How do you dress for cold weather?

posted by Laia

Nov 15, 2007 6:40PM

At the coldest point in winter this is what I'm usually wearing (in order!):
1. underwear
2. american apparel thigh-high knit socks. they're better than wearing tights under jeans because no one needs extra crotch baggage.(add a thin pair of socks under those if it's snowing)
3. tank top (could be substituted for a thin long sleeve tee)
4. whatever top im wearing.
5. sweater or cardigan on top.
6. hoodie
7. coat
8. jeans (I tend to wear non-skinny jeans when it's super cold because I don't think they warm me up so much, but if I do, I usually put legwarmers on top for that extra oomph of warmth)
9. big wooly scarf, gloves, hat.

Now granted, this won't keep you WARM when its like 11 degrees outside, but it'll make it bearable enough so that you can go from the subway stop to your final destination. Then when you get inside you can take all those layers off and still look cute as a button.

phew!

posted by gen

Nov 15, 2007 9:00PM

always, always 2 pairs of opaque tights in winter [or 1 pair sheer, 1 pair suuuuuupermaximum woolly]. plus black trainer socks if my shoes allow it [god bless the shoeboot].
elbow-length gloves under long-sleeved tops - prevents the dreaded wrist-draught. and makes bracelet length sleeves TOTALLY doable in november.
knitwear, everywhere. wool skirts, knitted dresses, knitted tops under knitted sweaters, a practical appreciation of sonia rykiel, and a growing collection of coats that will one day mean i'll never have to resort to freezing because my warmer coat didn't go with my trousers. :(

by god, i hate the cold.

posted by Lindsaysue12

Nov 15, 2007 11:50PM

I go to the University of Minnesota and our campus is HUGE. I'm constantly outside in the oh-so-cold -20* come winter. I hate it here BUT I've become a pro at cold-weather dressing!

I live in sweaters in the winter. Mainly crew neck sweaters. I layer a long sleeved t underneath always. I pair these tops with skinny denim thats easy to tuck into boots. Boots are a must. I also love J.crew's knee high socks. You can also find thermo socks at sporting good stores. Those are nice when you know you'll be outside for a prolonged period of time. When it gets REALLY cold outside, those body suit thingers from AA are great. I put them on b/4 I get dressed. I know that sounds silly, but it gets sooooo so so cold here! But its a nice extra layer that no one really knows about :) ha

anyway...

To dress up this simple outfit I pair a cute scarf with it. I tend to buy a lot of different colored/patterned scarves to jazz things up. The quirkier the better!

A hat is also a must. I stick to solid colored hats that will match with a variety of scarves. I have a black hat and a cream colored hat. Both are very versatile. Same goes for gloves. Don't buy mittens. Those are too sheer for cold winters. Look for gloves that have special tags which indicate what weather they are good for (I have a pair that I bought that keep you hands warm up to -10* weather). I got those at Target, but I'm sure you can find them at any sporting goods store also.

I hoped this helped some!

posted by Ginge

Nov 16, 2007 1:31AM

OK, I was gonna say tights or long socks under pants, but that's been covered, so I WILL say...

A hat is great because [insert high percentage here] of your body heat escapes through your head. (It makes sense - heat rises, right?) Plus, hats don't make you any bulkier!

I think thin layers are key. As far as bulk is concerned, several thin layers generally provide more warmth than a lesser number of thicker layers.

Oh, and WATERPROOF! No one wants to be cold AND wet. Waterproofing spray can be really handy, especially on shoes (but not all shoes- use discretion for certain materials and consult the label on the can). You should be able to find some at a shoe store. (I think I may have even noticed some at Target with the shoelaces and shiners)

posted by fashionursta

Nov 16, 2007 9:26AM

Dressing for cold weather has always been a challenge of function and form for me, as I am more of a form person (I curate everything in my life, down to my dog's collar) but I also have another dilemma- I have hot flashes :( -it could be freezing outside but I am sweating!!! I live in nyc so i do a lot of walking which heats you up too. I have collected all these gorgeous sweaters and I can't wear a lot of them. So i have solved the problem by dressing in layers- tank, slouchy v neck sweater, or thin layering long sleeve T under a short sleeved sweater or cardigan- anything that i can strip off if i get hot. I have a lot of coats and i change that look daily. Always a big, wrappy scarf that i can wrap around my face and mouth if it's REALLY cold, and some kind of hat- cloche, pilot hat, this wonderful hat that i got on the lower east side that you can wear a million different ways, loose beret, etc. Those trapper hats that everyone was wearing last winter really DO keep your head warm. I bought one on the street last year when it was really cold. If I wear a dress or skirt, Wolford's polar tights really keep you warm, otherwise jeans with wool knee or thigh high socks stuffed into boots. If it's below zero, then i layer another pair of shorter socks over the wool ones. And the longer gloves are great- if i am hot and wearing a short sleeve t or tank but my arms are cold, i pull them up to my elbows. Otherwise i scrunch them down around my wrists. I have different boots to wear for snow (Pajar from Canada makes waterproof boots that don't look "uncool", and Sorels are OK too). When the snow is plowed then I usually wear biker boots to walk the dog, etc, because they have a rubber sole that doesn't get ruined in the wet and salt. I feel silly saying that I have given all this a lot of thought, but then when I have to run out quickly, I know that I look good no matter what.

posted by kenya

Nov 16, 2007 1:24PM

i just bought my first under armour and i love it. try them. also, i love sweaters. thin, layerable sweaters that accent a nice collared shirt well.

posted by Katie H

Nov 16, 2007 3:48PM

You have to be really careful about the cold sneaking up your back in between your top and pants/ skirt, especially if you are sitting down. The key is to make sure your under layer is long and snug enough to block out the draft. If it gets really bad, use a wrap or sweater to tie around your middle. Alot of heat escapes from your lower back, I swear! You can hide the ugliness by buttoning your coat.

Also, be sure to de- layer right away when you get inside, because the warmth is blocked by your clothes just like the cold. It takes forever for the warmth to get through all your outer clothes, so take them off to warm up faster.