Dressing for the fifth season

A guide to looking good even when the weather isn't

I had the hardest time packing for my trip. I tried Joan Didion’s packing list, but gave up halfway because it was just not fit for the weather I was heading into. I texted my friends in Adelaide, but all I got were responses that confused me even further.

I guess that encapsulates the nature of the transitionary weather between autumn and winter in South Australia: confusing. I recall the mornings being wonderfully chilly, the afternoons irritatingly warm, and the nights brutally cold.

I wondered how I had survived dressing for this “fifth season” back in uni. I must have gone through the same dilemma then because I rediscovered this piece from May of last year sitting in my drafts. Apparently I was so bothered by it that I had to write about it.

Here’s what I found sitting in the drafts. I suppose they were points for my introduction.

• The weather is confusing. One day (sometimes even within mere hours) it’s really warm and the next it’s freezing cold, hence the “fifth season”.

• This has made dressing-up very difficult.

Source: @fashionjournalmagazine on Instagram

A year later and my initial thoughts remain true. So, here we have it, a guide to dressing for the fifth season brought to you by 2023 Asirah.

Disclaimer: This post contains pieces from a personal boycott brand (Z*r*) which were purchased well before the boycott. I haven’t shopped with them since. You may refer to the BDS Movement website to learn more about what to boycott. Thank you!

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For a day out in the warm but windy afternoon:

This whole outfit was from a boycott brand. I would highly recommend purchasing from another label or go local and small!

This is what makes the Australian weather so confusing to a tropical girl. The gust of winds are cold, but the sky is almost always clear which means there is hardly any filter between you and the scorching sunlight. So the key to not freeze – but to not sweat either – is to wear something that you can easily take off or is thick enough to pad yourself with extra warmth.

I’m not much a shacket girl anymore (I suppose that discovery was made after wearing this shacket a couple of times), so the only thing I’d do differently here is swap the shacket with a nice thick cardigan.

I’ve been loving this apple red cardigan I purchased recently in Adelaide, but my wool-blend one from Uniqlo remains a favourite of mine. I wore it all throughout autumn and winter of last year because it did an unbelievably good job at keeping me warm despite only carrying 8% wool.

Button Up Knit Cardigan from Glassons. Right image source: Glassons website.

Alternatively:

Dress: Target; Sunnies: Bailey Nelson; Bag: Anya Hindmarch

I’m not much of a maxi dress girl either because I always look short in them, but I will say it does make for a chic and warm outfit.

Now, though, I would have gone with a pinafore and puff-sleeved shirt paired with dark stockings instead – something of a Tumblr era Alexa Chung, but more refined and less twee. The ballet flats will remain.

For the equally confusing lecture hall climate:

T-shirt: Uniqlo; Glasses: Bailey Nelson; Shoes: Converse

I swear, lecture halls have a climate of their own. And oft-times, it’s just as confusing as the weather outside.

So, again, the key is to put on something you can swiftly remove when it gets unbearably warm. A soft pullover or thin jacket is ideal, but anything more elaborate than that – say, a jacket with clashing metal appliqués – is probably not because it makes too much noise for an overly quiet room. Trust me, nothing is more awkward than trying to shake off a noisy jacket whilst the lecturer is talking.

Besides, pullovers are more ergonomic in a way. You can just tie them around your shoulders when not in use, keeping your hands free for carrying textbooks and such.

Or:

Cardigan: Alice In The Eve; Skirt: Cotton On; Sunnies: Bailey Nelson

Wait my hair lowkey looks good in this. Sorry, I got distracted.

Another tip for dressing good during the fifth season (and any season really) is to incorporate elevated basics into your look. Take this cardigan from Alice in The Eve, for example. The asymmetrical buttons is a look on its own. I don’t even have to try hard with the rest of my outfit. Of that same nature is this Bec Button Top I got from Kookaï.

For an early dinner in the city:

Shirt: Uniqlo; Bag: Aigner; Sunnies: Bailey Nelson

I’ll be honest, I think I was being overly ambitious with this look. I would not have survived an evening in this very thin and sheer shirt because the dip in temperature at night is not to be played with. And it’s even worse when it suddenly starts to pour.

It would be wise to top off this look with an oversized blazer or coat.

For when it’s really cold and wet and windy (aka actually winter):

Scarf and puffer jacket: Mango; Sunnies: Bailey Nelson; Shoes: Cotton On

Alright it’s never that cold in autumn to turn your scarf into a balaclava (unless you’re in Melbourne or Tasmania), but I thought I’d put this in for laughs. Though at the rate our climate is changing, maybe this look won’t be too far off for autumn…

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Dressing for the fifth season is a guessing game. It took me a long while to master it and even then, there are days when I’d walk out in an outfit that is totally inappropriate for the weather. Just recently I wore the wrong jacket on a dinner date with friends – it was too thin and the night was too cold. If not for the warmth that comes with reuniting with old pals, the night would’ve been unbearable.

While I miss the comfort of retreating into one’s sweater, I do not miss standing in front of my closet mirror, unsure of what to wear. On days like that, I appreciate the Malaysian weather for what it is: predictable.