Resort Wear for the Rest of Us

Spring comes early in Western Oregon, but every year it seems like it’s never soon enough. About the time that fashion house resort wear comes out, we are all here dreaming of just a little sunshine.

Alas, I will not be traveling to St. Kitts this month. But really, not alas, I’m perfectly happy right where I am, albeit a little vitamin D-deficient. Rachel jokes that summer wear in England consists of an assortment of sweaters, [Rachel: I’m not joking.] and similarly, resort wear in Oregon would look about the same. But I like the idea of resort wear, in that it conjures up images of warm sand, and water, and blindingly blue, blue sky.

Sunny Sky batt; singles; seahorse buttons

Spinning up Sunny Sky batt

One of the things about living in a wet climate is that there is a certain amount of practicality involved in dressing, especially since no one really bothers with an umbrella. Another thing is that, in the winter, day after day after day, everything around you is a washed-out grey. I’m not a fan of seasonal fashion trends for trends’ sake, but I do think garments-as-optimism has merit, so these resortwear lines have me thinking: if we all had a few sunshine-and-beaches inspired garments and accessories, we might be able to fake tan our way into spring.

To that end, here are some patterns up in the queue:

Léger pattern by Espace Tricot

Turnstone Pullover by Alexis Winslow

Nautical Jumper by Claire Montgomerie [Rachel’s favorite]

Selbu Sea Horse Mittens by Tori Seierstad

Crocheted tote

So even though I’m not jetting off with my bikini and caftan, I can still stuff my beach tote with a towel (not a bad idea, really), sunglasses (good for five minutes at a time) and a good book (Powell’s!), put on a classic boat neck sweater, and keep my hands warm and dry inside some beach-motif mittens. Sunshine is a state of mind.