Must-have clothing items for Northern England?

[halfpintmama]

Hello! We’re relocating from the southern United States to Northern England in the next couple of months. The climate is obviously very different and I have no idea what we absolutely must have in the sense of clothes/shoes for the day to day in England. We are coming from a very warm climate ☀️ 🌵 and are so not use to cold and wet. Jackets, boots, etc are obvious needs, but what kind? What am I looking for?

A big coat

And a flat cap

You need to seriously consider getting a Liberty bodice or two.

A warm coat, preferably waterproof and full length.

A lightweight, shorter length, showerproof jacket.

Boots - some for smart, some for walking in the countryside and getting mudder.

The secret to dressing for the very changeable UK climate is layering.

You'll probably get a better selection of appropriate clothing and footwear when you arrive rather than trying to shop in the U.S.

Thermals

Jean, jumpers, ankle boots and a coat should do you fine. And a brolly.

If it’s north east England you won’t be wanting the coat. 😂

Whereabouts in Northern England?

Your clothing needs in the Lakes or Yorkshire Dales will be different to e.g, Manchester or Liverpool?

Warm and waterproof outerwear for nine months of the year, and just waterproof for the rest, especially if you're going to be in the NW. Without knowing your budget or style, it's not easy to suggest specific garments but given the UK's climate, trust me, there are thousands of options and many of the best are mentioned regularly on MN.

There isn't so big a temperature/weather variation between 'northern' and 'southern' England as there is between 'northern' and 'southern' US

You'll need a coat or two - warm for the colder periods, thin/waterproof for the warmer-but-wet times. But you will find that you are either wearing the wrong coat all day, or that you start the day needing one coat and ending the day wishing you'd chosen the other coat - weather here is very changeable!

Ooh gosh what a change! My first thought was you want a really good warm and waterproof "outdoor person" coat. They aren't usually fashionable or pretty but if you're not used to getting caught out in downpours or cold winds you'll feel pretty bloody miserable in an attractive but not very functional high street coat! If you look at Go Outdoors, Cotswold Outdoor, Millets and similar websites you'll get an idea what I mean. Footwear forgiving and depends on where you'll be living (town/country). If you feel like buying some Wellington boots I'd just say don't fall for the Hunter hype, they look good but are rubbish at actually being wellies...

I should also add that people in the UK (including Northern England!) tend to be more fashion conscious than the average American (unless you live in NYC, LA, etc). You WILL see lots of young women (late teens to mid-20s) wearing very little when they go out at night in towns and cities despite freezing temperatures. It's a rite of passage. I was one of them many years ago but I finally sold out and moved to the warmer South.

A big, warm, waterproof coat with a hood. I have a merrell

Boots you can walk in the snow (after multiple experiments I always come back to my trusty doc Martens)

You're not getting very helpful answers here! UK weather means you and your dc will definitely need warm and waterproof coats and footwear.

How old are your children? Will you be in the countryside or in a town? If you're moving to the country, you'll definitely all want wellies (rubber boots aka wellingtons), if you've got small children they'll need wellies even in a town/city.

Obviously what sort of coat you want personally depends on your style. Just to give you some ideas, Uniqlo sells lots of different reasonably priced coats - down jackets or smarter wool coats to be warm, or more waterproof options. Most people I know (country) would also own a practical waterproof for weekends- something like North Face would be an example.

My relatives are all southern (as am I originally) and we have exactly the same clothing.

Lots of cross posts!

This is generally what us northerners look like

A stuffed whippet

Get a coat with a hood, several pairs of gloves or mittens, and some wellington boots (essential if you are going to North West).

Not clothing, but a good umbrella which can withstand wind ☂️
A cardigan to layer up, jeans and leather ankle boots. A decent size bag so that you can fit umbrella inside, as rain can be unpredictable.
Converse or Vans for dry days.

H&M is a good shop to start in for clothes, reasonably priced and up to date without being too ‘out there’.

You need a pair of blundies mate
Wranglers, goes without saying.
Asda 2for£7 t-shirt
Lumberjack shirt
Jacket

To make yesen fit in wit t'locals thee 'ull need a Burberry flat.cap n either a ferret on thee shoulder or a whippet by your fire.

H&M are good for decently priced childrens clothes - I'd expect a primary aged girl to have some kind of coat along the lines of the various padded coats/jackets here
Don't bother buying secondary aged children coats to wear to school until you see what (if any) outerwear is acceptable where you are!

I recommend having any leather-soled shoes you have re-soled with rubber when you arrive.

Genuinely waterproof boots/coat are great

I like cashmere for jumpers (I buy 2nd hand) as much warmer without being thick

Layers!

A warm coat, a good warm (preferably reasonably waterproof) pair of boots and a hat and scarf and gloves.

And layers. Lots of layers.

I've lived in Northern England all my life and I'm still not used to the damp cold.

Dp on the other hand, was wandering around in shorts and a t shirt yesterday. I was chilly just looking at him