What can I buy for my top half to keep me warm when WFH , that's smart enough for video calls?

[Rainbowshit]

I usually sit with my heated blanket over my knee and my dressing gown or a hoodie over my clothes.

I had a 2 hour workshop today though and needed to be in video. Dressing gown was definitely out, but also didn't feel the hoodie was smart enough or long/warm enough.

Any suggestions?

@Falalalalaaah yes it is heated .. sold on Amazon 😊

Layers are the answer. I think there's a bit of an emperor 's new clothes element around wool and silk though... not completely as of course wool can be very warm, but it absolutely isn't the only thing that can be and in fact wool-synthetic blends can be both warmer and more practical. Certainly wool takes an extremely long time to dry if you have to wash it... I think there's definitely snobbery around insisting that wool is the only option as it often isn't a practical option.

Uniqlo heattech themals are thin and warm and then layer up - a t shirt, a shirt, a smart (wool 🤣😉) jumper and a blazer.

Lots of people wear a scarf or a big shawl-scarf indoors and keeping the back of your neck warm is key, as is long sleeves to cover your wrists too, or wrist warmers.

Its best to wear stuff which doesn't deter you from getting up and moving around between calls as this really helps. Sitting still is terrible for keeping warm and boosting your circulation by getting up and moving around every chance you get makes a positive difference.

Why did I not think of thermals?!! I have loads of lovely sweaty Betty ones. Will need to dig my skiing stuff out of the loft.

Wool does not agree with me unfortunately.

Thanks everyone.

Down gilet

Also keep your extremities warm, obviously hard to wear a hat and gloves on a video call but thick thermal socks really seem to help. Can’t get your shoes on of course, apart from big slippers or crocs, but who cares

Polo neck poncho https://www.whitestuff.com/womens/knitwear/mid-grey-fern-knitted-poncho/?gclid=CjwKCAiA-dCcBhBQEiwAeWidtQlg6N9E7JuF9LE2Nr8UncMg-ZprbV3uW9eythzmVJRru8X2AWziUhoCv9QQAvDBwE#fooc=3597&fok=01e9654c0a5891fa8dbda5e106e9e094&foos=gplauk

What do other people wear?

Are you reluctant to put your hearing on because of energy costs? Can you heat one room only?

Heat your body internally.... soup, tea ... and be diligent about moving between meetings and during breaks.... get up, move vigorously, get warm.

I am always cold until the summer. I wear really thick wool jumpers and often a scarf (which I've noticed other people now doing!) With a wool blanket over my legs, sheepskin boots and a hot water bottle on my lap. The hot water bottle does a great job and stays warm for most of the day.

Merino and cashmere - plenty of second hand/reconditioned tops out there - layered. The merino top I wear as a first layer feels nothing like wool. I've been wearing three layers, but think I'll need to add a hoodie next week. Luckily, I don't do many video calls, and few of them require me to wear a top that looks any smarter than clean.

Uniqlo heatech vest and Uniqlo long sleeved thin layer, thin wool jumper like M&S super soft, then a thin mid layer zipped up to neck, woolly scarf (be trendy if you're on zoom) then a thick woolly cardigan or jumper on top. don't forget thick socks.
Don't expect to move in a hurry but it keeps the chill off.

It’s not the Arctic circle. I wear a wool jumper and my house is 18 degrees during the day.

multiple thin layers are better than thick woolies. I have multiple 3/4 sleeve tops and I wear 1,2or3 under my actually work-smart top depending on how cold it is. a heat pad on your chair can also work miracles for less than 1p per hour.

I don't give a shit what I look like on my Teams calls. If it's cold, I usually wear my Oodie and I've worn it to our virtual board meetings too. I hope people are interested in what's in my head rather than what's on my body.

Mine's 11 degrees and definitely nippy without the heating on. I'm already paying £500 a month on heating so it's not going on if I can throw something warm on.

Warm socks. Thermals. I also keep a dog under my desk for feet warming purposes.

I have a chunky navy blue wool jumper that I can put over thermal layers. Add wrist warmers sometimes. The dark colour looks more formal.

Having said that, IME hoodies still feature frequently on Teams for people working from home, including presenters of training, senior management etc.

I have a heat tech (or something like that) top from Uniqlo. It's thin with a high neck and can wear it under a nice wool cardigan or jumper. Jeeps me really warm. Plus Uniqlo thermal joggers!

Also: wool doesn't need washing too frequently and it shouldn't dry too slowly if washed correctly. I wash my handknits in the sink and then fold them in a bath towel, roll up and squeeze. That leaves them just damp and they dry in a day on an airer.

Yy to thermals including long johns.

Wrist warmers ( you can make them out of an old jumper).

Cashmere is the warmest type of jumper for me.

I have two wool blazers that are super warm. Also agree that merino wool is super warm and not at all itchy especially if you buy good quality. I believe recycled wool is the type that can be itchy. Not an expert but I do think wool is so much better for the environment than synthetics and it is also not sweaty. I wear my merino jumper in spring and even cooler summer days/evenings as well.

@fannyfartlet how is your room 11 degrees if you’re paying £500 per month for heating?!? That doesn’t sound pleasant for you.

Heating is on for a couple of hours in the morning and then for around 5 hours in the evening. I WFH around 2 days a week but I'm not putting the heating on. To be fair, when I've got my Oodie on, I'm plenty warm enough.

I wear Uniqlo Heat tech long sleeved fitted top with a cashmere or merino wool jumper on top. If it's really cold I'll add a loose cashmere cardigan on top of that.

Snood.

Everyone, please wear a snood.

absolute life changer staying warm at home or when out.

Poncho/cape over the top of something warm. There are some nice ones about.

Layers
I wear a vest top, with a thin longsleeve t-shirt and a smart jumper and if really cold, a cardigan over the top. It's also what I wear when going on site in winter but topped with a coat.