I had planned an outdoor Solstice celebration for this weekend. Croquet in the park—and I’d wear my mom’s brown, strappy, ankle-length nightgown and new ballerina black Tabis to whack Skittles-colored balls through wire wickets that I’d bought as a set off of Craigslist. I’d make a hibiscus-rose shrub and serve plates of yellow watermelon and blast the newest Pulp single and my friends and I would feel the most summery.
But that didn’t happen. Despite the streak of dry, mild weather we’ve had here in Portland, we’re marking the shifting of the season with steady rain and temperature dips. Right now, at peak solstice, it “feels like 48 degrees” outside.
While downpours cancelled my park gathering, it didn’t pause my gardening job. Thankfully, I had my go-gear ready for the summer weather U-turn: my low Fubukis and a decade-old North Face shell with matching snow pants. The boots passed the test of keeping me warm and dry through 8 hours of on-and-off downpours on squelchy lawn. The outerwear did its best. It’s not that I got soaked—more like I gradually became boggier and boggier. Through the gear. Kinda like the damp-all-over state you’re in after a hot yoga class. But pruny and muddy instead of sweaty and invigorated.
Now that I know my go-gear’s limits, I’m looking for fresh subs to tap them out while they recover from being flinged off and balled up like wet tissue in the trunk of my car. Because gardening in the rain doesn’t suck. Neither does grabbing a handful of fresh-from-the-pot herbs or strolling around your raised beds in the morning or taking the trip you planned to the local plant nursery. Doing any of this in the rain with wimpy gear sucks.
Here’s the outside outfit wish-list for soggy mid-June 💧
pieces 1 and 2: outerwear
rains cargo rain pants wide in revel
the north face women’s daybreak rain jacket in khaki stone
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I’m a sucker for so much of what Rains makes, especially when they use a hyper metallic finish. On this algae-green color (!!!). I’d feel like moss royalty in these.
I don’t see a way to cinch the legs but there are four freaking pockets. Mud-covered tools can live in the hip pockets and phone and AirPod case can live in the cargo pockets—if the elasticated waistband stays in place. I’d probably size up to layer them over chore pants or breathable leggings (I wear these).
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Inevitably I will snag the extra fabric of a tent-shaped rain jacket on a tomato cage or prickly barberry or accidentally cut it with my loppers somehow. Instead I go for something fitted (but not tight) and shorter (but not cropped). This jacket with locking drawcords at the waist (cute) seems to have enough overlap from the waist down to team up with waterproof pants and cover all the bases.
pieces 3 and 4: base layers
maap women’s evade thermal ls jersey 2.0 in limedrop
wellow compression socks in bronze twist
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Everything has changed since I realized that I can wear a thermal cycling jersey as a base layer. If you don’t have one on hand from the bike messenger you dated in 2009, you need one from MAAP. The quality, design, and colors are unmatched — and half-off during their mid season sale. Just look at this! And this! And this one!
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I consider myself to be fairly high-risk, but I won’t take chances when it comes to overlapping protective layers. Compression socks (in a perfect Cheetos-fingers color) guarantee zero bare ankle space space between the top of my boots and the leg of my pants.
piece 5: shoes
hunter micha wellies in chestnut crust
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A lugsole wellington gives extra grip on slick surfaces and comes in a rich brown color to camouflage the fact that you stomped in every possible puddle. Plus “Chestnut Crust” is very, very pleasing to say.
pieces 6, 7, and 8: accessories
showers pass crosspoint waterproof knit gloves in fatigue green
teleties large coil hair tie pack in for the love of nudes
gardener’s supply company yard clean up tarp
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I refuse to believe my boss when she tells me that waterproof gardening gloves don’t really exist so i’ll be trying these form-fitting wool ones and putting off her hack of wearing food-prep gloves as a second skin.
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After touching mud all day, the last thing i want to do is pick snaged, wet hair out of a hair tie. these coiled ones are strong enough to stay put and gentle enough to slide off of a low ponytail.
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Trust me: when the ground is soggy you need a tarp. As I was tying up roses that had flopped to the lawn, I could feel the difference in my snow pants between one knee on thick, crunchy nylon and the other knee sinking into drenched grass. Now I know it also saves you the tedious task of picking debris (like paper-thin rose petals) off of its leaves and the mulched ground one by one …
but you should empty your cart for this:
roa rubber boot in camo
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I guess you don’t need a particularly descriptive name for the pattern on a rubber boot when it looks like this. But for $800, details matter and I’d prefer a dreamy name like “Lynchian Meadow” to the absolutely joyless “Camo.” Does a half-off sale make it remotely affordable? No way! Am I salty that they’re out of size 39s anyway? You bet!