Cozy in the Heat

I’ve never been to the desert, personally. Friends who’ve visited swear that it’s incredible, but I’m a little ambivalent toward anything of vast emptiness and solitude, and this fits the bill. In fact, this was the first definition I found: A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. If that wasn’t enough: The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation. If I felt like undergoing denudation, I’d walk through a car wash.

But despite its distinct quiet, openness, lack of comforts and harsh conditions, life prevails. I’m actually fascinated by catci. You’ll see I can’t stop touching them. I like to know how they feel, and all of them are different! They survive and even thrive in these barren conditions of the desert, managing to grow and morph into funky shapes and colors and sizes. Cacti, as members of the flowering family, even bloom! They are minimal, hardy, no-nonsense - almost regal, having made it through their unforgiving environment.

Wherever I find myself, be it out of my comfort zone as I would be in the desert or where I’m wired to be, in the city, nothing relaxes you like a chunky sweater. You can’t beat a good cable knit, and the bigger the better! Like the sturdy cactus, with the right armor, we too can survive our harsh conditions in the bleak midwinter. This one from bevello is cropped, so I love pairing it with all my high-waisted pants or layering it over a dress. It was my first purchase on my quest to add more white to my wardrobe (I work with attorneys for my 9-5, live in the city, and it’s winter: I wear a lot of black).

And the pants…my style and tastes are always changing, but I’ve loved 70’s-style flare pants for years. (My first two pairs I bought together from Brandy Melville!) They’re a challenge to style - not nearly as simple as our tried-and-true skinnies - but pulling them off in the right outfit is so much fun.