The week before last, my family and I were in Los Angeles on bizness. An hour before we headed to LAX to board our return flight to JFK, my kids were skinny dipping in their grandparents’ pool enjoying the fiercely beautiful 80° weather. Fast forward 6 hours later to our arrival in NYC. Embraced by a chilly 15°, New York seemed to be saying, “Welcome Home, Suckers!”

December and early January had been a very appreciated “mild winter”, but we definitely returned to “winter as expected” and in full, brutal force. Bitter, bone-aching, misery making, “why do we live here again?”—kind of cold.

Fashion barely matters when you’re out and about at 10°. And if that isn’t horrible enough, add wind chill and it’s actually more like -2°. Yes, that’s a negative before the 2. At that degree, fashion doesn’t matter at all. No one looks good for a reason. We’re all just trying to keep our fingers and toes attached to our bodies.

Today we’ve reached a sane 32°. Lets celebrate! Add layers, prints, pops of color and a smile when staring winter in the eye. It’s the only way to survive.