How To Stay Warm & Look Cute In The Cold

Every year when temperatures drop, I’m baffled at how cute some other girls still manage to look while I’m over here basically wrapped in a sub-zero-proof sleeping bag like a big burrito. This year however, I’ve finally figured out all the ways to stay warm and look fashionable or at least somewhat charming. Step one: accepting that I’m never going to be the girl in the unbuttoned deep-plunge neckline coat and ankle jeans who can show off her stacked dainty necklaces at 5°C. As soon as it gets below 10°C, I will be cold and no confidence in the flawless style of my outfit will keep me warm. Step 2: layering up. It’s not the clothing itself that keeps you warm, it’s the thin layer of air between you and the fabric. The more layers of clothing you wear, the more layers of air there are, the warmer you’ll be. The trick to looking cute in winter is to wear the functional layers close to your skin, and the fashionable layer on top. That’s what it all comes down to. Now let’s get into a bit more detail.

Thermals
There are so many benefits to wearing a thermal shirt underneath your warm, knitted sweater. Nowadays, thermals are made using all kinds of fancy fabric technologies that enable them to be super thin, comfortable and most importantly: temperature regulating. This means they’ll keep you nice and warm outside, but won’t make you overheat when you step inside.
Wearing a thermal as a base layer will make your sweaters last longer as you’ll have to wash them much less often when they’re not touching your skin directly. Plus, the layer of soft material will feel like a heaven-sent under those super uncomfortable and scratchy but oh-so-warm sweaters.

Fleece Lined Leggings
Thermal bottoms exist as well and I love wearing them when I go skiing, but for daily wear I personally prefer to wear a pair of fleece lined leggings under my jeans/trousers. Firstly because they double as an actual piece of outer clothing on slightly warmer days (which thermal bottoms don’t), but they’re also just really warm and comfortable. I have a few pairs of fleece lined leggings and one pair that has a faux fur-like material on the inside, which is my absolute holy grail piece once it starts freezing. It’s so warm I don’t even need to wear anything on top. 10/10 would recommend.

Layered Coats
In my expierience, the best-looking coats unfortunately aren’t the warmest ones. Nothing can beat the classic trench coat or a beautiful faux fur piece when it comes to style, but after a certain point they often just aren’t enough to truly keep me warm. In comes the packable puffer jacket for some layering magic. This piece is perfect as it’s compact enough to be worn underneat a cute coat, but has serious warmth-retaining qualities. I like to bring mine with me when I leave the house during the day when temperatures are still bearable, but know I’ll be returning at night when it gets much colder. It packs into a compact little pouch so I can easily carry it in my backpack and put it on as an extra layer to save my torso when needed.

Crisis Coat 
When even the puffer jacket + coat combo isn’t enough, I have another option and that is what I like to call my crisis coat. It’s a wind & water resistant coat that’s long enough to cover my bum (kidneys & bladder say “thank you!”) and upper thighs, has a large hood, a tighter fabric bit around the wrists, extra fabric on both sides of the zipper, padding and faux fur lining. Basically it’s what I put on if there’s a snowstorm raging outside, or when I need to cycle in temperatures around the freezing point. This year I found one that’s actually pretty good-looking too, so you can imagine I’m over the moon. It’s a good idea to have one of these, for the times when looking cute just drops to the bottom of your priority list.

Cover Your Extremities 
I can’t stress this enough, and for some reason I feel like the Dutch are especially adamant in refusing to do this: covering up your head, hands and feet. Your hands and feet are the furthest away from your heart and the hardest for your body to keep warm. They need a little bit of extra help to stay safe in the cold. Your head, on the other hand, gets a lot of blood pumped through it so if you don’t cover it up you’ll lose body heat really fast. My advise is actually to layer up here as well. I love wearing two pairs of gloves: a thin, insulating pair on my skin, and a (faux) leather pair on top to protect against wind and rain/snow. Wear a scarf that’s big enough to cover the bottom half of your face as well as your neck (your nose needs protection too!), and don’t be afraid to wear a second thinner scarf underneath. I love using my merino wool Buff as a base layer on my neck. As far as feet go, bare ankles are an obvious no-no. In fact, I’d say the longer the sock, the better. Go for a nice warm knitted pair and again, don’t hesitate to layer up. Overknee boots are also wonderful for providing an extra layer, as well as being super pretty.

Material Matters
If there’s one thing I’ve found over the past years, it’s that the material you wear matters a lot. As much as it pains me to say as I’m still very much on the fence about the ethical side of things, wool is without a doubt the material that’ll keep you the warmest. I’m a fan of merino wool especially, for it is temperature regulating, odour repelling, breathable, comfortable to wear and stain resistant. Wool is a durable material and is 100% biodegradable at the end of its lifespan, so really the only downside is the use and treatment of animals during production. Please consider buying wool items secondhand, buying recycled wool or buying from companies that make an effort to source their wool ethically if you do choose to wear it.

How cold does it get where you live? Do you have any tips for staying warm on those days?