By: Andrew Mrozowski
Tucked away on Barton Street East are a ton of local Hamilton shops with a lot to offer. On Barton Street East and Emerald Street North, a coffee shop is quickly approaching its one-year anniversary. Aptly named Emerald Coffee Co, the space creates a larger than life quality that has been ten years in the making.
Owner Phil Green grew up in Montreal. For the past ten years, Green worked in the automotive industry and lived in the United States, but he yearned for change. Leaving his job with thoughts of opening a coffee shop at the back of his head, Green made the choice to move back to Canada and live in Hamilton.
“I was walking my dog and saw that this place had a lot of potential. The neighbourhood was filled with young families, but they had to walk 15 minutes to get a coffee…A coffees hop is the hub of a neighbourhood and I wanted to create that hub here,” said Green.
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In the summer of 2017, Green embarked out into Hamilton to try and find a place. Setting up home base on Barton Street East, the owner knew that he was taking a chance with this spot.
“I took a risk and opened in a location where most people wouldn’t have but once the idea was in my head, I wanted Barton Street. We wouldn’t have been the same if we opened somewhere else,” said Green.
The doors to Emerald Coffee Co. were officially set to open in February 2018 but had to be delayed as the building was not up to code. Green eventually opened a month later on March 31, 2018 and received an unanticipated warm welcome.
“It’s been great! The neighbourhood has been amazing, I’ve met amazing people, and the coffee scene in Hamilton is friendly. It doesn’t feel like competition here, it feels like we are all friends. There is a real sense of community,” said Green.
Emerald Coffee Co. is a unique coffee shop as everything they use is natural. Green makes his own vanilla syrup using vanilla beans, a rose syrup from dried rose petals, and goes to the United States to get hazelnut milk.
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With a wide range of espresso-based beverages such as lattes, and americanos, Green also has kombucha and cold-brew on tap all year around. Emerald Coffee Co. also gets in a different roasts of coffee every two weeks to keep things fresh. A fan-favourite of Emerald is their hazelnut latte made with real hazelnut milk instead of using traditional hazelnut syrup.
“We try to make everything as genuine as possible,” said Green.
About once a month, Green also develops a special seasonal drink. Bringing back a fan-favourite, the rose latte will be featured for the shop’s one-year anniversary along with one-dollar coffee throughout the last weekend of March.
Aside from coffee drinks, the shop also has sandwiches and salads for customers to enjoy as well as sweets from local Hamilton bakeries such as Donut Monster.
Currently, Green is trying to develop a way to bring a nightlife crowd to Barton Street East.
“It’s a really gay-friendly neighbourhood with a lot of the owners being queer, and we are welcoming to everyone. Hopefully in the near future, I’ll have some coffee cocktails to serve in the evening because we really need a nighttime crowd in the neighbourhood,” explained Green.
Isolated from the hustle and bustle of the downtown core, Emerald Coffee Co. is a great place to study or enjoy a great beverage with friends in a warm and inviting atmosphere amongst a community that is working together to show more of what Barton Street East has to offer.
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Nestled away right off of Main Street East and Ottawa Street South lies Jordan Weisz’s newest venture, Café Baffico, alongside his long-time friend and colleague, Fady Dawood. Together, the two have set out to bring the joy of good food and rest to the bustling Crown Point neighbourhood.
Dawood and Weisz met about six years ago when the two both worked on Locke Street South; Weisz was running Johnny’s Coffee while Dawood worked at Brux House. The two bonded over their love of coffee and their shared fine dining experience, having both worked in high-end restaurants at some point.
Over the course of their friendship, they both knew they wanted to eventually open up a restaurant, with the goal to make great food more accessible to the general public.
“... [W]e both worked in fine dining, and we wanted to do high quality food but for everyone at a good price point, because neither of us could afford to eat at the restaurants we worked at,” said Weisz.
Following years of planning and one successful pop-up, the pair opened up Café Baffico in December 2018. While Weisz and Dawood are the main owners and operators, the café by day, restaurant by night has had support from the Hamilton community.
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All the dining ware was made by Speck and Stone, a local pottery shop run through the Cotton Factory. Their tables were made by their server, Lauren Goodman, who even helps out with repairs in between lunch and dinner service. She busied herself repairing some picture frames when I came by.
On the walls are a series of photographs and pieces of artwork; some from friends, some from Weisz’s trips to Italy. These trips play a huge role in Café Baffico, which serves up a series of traditional Italian dishes alongside seasonal classics.
“It's an Italian restaurant more in its ethos. There's a lot of Italian food on the menu, but personally, I love the seasonal cuisine over there and the particularly the regional cuisine,” said Weisz.
Weisz began his forays to Italy during his time as a student at McMaster University, after taking a trip with its art history department. He ended up staying in Italy well after the trip ended, working in restaurants. It was in Italy where Weisz credits his love for food began.
“Most people think that Italian food is just pasta and pizza and that's it, but every single town, every city has its own kind of pasta, its own style of pizza and so many different dishes, so there's a long culinary tradition there,” Weisz said. “I studied history at [McMaster] so I have respect for preserving and respecting those traditions.”
Weisz also took particular interest in the culture surrounding eating in Italy, where patrons sit with their coffee and enjoy it in-store as opposed to the takeaway drinks popular in North America, appreciating the way food and drink brought people together.
“Obviously I'm generalizing, but Italians, they go out to eat, they go out late at night and eat well into the night with lots of wine on the table and it's simple. It's really about the food and the people you're with, whether they're loved ones, friends, or strangers, and that's what Baffico, to me, means,” Weisz said.
Although Crown Point may be a bit of a trek for McMaster students, Weisz and Dawood both appreciate the distance from the main restaurant scene and the freedom it allows them.
“[The Crown Point area’s] not just an up-and-coming neighbourhood, it's a well-developed community,” said Weisz. “It's also very much a mixed-income neighbourhood, whereas downtown has become gentrified and the artists that make downtown what it is now... can't even afford to live downtown.”
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It is clear right away that Weisz, Dawood and everyone else at Cafe Baffico is committed to making high-end dining more accessible to all those who enter their restaurant.
“Because of the neighbourhood we're in, someone who drinks [Tim Horton's] everyday can come in and it's not so acidic and different that it really trips them out, but also a coffee snob could come in and enjoy it,” said Dawood. “And that's what we're trying to do with all the food. I wanted it to be something super approachable by everyone.”
The food, of course, is nothing short of fantastic. The ingredients are fresh, with all Italian cheeses directly imported from Italy, locally-sourced cheese plates, sourdough bread made in-house everyday along with another dozen little things that elevate their deceivingly simple dishes. You can even grab a loaf of sourdough bread to take home, if you were so inclined.
The menu is written up on a blackboard everyday, rotating with whatever seasonal ingredients are available. Some recent dishes include squash soup, cacio e pepe, carbonara, sun-dried tomato and onion pizza and eggplant parmigiana. The staff is mindful of any sort of dietary restriction, so feel free to ask for accommodations if needed.
Don’t be surprised if you see either Weisz or Dawood come out from the kitchen to clear dishes or strike up a conversation with you; the two will often come out to help support their serving staff and bond with their customers.
So come by Café Baffico and try some wonderful dishes, but don’t forget to bring a friend, family member or lover, someone to share the bread and butter with and truly experience what Weisz and Dawood mean by Italian hospitality.
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By: Alice Li
Candy Cane Hearts
3. Load the melted chocolate into a piping bag, or a ziplock bag and cut an opening in the corner.
4. Squeeze the chocolate out until it fills the bottom half of the candy heart. Refrigerate until it hardens.
5. Layer the other kind of chocolate on top, and fill the chocolate heart fully.
6. Before the top layer hardens, top with sprinkles of your choice
Refrigerate until it hardens.
Santa Hat Brownies
3. Make buttercream.
i. Mix one stick of unsalted butter with eight ounces of mascarpone cheese until light and creamy.
ii. Add two teaspoons vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and three cups of powdered sugar.
iii. Mix well until desired consistency.
4. Layer a ring of buttercream on top of each brownie, top with a strawberry with light pressure to secure it in place.
5. Top the tip of strawberry with a bit of buttercream to finish the look of a Santa hat!
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After a particularly rough day of classes, few things in life are better than relaxing to the festive croon of Michael Bublé’s voice as he sings all the holiday classics. It’s around this time of year that I begin counting down the exact number of days until Christmas Day, blasting Christmas music around the house on my laptop speakers, and nagging my housemate endlessly about the next time she plans on visiting her home in Toronto to pick up our decorations. All of this probably makes me guilty of propagating the widespread pre-Christmas consumerism rampant in early to mid-November, but I love it.
For Western society, Christmas probably marks the largest marketing event of the year. I remember heading to Fortinos a couple of weeks ago, only to find the shelves already cleared of markdown post-Halloween candy and readily stocked with ribbon-and-tinsel wreathes. When I went to the Eaton Centre that very same weekend, I found it swarmed with what must have been half the city, flocking to the mall to get their holiday shopping out of the way. This was weeks away from December, let alone Christmas.
Most widely perused streets now have their trees adorned in Christmas lights, and every coffee shop I pass by is promoting peppermint-flavoured drinks emerging to reclaim their menu space after a yearlong slumber. It’s almost as if November itself doesn’t exist: the transition from Halloween to Christmas seems to occur in the blink of an eye.
And yet, despite being a highly commercial time of the year, the thought of Christmas is usually the one thing keeping me sane in the weeks leading up to exams. There is something intrinsically happy about the preparatory Christmas atmosphere, whether it consists of curling up on the couch with a book in one hand and a steaming cup of hot cocoa in the other, dancing to Jingle Bell Rock during house cleaning and seeing the slight smiles on my housemates’ lips as they mouth the words in tandem, or even simply knowing that the gift you intend on giving someone will be absolutely perfect in letting them know how much you appreciate them.
Christmas isn’t something that has an expiration date. If there’s one thing the retail sector has done right, it’s in saying that it’s never too early for a bit of Christmas spirit. Underneath all the seasonal holiday promotions and crafty Christmas-themed ads (here’s looking at you, Coca-Cola) lies a far less tangible and far more valuable feeling, shaped by a time dedicated to our personal experiences with the people we love in the places we call home. The energy that comes with Christmas hype can and should be harnessed for motivation in getting you through the last few gruelling weeks of school, and the many social events hosted in its honour leading up to Christmas Day also serve as a reminder to take some time off for yourself, rather than working to the point of keeling over.
Winter is coming, and maybe the white walkers are coming with it, but if winter is coming, that means Christmas is too. And let’s be real: if you can handle multiple courses’ worth of exams, taking down a couple of white walkers in the meantime before Christmas gets here should be no problem at all.
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By: Sohana Farhin
Different from the common cold, the flu is a common term for the influenza virus, a highly contagious airborne virus that spreads rapidly in cold weather. Catching the flu can cause symptoms such as a high fever, fatigue and muscle aches, which commonly last up to two weeks. In severe cases, it can cause hospitalization and death, particularly for more vulnerable populations, including the elderly. The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that there were 591 deaths due to the flu last year. Despite this, many wonder if it is worth it to get the vaccination.
In simple terms, the flu vaccination is an injection of inactive virus particles into your body, which generates a specific, but mild immune response. This primes your body to respond more effectively when you contact the real virus. But, there is a catch (or two) to it.
Although the flu shot is highly effective against the influenza virus, it does not guarantee protection. The influenza virus is a quickly mutating and evolving virus with many strains. It would be impossible to vaccinate against all strains and as such, the flu shot is a trivalent vaccine, designed to protect from the three major strains of the virus for the current season. As well, your body requires approximately two weeks to effectively generate antibodies to combat the virus. This means that the flu shot won’t be in full effect until two weeks after vaccination.
There has been growing concern and misconception that a preservative called thimerosal, which can often be found in vaccines, is linked to autism. However, studies have conclusively shown that there is no such link between the two, and the initial conclusion was based on scientifically invalid evidence.
Another misconception is that you can get the flu from getting the flu shot. Though some people may feel some mild flu-like symptoms as a result of the antibody response being generated. As a result, it is advised that you are healthy before receiving the flu shot. However, there is no possible chance of acquiring the flu from the vaccination because the virus is inactive.
If you are allergic to eggs, there is a slight chance of having an allergic reaction since the vaccine is cultured in a low amount of egg protein. However, it is possible to request an “egg-free” flu shot. There is also a nasal-spray vaccine for those with a fear of needles!
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends the flu shot to everybody who is over six months old. From a public health perspective, protecting yourself from the flu, protects more vulnerable people around you, including those who cannot receive the vaccine. Flu shots are available for free in Ontario and McMaster students can get it by booking an appointment with the Student Wellness Centre.
The Student Health Education Centre is here to provide you with information and resources that you need to make a decision about the flu-shot. If you have any more questions, visit us at MUSC 201 and we will be there to provide resources, referrals and support.
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As temperatures drop and students brace for the return of triple-layered sweaters and snow boots, one aspect of summer lingers on campus. Despite the change in season, ladybird beetles are still abundant at McMaster. A quick Twitter search of “ladybug” reveals the annoyance and frustration of many as the beetles have suddenly reappeared in windowsills and corners across southern Ontario.
Marvin Gunderman is annoyed for another reason. McMaster’s in-house entomologist has been captivated by beetles, bugs and other invertebrates since he was a child and corrects the layman’s name “ladybug,” preferring the more correct “ladybird beetle.” “They are true beetles. They have wing-covers that meet in a straight line down the back,” he explained.
Ladybirds are summer insects, seeing out their entire lives from nymph to adult. “They're a bit unusual, because in the insect world, the nymphs and the larvae are the eating stage. The adults basically just mate and disperse,” Gunderman said. Ladybirds rely on their fat stores to help them survive the cold Canadian winter, and to ensure those fat stores are full, both the larvae and adult ladybirds are powerful hunters, an oddity in the insect world. They both feed on aphids and soft-bodied insects.
Interestingly, the species of ladybird invading lecture halls right now is not domestic. The Asian ladybird beetle has been established in Canada for around 20 years according to Gunderman. The species was originally brought to the western hemisphere to protect tobacco and soybean plants from aphids that feed on crops. However their population grew too difficult to control. “They're prolific breeders. They're very aggressive and they've pushed our native species to the sidelines. They're still around, but in lower numbers,” Gunderman said. Asian ladybirds are typically bigger, with larger mandibles that can actually bite a person, unlike their more local relatives.
Gunderman also had an explanation for their appearance. “The swarms that you're seeing late right now is just a pre-hibernation thing,” he said. That said, due to the cooler temperatures prior to last week, the ladybirds were likely already in hibernation. Gunderman explained that when conditions are favourable, the beetles will come out of hibernation to enjoy the warm weather.
However, this premature revival is detrimental to the ladybirds. Gunderman said, “They need to stay chilled over winter because they only have so many fat reserves. If they're active too often, that means they use the body fat and they have less to ride out the winter. If they don't have it, they'll just die.” This explains the inevitable doom of ladybirds who manage to stay inside a house in the winter. Unless the house's plants have aphids, the ladybird will use its fat stores and die of starvation. Gunderman advised the kindest way to treat ladybirds found in the house is to bring them outside.
While it is unusual for ladybirds to be so prevalent so late in the year, their presence is not a sign of the apocalypse. “It's a very common occurrence, this swarming behaviour. Even prior to the Asian ladybird, we'd still have our native species do the same thing. But with more of the Asian ladybirds, we're just seeing it in more noticeable numbers.”
Gunderman predicts that if Ontario experiences a warmer winter, fewer ladybirds will hibernate properly, leading to a reduction in next year's numbers. “Right now we just have a beautiful warm spell in the weather, so insects are going to be active.”
Photo Credit: Jon White/Photo Editor
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By: Sasha Dhesi and Jennifer La Grassa
Turtlenecks
Quick, tell me one thing that all these people have in common: Audrey Hepburn, Michel Foucault, Steve Jobs, Zayn Malik and Carl Sagan. Nationality? Nope. Ideology? Probably not. Love of turtlenecks? Check!
What is it about a turtleneck that makes it so appealing? It seems as though they’ve never really fallen out of fashion. And how did these sweaters win my heart over every other type of sweater? I remember finding a picture of my dad from his mid twenties, wearing a light blue turtleneck and tweed blazer. Maybe it’s in my genes to like them.
Turtlenecks have long been associated with new ideas and innovation. During the 1950s they were adopted by the beatniks who challenged societal norms with their art. Likewise, in the 1980s they became associated with the late Steve Jobs and his strides in technology through his fledgling company, Apple. They’ve also been a staple in the fashion world, from Twiggy’s teenybopper editorials to Comme des Garçons’ brutal anti-fashion 1992 Fall/Winter collection. The unisex simplicity of the style allows it to be worn and appropriated by many different crowds, arguably making it the most versatile piece one could own.
Either way, turtleneck season has arrived, and with Drake now endorsing them via a cameo in his “Hotline Bling” video, it will only be a matter of weeks before every fast fashion boutique worth anything is brimming to the seams with oversized turtlenecks emblazoned with spikes and slogans. With so many options it may seem impossible to pick, but here are my top choices for those who adore the cozy, sleek look that a turtleneck affords you.
Boots
I love my Steve Madden combat boots as much as I love life itself. It’s been two years since we found each other, and I can’t imagine what fall would be like without them. They go well with all my leggings and jeans. The only downfall to their worn leather brown exterior and cloth laces is their lack of durability and warmth during the winter months; I tend to wear them up until the first decent snowfall, and then tearfully put them away for the year.
Shifting from fall to winter boots is not only an emotional struggle, but a financial and fashion one as well. Finding a boot that looks, feels, and functions well is hard to come by when the amount of snow we get begs for snowshoes. Throughout high school I refused to wear the boots my mom suggested. I wanted boots that made me feel mature. This change of heart sacrificed both my bank account and fragile toes, forcing me to quickly realize that winter fashion came at a cost and that cost was quality.
Last winter, I was due for new boots and because school was a 15 minute walk away and the thought of my toes falling off from frost bite, I allowed my mom to help me shop for a pair of boots. Even though they made me look like a child and the fierceness created by my Steve Madden combat boots melted away a little more each time I wore them, they kept me warm and had good grip, which is all I can ask for when trekking to school in a blizzard.
For those of you searching for the shoe that will get you through winter, these high-quality boots will help you survive the winter in style. Forewarning: Winter boots are costly, but if they are of good quality and proper care has been taken, they’ll last; don’t let the prices scare you away.
Photo Credit: Nate Greenberg
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Does it seem like everyone is getting into relationships these days? You may be witnessing the social phenomenon referred to as “cuffing season.” SHEC is here to answer questions you never thought to ask.
What in the world is cuffing season?
“Cuffing” describes the supposed biological urge to find romantic or sexual partners (or both) when the autumn season commences. The intention is to “cuff” a companion to stay with throughout the upcoming winter months.
Is it real?
On its face, the theory does seem reasonable — as days get shorter and leaves begin to fall, the autumn season can put a damper on the fun and carelessness of summertime. Some may feel lonely on increasingly dark nights and seek the company of a special someone. Why wouldn’t we seek out the company and closeness of others with the impending frigidity of a Canadian winter? In fact, a study in the journal Emotion published in 2011 purported that humans associated colder temperatures with increased loneliness and solitude. Nonetheless, cuffing season remains to be verified as a real, scientifically based theory.
What biological reasons can explain the phenomenon of cuffing season?
It can likely be explained from an evolutionary perspective. Since the term “cuffing season” does not sound very scientific, and no research has been done on the subject, I can only invent an argument to explain it. For example, it would surely be advantageous for a primate to share body heat with a partner in the cold fall and winter months.
Those are interesting physiological theories. Are there any possible strategic explanations?
Yes, certainly. A relationship may facilitate the acquisition of resources, mainly food that the couple can share. Also, going on romantic dates might mitigate the effects of the oncoming Seasonal Affective Disorder that results from the bad weather.
But really, how healthy are relationships, with two people drawn together by the cold?
I would not jump to the conclusion that these relationships are necessarily unhealthy. Every relationship has a unique starting point or a trigger, some more romantic and perhaps warmer than others. However, to the individuals who are feeling the desire for some warm romantic cuddles, I would proceed with caution. Be honest — first to yourself and then to your potential cuff mate — about what you want out of this relationship. Perhaps a good test to see if you’ve fallen into the cuffing trap is to ask yourself if you would want the same relationship in the summer. Once successfully cuffed, make sure to check in with your partner every so often to ensure everyone is still on the same blanket, especially as the days get warmer. A last word of advice for those feeling colder and lonelier as the days get longer and darker: friends can offer some lovely cuddling benefits too, without the risk of heartbreak!
Photo Credit: Arno Burgi/Getty Images
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By: Grace Bocking
On behalf of all students, I would like to commend you for your impeccable timing. You somehow managed to coordinate your arrival with the start of a new semester, and I couldn’t think of a better way of welcoming us back if I tried. Truly, nothing motivates me to jump back in to school more than the promise of blistering winds in my face. It’s just what I need to get me out of bed in the morning.
For a while there, I had been convinced that you weren’t planning on showing up at all. I had spent the break mitten-less and with my coat unzipped, so you can imagine how overjoyed I was to learn of your sudden return. I always did like that about you, your spontaneity. There really is no better surprise than being caught in -15 degree weather without a hat or gloves. After all, nothing can beat that moment of pure bliss when your extremities finally lose all feeling. Sure, the first few pages of my lecture notes may not be entirely legible because my fingers were still in the process of thawing, but it’s not like I had anything better to do than rewrite them when I got home.
While some like to complain about the chill in the air, I can only revel in the many joys it brings to my everyday existence. I’d have to say that one of my favourite things about you, cold weather, is the eternally drippy nose you cause. Sniffles are the unofficial sound of the season—a symphony that echoes through every lecture hall for four to five months each year. I mean really, there is no more pleasant sight than that of a floor littered with discarded tissues. And if a nose that runs like a faucet wasn’t enough to warm me to the cold, the copious amount of clothing I have to layer on before venturing outside definitely did the trick. I had been searching for an excuse to wear that hideous-yet-undeniably warm sweater I had been given for Secret Santa this year, and now I have the perfect opportunity.
So, cold weather, I am glad to have been able to take this brief moment to give you the appreciation that you truly deserve. The fact of the matter is that you can only last for so long. We likely only have three more months of you left to enjoy – four, if we’re lucky. Time flies when you’re freezing, so please, stick around for as long as you’d like.
Signed,
Winter’s number one fan
By: Daniella Porano and Hayley Regis
D: It’s official. Radio stations are playing Christmas music, malls are decked out in consumeristic holiday glee, and everyone is feeling anxious about their post-holiday bank accounts. In the coming month, holiday parties, family gatherings, and made-for-TV Christmas movies will dominate my social calendar, and with that, images of pencil skirts, colourful knits, and heels will dominate my mind (What exams? What final papers?).
H: I usually have a pair of holiday parties and New Year’s celebrations to attend, so that gives me plenty of occasions to look as fabulous as humanly possible. Last year for Xmas one of two, I paired a patterned pencil skirt with a half-tucked vintage tee and a big glamorous necklace. My family is usually pretty casual so I planned for something that would make me feel like the coolest of cats but allow me to eat and drink as much as possible. Anything to soothe the burn of the term paper I have yet to write.
D: Last year I celebrated a handful of Christmases, which all came with their own set of dress codes. At a dinner celebration, I donned maroon-coated skinny denim, a black peplum sleeveless shirt with a collar, and a pair of riding boots. At my family’s casual Christmas lunch, I wore a plaid woven skirt, tights, a fitted cable-knit sweater, and scarf. This year my central style rule will revolve around pairing everything I can with heels. Their ability to instantly dress up a relatively simple outfit is ideal, especially when splurging on new holiday clothing isn’t an option. For cozy winter evenings at home, I plan on opting for slouchy sweaters with boyfriend jeans.
H: For last New Year's I went full glam. I stayed in, ordered food, and watched movies with my best friends. I wore a full-length dress that’s basically a blanket with some chunky earrings because I knew I would have to be in public(ish) to greet the delivery guy. This year, I’m looking forward to rocking anything with a high-waist with chunky and coordinated cropped knits. That or the pantsuit I just ordered. I’m pretty excited to have my hands on what is basically just a souped-up onesie that is somehow socially acceptable because it isn’t made of acrylic and fleece. For my evenings in I’m going to stick with my harem pants and half-tuck a basic white tee.
D: Last New Year's I opted for a cozy knit layered over a collared denim shirt, black skinny jeans, and boots, and paired with a chunky knit scarf and a beanie. I still froze - I mean that’s my fault because I thought it would be “cute” to go skating in minus twenty-five degree weather by Toronto’s Harbourfront. This year, it’s all about the glam. I can’t wait to put on my favourite black jumpsuit, a pair of snakeskin heels, and rock a red lip to whatever party I end up going to.
1. Marry your shoes.
I don’t care if you need to make an elaborate vow to your five-inch stilettos before you attend a party. For the night, you and your shoes are betrothed, deeply connected, common law partners. Under no circumstance do you remove your shoes until you return home and/or go to sleep.
2. Dress for the weather.
I don’t care how cool you look in the club; if your skin is blistering as soon as you step outside, you are making a poor life choice. Layer up. This isn’t just for clubs, going to family gatherings where you know you’re going to be inside can make it tempting to just wear whatever but trust. Wouldn’t you rather be a layered parfait than a single scoop of vanilla in the case of emergency?
3. Regarding accessories.
Follow the eternally wise words of the ultimate Parisian Coco Chanel, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.”
