What are your winter staples?

[AppleStrudel16]

I’m lucky enough to live in the southwest where our winters are usually 10 degrees and rainy. A jumper with a long sleeved top under it and a rain coat usually suffices. But im off on a couple of wintery trips this winter and have nothing in my wardrobe that’ll really do. My jumpers are pretty flimsy and I don’t have any thermals.

any recommendations would be appreciated!

Well, how cold are we speaking? And what kind of trip? will you be spending a lot of time outdoors?

Below is what I usually wear on cold winter days (which also served me well for Christmas in the Scottish highlands, to give you a frame of reference). but I wouldn’t wear those if I’d go skiing or holidayed in northern Scandinavia…

it also depends on whether it’s still warm enough to rain!

Long, warm coat.

Warm, waterproof shoes (at least ankle height) with good isolation (not just the lining but also the soles.

Good thermals. I prefer natural wool fibre but some people have sensitive skin.

If you’re partial to jeans (whether that’s feasible really depends on the amount of time you spend outside and the temperatures): make sure you can comfortable fit thermals - or at the very least tights - underneath. (Although you won

something for your head that you’ll actually wear. I usually prefer a headband (even though it’s not quite as warm as a had) because it won’t mess up my hair too much.

gloves / mittens. I often wear wrist warmers around the office…

good socks! (Not cotton.)

Invest in layers.

Make sure you can actually combine the items of clothing. A bulky scarf with a high neck-jacket or coat won’t really work.

sunglasses and sunscreen may be a necessity (depends on your destination).

I personally prefer natural fibres such as wool or cashmere. But polyester blends are fine as well imo. Just don’t wear cotton jumpers or items of clothing, even if they’re thick or have lining.

Patra Silk thermal vests (long-sleeved, V-neck) to wear under cashmere jumpers or silk shirts. Or silk thermal long-johns, but generally only wear these if temperatures are well below freezing.
Cord or velvet trousers.
Warm socks, sometimes even put my skiing socks over the top.
Quilted waistcoat.
Have also got a Woolrich duvet coat for really cold weather (in Europe, far from the sea) but have only worn it twice in 6 years. Ditto warm, waterproof/snowproof boots.
Have now got a hooded Seasalt Cornwall fishtail parka/coat that is waterproof, but breathable, but have yet to test it properly.
I am not averse to a hat either, but only if I am going out somewhere, where it won't need to be removed (or if I need to nip out to the shops and haven't done my hair).
I grew up in Devon, so would not think my current winter attire fits the bill for a Devon winter, unless it is going to be like 1963 or 1987 with heavy snow.

I’m off to northern Scandinavia and then to Denmark

I have never had thermals or anything so feel very new to it all!

Are these city break type trips or more rural, OP? Or a combo?

My usual winter essentials (Northern UK) are:

• Didriksons parka coat - I have a couple, both pretty old but they've been brilliant and are still warm, waterproof and look fine.
• Comfortable boots I can fit sheepskin insoles in - mine are Geox and I have some Dr M Chelsea boots too but they're not as comfy. Merrell boots have served me well in the past.
• Non-jeans trousers - I like Lucy & Yak soft corduroys and also thermal leggings for walking.
• sheepskin/shearling gloves for smartish, Turtle Doves fingerless gloves for WFH, some very old ski gloves for snowballing/sledging
• I'm not a hat fan generally but occasionally I wear a sort of loose fleece beanie on a walk
• Neck warmer scarves - the smaller the better! The older I get, the more I dislike a bulky scarf getting in the way. The ones that are technically headbands work well - Oubas for lovely merino ones, or I've also made a couple out of an old cashmere snood.

I also like a thin thermal layer when needed - mine are mostly Sainsbury's, and my most worn "nice" winter item is an oversized corduroy shirt dress that suits most occasions, I bloody love it.

Thermals make a difference, I buy them in plain colours. They just look like a standard top under your jumper but are significantly warmer. Uniqlo heattech are great and there are always lots of styles to suit. Knee high socks, John Lewis do some gorgeous wool/silk mix ones.

I have a lovely navy lambswool jumper from Community Clothing. Wool is always warmer.

as pp asked: are you planning a city trip? Or will these be more “outdoorsy” (and if yes, what kind of activities)?

Sorry, city break with potentially some walks in Oslo, I am looking at the ferries between the islands on the fjord

Def invest in some thermals. Vests, long sleeved tops and thermal tights/leggings. Then you can layer up as needed.
I love wearing my summer/thinner dresses throughout the winter so always find thermals really helpful.

I wear long sleeve thermal good quality tops under jumpers and jeans with warm Ugg tazmans that are fluffy inside so feet are toasty

other times it’s thick warm leggings with cashmere socks and Ugg boots,long sleeve thick thermal and a long chunky cardigan that I can wrap round myself.

I’ve got a couple of really nice cashmere mix thick long and wide scarves that I also wear and fingerless gloves or wrist warmers.

I’ve been to Oslo in January a few times and found that my normal winter clothes were fine - but I live in Aberdeen!

I had Uniqlo base layer tops, put sheepskin insoles in my boots/trainers, and had fingerless gloves I wore underneath mittens because I get really cold hands. Otherwise I wore my regular outfits - so eg base layer, t-shirt, wool or alpaca sweater, jeans, puffer coat (mine is a long Arket one which is very warm), scarf. I have a cashmere beanie hat that lives permanently in my bag which I wore too. Boots-wise I had DMs and found that the pavements were really well treated to cope with snow/ice, a million times better than they are here.

For thermals, look at Isobaa, Howies, Icebreaker or Smartwool for merino wool baselayers. Really warm, machine washable, and you can wear them for a few days without washing - they don’t smell! Great for travelling.

YY to Didricksons parkas.

Sheepskin insoles (actual sheepskin not synthetic) and wool rich socks (not 100% wool, they will wear out very quickly).

Long, down-filled black coat with a hood.
Layers - t-shirt or long sleeved t-shirt with a zipped sweatshirt/ zipped hoodie over it.
Big scarf, fleece-lined mittens, wool gloves, thermal gloves (choose what to use depending on weather).
Wool socks. Knee length preferred.
Leather boots that are lined with leather or wool, Uggs.
Sweatpants.
Leggings.
Heavyweight denim or lined denim jeans.

Live in northern midwest US.

Also, velvet jeans.

For seriously cold weather office days (Montreal, -20 degrees) I have a flared maxi skirt in charcoal boucle which I wear with low heeled ankle boots, a t-shirt or blouse, and a sweater.

Or wide legged wool trousers and long sleeved lambswool tops over t-shirts.

Thermal T-shirts if necessary. I have a choice of a tidy wool overcoat, scarf and fake fur Cossack style hat (a bit of glam), or if travelling in below freezing weather, a ski jacket and boots.

I have a very stupid question about thermals, I’ve literally never worn them before and nobody in my family has either because it never gets cold enough to justify owning them! Do I wear them as a base layer with something over the top (thermals - tshirt - jumper) or just them and a jumper? And then on my bottom half is it just leggings or leggings + bottoms?

However you want, tbh. On the bottom half I usually stick to thermals and trousers. But never ever just leggings.

on the top: depends on where I’m going, what I’m wearing etc. Most of my thermals can be worn as a t-shirt, so if it gets too hot (inside) I can simply take off my jumper and walk around in my thermal.

But I might also wear a button up (or similar) between my thermal layer and the jumper. Especially if I’m a bit iffy about the temperature inside. If it’s really warm I can simply go to the loo, take off the thermal and wear the “middle” layer. But I personally really dislike feeling hot / too warm.

be aware that some people - like my dear mother - are firm believers in more layers. So she wears thermals, shirt, thin cashmere or wool cardigan (preferably a longer one), thick wool jumper plus coat pretty much all winter…

Thank you! I know it sounds stupid but we rarely, if ever, get sustained periods below 0. Maybe 2 or 3 days at a time and then back up to 6-10 degrees and rainy. What I’m wearing today (trousers, a jumper and a rain coat) will do me almost all winter. I might switch to a long sleeved top if needs be!

I live in Sweden, sort of in the middle. Winter temperatures can be ten degrees plus or ten degrees minus, it's unreliable (about ten or fifteen years ago we had a memorable instance of the temperature on Midsummers Eve and Christmas Eve being exactly the same, ten degrees warm - good times). Sometimes we dip to -15 or even 20, but more and more unlikely with climate change.

I dress for temperature shifts and for slush. 😩

I have a not very thick but long duvet coat that I wear when it's cold because it covers my legs a good bit, and this means I don't have to wear anything under my trousers which means I'm more comfortable when I go indoors. Another middle aged option is the padded skirt. No-one under 30 is seen dead in one of those (yes I own one).

Always wool socks. I have chelsea boots with a good sole (not fashiony) that are unlined, and wool socks in those keep my fine if I'm just in town. If I'm outside for longer periods and/or it gets really cold I move to lined boots.

Scarf, gloves/mittens. Wool jumpers. Cover the gaps.

I don't switch to warmer coats until it's around 0. Before that a thin coat does me with a wool jumper underneath and I might even choose to wear thin wool tops so I'm layering wool. I love wool.

You’re welcome! You don’t sound stupid. Your questions are a good reminder that what may seem obvious / like a basic life skill to me may not be to you (and vice versa, obviously!).

If you’re spending extended amounts of time outdoors you will need ski trousers and a ski jacket.

Dressing for mixed activities (time spent outdoors and indoors) does require a bit of planning imo (or feeling very comfortable simply wearing your thermals, which is usually perfectly normal when skiing but maybe not quite the outfit for a museum visit). Otherwise you’ll be freezing outdoors or sweating indoors.

I’m thinking I’ll layer, I’m going to get a Uniqlo parka because I’m hoping that’ll also be okay for home, especially heading into Jan/Feb where we tend to get hammered with winter storms! And I’m thinking thermals and some light fleeces, I’ll be popping up to London to go to Battersea power station to do some shopping in the new year so I’ll try to shop with that in mind!

Can anyone recommend their favourite wool-rich socks? I generally wear cotton ones unless I'm walking/hiking, reckon I might upgrade this year!

@banivani, please tell me more about padded skirts 😁

As an aside, in one of my favourite novels (Miss Smila's Feeling for Snow) there's a fair amount of description of what she wears for the Danish and Greenlandic winters and I LOVE those sections, don't really know why!

@EllatrixB i really like Pairs for socks. The merino ones are great for everyday and the lambswool bed socks are my absolute faves (cold person living in Scotland). They often have offers and bundles, and I enjoy that they are a Scottish small business too.

Where are you off to in Northern Scandinavia @AppleStrudel16?

For the Oslo and Denmark part of your trips, although winter is cold there it’s not actually that extreme - weather averages are around or just below freezing. So I think a decent parka/puffer plus good base layers and some decent boots, hat, scarf, gloves etc will be fine. But Northern Scandinavia would be a lot colder than Oslo or anywhere in Denmark! Averages could be many degrees below zero - you might want more specialist clothing for that (if you’re doing snow sports or activities you can often borrow stuff though). We’ve done trips into Arctic Norway and it’s been very cold!

Where abouts are you going to?

We lived in Copenhagen for a couple of years and went to Stockholm a lot too in winter. Heavy duvet type coat, thermals and leggings/jeans , t shirt under long sleeved top etc - woolly hat and gloves and boots with good grip - however be warned a lot of places are very very warm/cisy inside so you can end up overheated - I stuck to lots of layers and a very heavyweight duvet coat . Also I have had it another poster said minus 12 and plus 12 in January!! Snow sometimes, but not always

Hello new best friend, Smilla's sense of snow is one of my absolute favourite books ever, which is odd because I don't much love the author's other stuff. Maybe it's the clothes!

Now padded skirts ... there are some nice looking ones out there, but much harder to find. The one us middle-aged mumsy types wear is this kind https://www.stadium.se/sport/outdoor/klader/139657001/dobsom.comfort-skirt.black It's definitely a polarising garment. When my daughters were in their early 20s I offered them the loan of mine when they were going out and it was very cold (sure it'll fold up small, you can whip it off in the queue and no-one will see you) and they r-e-f-u-s-e-d. They're nearing their 30s now, I'm waiting for them to come home and say "actually...".

You don't wear it to be fashionable, but it's an awful handy thing to avoid thermals under your trousers and/or help you wear skirts easier.