can definitely appreciate that not everyone has the same aversion to jeans and North Face fleeces as me, and the more I see of foul weather fashion (that's probably the ditziest thing ever written), the more I see that people, even those who are dressed more for utility than fashion, put time and effort into their appearance. It's all about individuality and there are so many ways to make a simple rain-proof outfit more fun and interesting. As the always-impeccable Madame Chanel said, "I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny." See you around campus.