Throwing Caution to the Wind

I grew up with a lot of mantras being thrown at me by my parents. I think the one that stuck the most was "better safe than sorry" which more often than not, was applied to the subjects of weather and dressing one's self.

Yes, it may be 60 degrees and sunny out now but you should wear a coat with a hood and drag along an umbrella just incase. You never know; it may be monsoon season in an hour and then you'll be sorry you wore suede shoes.

(This is actually applicable to New England weather and I was always grateful for being the girl with an extra sweater in her bag at all times.)

Now that I'm living on my own, I sometimes hear my mother's words when I go to dress myself in the morning.
I try to be responsible in the way that I dress myself, especially with the intensity of Chicago winters. I would hate to come down with a cold because I was too lazy to wear my winter coat and I couldn't find my gloves.

All of this adulthood is well and good but sometimes you have to dress for yourself and not for the thermometer. That is not to say that a bikini would be well placed out on Lake Shore Drive this time of year but wearing sheer tights or a dress instead of giant wool sweaters can be quite refreshing at times.

I have discovered that I feel far less guilty about dressing a bit more spring-leaning than the current windchill would advise, if I make a character out of it.

For example, tonight I went to this comedy club for the first time  and I tied up my hair with a silk scarf and put on sheer black tights. All of a sudden, I found myself embodying a 1920's Bohemian poet. I tried to think about how she might view things or see herself when she glanced in the mirror.
It certainly made things a little more bearable when the wind whipped right through my coat.

Does anyone else ever find themselves playing characters in a similar fashion?