Change of a dress

A funny thing happened last week when I was in Boston for a conference. After finishing up my work as quickly as possible, I burst out of the hotel to explore the streets of one of my favorite cities. I found myself smiling at old places, mesmerized by new ones, and… shivering. Violently. My cute little jacket with the pretty lapel and two little buttons and no lining? Not really doing much of anything in the face of Beantown wind. But I pressed forward, committed to the task of reacquainting myself with my old college town, and simply walked faster to generate more body heat. Only, um, well…. my feet hurt. A lot. Of the searing pain and bursting blister variety. Those cute “so practical!” heels on my poor feet? Boston was laughing at them. Actually, between the tiny jacket and impractical shoes (with bare feet inside them, of course) that I was sporting in America’s best walking city, the natives were all but pointing at me and laughing. And I used to call myself a Bostonian…

What my wardrobe debacle brought up for me was how much I’ve gotten accustomed to the climate and way of life in Dallas. I lived in Boston for six years, but did it ever occur to me to pack a wool coat or gloves for my trip? Nope. Did I pack even a single pair of flats in my suitcase? Nope. Why this matters is that we’ve set our sights on the Northeast as our next stop on the newlywed train. That means my closet full of fun, lightweight dresses and shoes unfit for a walking city are going to start gathering some dust. Time to take a refresher course on all things boots, tights, layers, and coats. I guess that means my cold weather footwear fantasy will have to substitute these:

For these:

Tell me: How has your wardrobe adjusted with big moves over the years? What do you miss about your old look, or look forward to about your next one?