Winter Dressing

January and February are generally the heavy hitters of winter. It is now that the temperature can be sub-zero, as cold winds fill the air and clouds turn the rain into snow. While in our houses, we can turn up the heating and wrap up in blankets, unfortunately at some point we have to venture outside into the cold.

Personally, the most important areas for warmth are hands, feet and head. If I can keep these toasty, chances are the rest of me will be just fine. I can’t deny that I am continually cold and do take cold weather dressing to the extreme—thermals are a necessity from November to March, but it’s fine, you would never know. Or so I hope.

Back to hands, feet and head. Boots are the answer to cold feet; be it ankle, riding or over-the-knee, all are equally stylish and give you the chance to vary your look throughout the chill of winter. Just because it’s two degrees outside doesn’t mean I want to spend the next month in one outfit. The current trend for chunky soles creates an extra distance between your feet and the ground, another way to keep feet warm. Boots can be an expensive purchase but keep an eye out for extra student discount offers available at this time of year. Retailers know that we get our loans in January and are trying to tempt you to spend with 20 per cent off, make the most of it.

I’m not the biggest fan of hats, what with the effect they can have on your hair, but they really do keep you toasty. In the likely event of rain/sleet/snow/hail, hats can even be your hair saviours, providing a layer of protection from the invading moisture in the air.

We can look forward to the upcoming fashion weeks providing some serious winter style inspiration; already at the men’s fashion weeks we have been given some master classes in winter dressing. The main look street styler’s have been sporting to combat the cold is the jacket/coat combo. A fantastically modern throwback to old school overcoats, the new version is less ‘Crombie and suit’, more ‘leather jacket with duster coat on top’.

The layered element of winter dressing is a good way to combat the ensuing chill after being caught in a shower, no matter what type of precipitation; its always comforting to know you can remove a layer and still stay warm. Throw on all the knitwear you have over jeans, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits—you name it, the more layers the better. With every piece removed, a new outfit is created.