Ask A Woman: Looking good in Winter Weather
If you’ve got a question that needs the female treatment, chances are you’re not the only one who wants to ask it. Beth is our source for the answers. From opinions on men’s style to decoding the sometimes mysterious ways of women, she’ll take on a different question every Thursday. And don’t worry, your identity will be protected too. Click here to get to know Beth, then get in touch with her by sending your question to: askawoman@dappered.com
Hello Beth,
First and foremost, love your column – I could go on ad nauseam with flattery and what not [insert any complement you want here], but I’ll get to the point.
I’m 24 and just moved to the northeast from south Louisiana for law school. My issue is that I honestly have no idea where to start when it comes to purchasing an appropriate winter wardrobe – I come from the land of 50 degree Februarys and no snow, ever, seriously no snow.
What do I need to buy to stay warm and at least semi stylish [snow boots, coats, etc.]? Any recommendations for this would be great – also remember, law school, lots of debt.
Thanks!
– Matt
Hi Matt,
You love my column? You could flatter me ad nauseum? That attitude makes it really difficult to do my job, man. I mean, this is the work culture I have to put up with? Adoration? Proclamations of love? Joe, are you listening to this? You better take action or I’m outta here.
Okay, winter wardrobe. Whew, so let me just say that given the space constraints of this column, this list will be incomplete. Everyone prepare for incompleteness. I’ll cover a couple basics, but contending with the increasingly bad winters
The biggest thing is the winter coat. Now, most snow dwellers have several: one for outdoor activities like shoveling, sledding, skiing, and one or two more for everyday wear like going to work or school, or going out. The former is warmer, but not as stylish, so let’s concentrate on the latter…which will flatter. Be aware, coats are expensive. But you’ll be wearing a coat everyday for many months, so it makes sense that you’d have to spend a bit of money for such an important item (though they often get marked way down for sales, so keep an eye out). I’m going to recommend a wool coat with lining. It’s slim and flattering, but surprisingly warm. No, it’s not SUPER warm, but it’s your best bet for stylish, affordable winter wear (whereas warmer puffer jackets are heinous looking, and beautiful leather jackets are terribly expensive). Get a thick, warm scarf for the wool coat, and a gorgeous pair of leather gloves, and that should keep you from turning into a frozen fashionisto.
The Michelin Man look just never works under the mistletoe.
You’ll want a lot of sweaters* in your wardrobe. They’re warm, stylish, and you can find them on the cheap if you don’t insist on having cashmere. You’ll want a lot of pants in your wardrobe. No going pants-less for you, sir. Jeans, khakis, cords are pretty standard, but you might consider investing in some warmer options, especially since you’re not accustomed to the weather. Wool or wool-blend slacks** with lining will be quite warm, though quite expensive. There are also flannel-lined jeans and khakis–okay, not the height of fashion, but when it’s 0 degrees out, you might not care about style. As for boots, I’m running out of space! See the comments section in this previous column for great reader tips on snow-proof shoes and weather-proofing products.
A final note on fit. When you’re buying winter wear, you have to account for bulk. That is, you won’t be wearing your winter jacket over a t-shirt, right? You’ll be wearing it over a sweater, or several layered shirts. Make sure when trying on coats, you’re wearing something appropriately bulky so that you get the right fit. Same thing for sweaters–if you plan on wearing an Oxford shirt underneath, you can’t buy a really slim fitting sweater. Yes, you may have to buy a size up. Surrender your vanity–you’ll look much better without straining buttons and seams.
That’s all. So much time and so little to do–wait, strike that, reverse it! Readers, fill in the gaps. And, Matt, no more admiration from you, mister. I’m fed up with your positive feedback.
-Beth
P.S. Totally kidding–I will take all the flattery you’ve got. Wrap me in your co-dependence.
*Take an extra 30% off J. Crew SALE and J. Crew Factory with the code MUSTHAVE (exp. 11/20)
**Take 30% off full priced items at Banana Republic with the code BRPARTY (exp. 11/18)
Got a question for Beth? Send them to: askawoman@dappered.com
For boots, buy Bean Boots from L.L Bean. The 8″ boots should do for city wear, 10″ or 12″ if the OP’s law school is located in a more pastoral setting. They don’t come in half sizes. Size to the next size down as they run large. Last pair of winter boots you’ll ever need. Should you wear out the bottoms L.L. Bean resoles ’em for much less than the cost of a new pair.
Nothing for the head? He’ll lose his ears. Get stylish earmuffs. Get a haircut that can stand up to a hat and get a grownup hat like a fedora. Of course, stocking caps for informal wear.
I’ll second the bean boots. Really good. Also get some thick warm rag socks to go with them and keep your feet warm.
Since you are on a budget, shop at the thrift store. No kidding. I bought a crumpled angora and wool dress coat for $8, steamed it and it looks new. And while the ski jacket is nice, you might want to thrift a raincoat (trench) or a second wool coat that at least goes to mid-thigh. If it is a little worn, make up a story about how it was your favorite uncle’s coat, given to you by your aunt after his tragic loss. Or some other sentimental story. Everyone will think it’s cool. If you go with just a ski jacket, your rear end will freeze off since you aren’t used to the cold.
I second the sweater vote, and will add that a corduroy or tweed odd jacket (thrifted, of course) can be layered with it and the wool coat. You’ll be toasty.
Don’t forget gloves. Wal-Mart has decent leather ones that will have a Thinsulate lining. You may want different gloves for the ski jacket.
And while I agree with Loki’s call for earmuffs and a fedora, please do NOT wear them at the same time!
Lots also depends on how far Northeast you are. I lived in Boston 10 years, and grew up in Rhode Island, and the problem there is less 0-degree-temps — that only happens for a little bit each year — or 20 feet of snow, but the particular joy that is “wintry mix” – combining all the annoyance of snow with the sideways, blinding intensity of rain. So you’ll want, IMO, a lined raincoat if you’re heading to southern New England, and a strong umbrella — something that won’t blow out backwards in the wind. I have a simple black Calvin Klein raincoat with a removable lining that I got at Filene’s BAsement (the real one. sniff.), and you want one that’s at least knee length.
Also – footwear. One concern is waterproofing for the slush. If you’re in a city, another joy after any snow is that there will be puddles of slush at intersections where the nicely shoveled sidewalks dwindle off into poorly marked hurdles for pedestrians to jump over. And there will be slush. So either your boots or, believe it or not, an ugly pair of slip on galoshes that you can take off as soon as you get where you’re going is a big help.
Second concern – ice. My partner is from California and never learned early on how to balance across ice (walk with your heels, not with your toes), and so would wear these huge-ass spiky things for traction. Instead, try a pair of Yak-traks (you can get them at REI or Northface), which slip on your shoes and are like snow-tires for your footwear. I’m all for things that you can wear during the commute or on the subway that you can take off in the office when you actually should look good, rather than wearing crappy boots all day.
Good luck!
Since you’re going to law school, I’d also recommend some nice big appliance boxes and lots of warm, heavy blankets (you can get all of these things pretty cheap), because you’re probably going to be homeless in 3-4 years. And while your box may provide some shelter from the wind and wet, it’s not a good insulator. It’s going to be VERY cold, so I have to disagree with Frank and recommend that you wear ALL of the suggested clothing at the same time.
Just a refinement on this fine advice: the “Bean Boot” and the “Maine Hunting Shoe” both have relatively thin soles — originally to give the hunter a better purchase on the forest floor. (Don’t believe me, take your original duck boots for a walk in the woods, off the path. It’s a freaking religious experience.)
As such, they could be a tad chilly with thin or athletic weight cotton or wool socks. If you plan to double-up to increase warmth, and wear a half-size, then size up, not down.
In the alternative, for a few ducats more LLBean makes a thinsulate-insulated version of the 10″ boot that I freely rave about.
No SATC reference? Who ARE you!?
Go with layers – you are on a budget, so you want to be able to use your clothes in a variety of situations. So I’d say don’t get lined pants, but do get some long underwear. Sweaters are your friend – especially wool sweaters. They are great at regulating temperature. Find a relatively cheep scarf that looks good – it will keep cold air from going down your collar and bypassing all that wonderful insulation you are wearing. Some fleece or wool glove liners in a simple style and solid color should do just fine – like a sweater for your hands, you don’t actually need leather here, or super thick gloves. For a coat, I recommend a nice wool peacoat or other wool overcoat. Wool socks are great – you can actually get pretty stylish warm wool socks from companies like smartwool, but for a cheaper route you could get whatever wool socks you can find and put your nice socks over them.
With this set up you can wear most of the items when you are ‘playing’ in the snow – long underwear, socks, gloves (use as a liner with a ski type glove or glove shell), maybe scarf, and even some sweaters. Depending on the coat, you may be able to wear it in many situations from casual to a suit, though for snow activities a less stylish option is probably needed.
as to shoes and hats, I’m still trying to find a sweetspot there. Earmuffs are a good option if your hair is a concern, some say to tough it out, and some just go with a stylish warm hat. A nice pair of boots can go far, and waterproofed leather shoes ought to be able to stand up to quite a bit with some extra babying when you get back home.
While they look nice, neither of the gloves Beth recommended look particularly warm to me. To keep your digits thawed on the cheap, pick up a pair of simple, bulky mittens anywhere you can find them, whether it’s Wal-Mart, Target, or the local gas station. Buy them in a large enough size that you can slip your nice leather gloves underneath. Or skip the “nice” gloves altogether and invest in a pair of high-end leather ski gloves or mittens in a dark, solid color. Or get a few pairs of Kinco insulated gloves, which look silly but are warm and durable enough to last you through a winter’s worth of shoveling snow and scraping ice, plus cheap enough that you can keep an extra pair stashed in your car. They’re even better if you take the time to waterproof them with some Sno-seal.
In all seriousness, as much as we’d like to stay looking elegant and dapper in winter months, at some point you’ve got to toss in the towel and recognize that maintaining blood flow to your extremities is more important than looking like James Bond in sub-zero temps. I like an elegant wool coat as much as the next person, but I’ve also got a giant, puffy, Michelin Man-esque down parka (L.L. Bean circa 1996) in the back of my closet for -20 degree days. It rides in the car with me when I travel in winter, as well. Depending on where in the Northeast you are going, you may very well find that a wool coat with some layers is sufficient for you, especially if you live on the coast. But if it isn’t, there is no shame in going full Arctic chic. Stick with darker colors and simple designs in your heaviest outerwear and no one will think less of you.
Definitely size down. I normally wear 13’s and the 12’s are a still a little big.
I don’t think grownup hat means what you think it means.
You should take your own advice and cover up, your jealousy is showing.
FWIW, he’s probably looking at life in NYC, Boston, DC or Philly, as a majority of southerners wouldn’t come up here to go to a more regional law school.
I am jealous of A LOT of different kinds of people, but a 24-year-old who is about to matriculate at any law school other than Yale is not one of them.
And that shows that your ignorance on the issue. If you want to make money (which I assume is your goal there), Yale isn’t the only (nor would it be that great of a) choice, as it doesn’t place that well in “biglaw” versus a majority of the top schools. Majority of their students go into non-profit, academia and other less lucrative fields.
The hell are you two talking about?
Seems my career choice, rather than clothing choice, is more interesting. haha
Lived on the south shore of Boston my whole life and the “wintry mix” is a given every winter. When it happens you almost wish it was below zero and snowing instead of getting the wintry mix. The funny thing about living here and the winter is that a lot of department stores don’t have a good or even large selection of winter clothes, especially when it comes to pants. To get wool pants that are lined you will have to search them out and expect to pay top dollar to for them. My solution has always been like someone else has already said is “long underwear”. They are cheap, warm, and you can wear them under any pants you own. Put your money towards a really good coat, scarf, gloves, and warm boots. If you’re prone to always having cold feet get some “toasti toes” which last for about 6-8 hours in your shoes and they heat up to a little over 100 degrees.
Sorry, the fact is no one on earth can pull off a fedora. It is just not in style anymore. People don’t wear hats.
I totally agree with your comments about the coats. I live in Michigan where winters can be absolutely brutal. I think parkas do have their place in a wardrobe in northern climates just out of pure necessity. I own a real nice wool winter coat from Banana Republic which I wear to work and for nights on the town. But I also bust out my North Face parka in the extreme cold since it keeps warmer than anything I’ve ever owned.
I have a lawyer friend who works at a Big Law Firm, and he fucking hates his life. Please don’t go to law school, dude! The poster above is right–you’ll be lucky to find a job AT ALL after graduation, unless you have connections. Don’t go to law school.