Dressing Tips for Below Freezing Temperatures

Winter dressing could be a challenge especially when you do not want to compromise comfort for style. We are having a pretty rough winter here in NYC and I have gathered all the tips that I've learned and have been using to keep warm and still look put together. 

LAYERING

Could you tell that I am wearing two coats in this look? Yes, I have two coats on, a pair of heat tech leggings, a pair of fleece pants under my skinny jeans, a heat tech crew neck under the white sweater. The first tip is layering. When choosing your layering pieces, you want to be specific about the materials that you chose as some materials will help retain body heat.Below is a list of my favorite materials:

Wool (Leggings, Sweaters, Pants, Sweaters, Coats, etc.)

Heat Tech (Leggings, Crew Neck, Coats, Socks, etc.)

Fleece (Leggings, Sweaters, Pants, Sweaters, Jackets, etc.)

Shearling or Shearling Lined (Leggings, Sweaters, Pants, Sweaters, Coats, Boots, etc.)

When it's below freezing I pile the layers on like no other. If you are interesting in a detailed layering tutorial, you may WATCH my "How To Layer" video. It's very helpful and you get to see all of it live in action.

THE COAT LINER

Remember I mentioned that I had two coats on in this outfit? The coat I have underneath the coat that is visible on the outside is what I call a "coat liner." A coat liner is a (somewhat) lighter coat that fits seamlessly under another coat. You can practically use any outerwear in your closet to serve as a coat liner. I've used a leather jacket as a coat liner, a wool coat, a puffer coat, a faux fur vest, etc. When choosing a liner for my coat, I prefer to use coats with a similar shape, cut, or silouhette. For exaple if I am trying to line a midi length coat I would line it with another midi length, etc. I also prefer to pair my coat with a liner in the same color family. I don't always do that but I try to do it whenever I can.  

THE HAND/TOE WARMERS

You may be asking what are those? You are not alone because I have never heard of those until I recently discovered these bad boys. Think of a toe/hand warmer as a portable heater for your shoes and your pockets. They are made of cellulose, iron, water, and activated carbon. The way they work is, they become activated with air/oxygen through a process called exothermic oxidation and boom you have portable heat. Some last 6 hours others last 10 hours. I recommend that you follow the instructions on them. I remember seeing a caution notice for certain diseases, please do your research before using them. 

For all of my shoe lovers, these bad boys come in handy when you are not trying to be in these streets looking stumpy in uggs, sorels or esquimo shoes :) The toe warmers come with an adhesive that'll secure it in your shoes. Here is how you wear them, 1) pop them in your shoes, and 2) put on a pair of socks, voila... heat in your shoes.

The hand warmers go in your pockets or gloves. If you put the hand warmers in your gloves, I would recommend that you wear a lighter glove (NOT PLASTIC) as a liner and place them in your heavy duty mittens :)

I made a cheeky little video on youtube sharing all of these tips and showing them in action. Check it out below.

Thanks for stopping by. Au-revoir,

Deb