Why do British people always under-dress in winter??

[Newmeagain]

This has always puzzled me. I have lived in the UK for many years and so often in winter see people wearing inappropriate clothing and looking very cold - e.g. a thin raincoat, bare legs or uncovered shoes.

Was also just reading a thread where the OP was asking for recommendations for a short winter jacket to wear in Paris in January and lots of people were suggesting the kind of cotton jackets I wear on cooler summer days!

Why is this??

Maybe you over dress? We usually do a Christmas trip to Copenhagen/Bergen/Belgium etc and always think how boiling people must be in their hat and scarf and duvet coats. I hate carrying coats, hate going inside and being boiling after being outside. I’d much rather be on the cold side. I assume people can dress themselves appropriately, why are you assuming we’re walking around cold? I’m fine!

Scotland here. We all dress appropriately. Lots of thermals, good socks, wool jumpers, etc. A lot of us in rural areas still have wood/coal fires only, not having central heating makes a big difference.

‘The UK’ is not a single entity.

Also it rarely gets properly cold in England.

We visited London a few years ago in February it was approx 5 degrees warmer than what we had left and we were walking around and it definitely wasn't cold.

It’s very rare in the southern U.K. at least to need more than a light - medium weight coat because what you need most often is rain and wind protection! A looser fitting raincoat you can layer with a thick jumper or fleece on rare cold days is far more useful. My mid weight coat (sold as ideal for autumn and spring) is all I need until around 4 degrees and I can count the days it drops to that on one hand each year. Obviously in colder climes it’s different but I live in the sw on the coast.

Mud washes and I don't dissolve in rain
Some people take life a little more casually than others.

Yes. I’m not from the UK but lived in London for years — you dress in winter for varying temperatures, getting on and off crowded, often hot tubes and buses, brief walks in rain etc. A big thick coat wouldn’t work, as you’d be roasted half the time.

This reminds me of going Thailand in the cooler season, lots of people in coats when it's 18/20 degrees!

This is not something I've noticed at all. For me, it's a thin thermal layer under a jumper, tights under trousers, huge coat with fur on the inside, gloves, hat and scarf!

You judge your colleagues for not seeking out the cold during their lunch break?

They don't though, when I'm out and about with friends we are all dressed according to the weather as are most people i see

Of course there will be some who aren't but not a whole nation's worth 😀

I have a proper winter coat, but this winter it's been quite mild (except the cold snap at the beginning of December) so I haven't needed to wear it much. I'm the kind of person who's always warm, and I hate feeling overheated!

For not being active, yes. They sit at a car and then a desk. It's incredibly unhealthy. They wouldn't be "seeking out the cold" if they wore a coat.

I never wear anything heavier than a hoody in London. Absolutely no needs even today London is 8c and it always feels 1 or 2c more than it is.

They may well be way more active than you outside of work.

How odd, I don't take a coat to work as I drive there and back and next to never go out during the day as there isn't anything to go out for except a walk and if i planed to do that I would take a coat

I didn't know that it was in some way deficient not to go outside during the work day, when did that start?

Most adults in the UK are overweight or obese, so have layers of fat insulating their internal organs. I personally am not and wear many layers as I'm generally cold between September and May. HTH

I'm the one wearing all the extra layers that some others aren't wearing! I live in the south east but I am still cold. I don't drive so am outside regularly. I do wonder how people still feel warm when standing outdoors for 15 minutes or so waiting for a bus.

😂😂😂is there a secret prize for the judgiest post ?

I dress according to the weather and my knowledge of my own body temperature. You may feel I am underdressed. But as a functioning adult I can make the decision myself. Why on earth would you care?

"I actually live in London so most people I see out and about are not just going from a car into a building - they are walking around etc."

And that's why they're not cold - walking keeps you warm. This is especially true if you're carrying excess weight. A heavy coat with good insulating properties will soon seem far too warm and you'll build up an unpleasant sweat.

I often think the reverse - on mild winter days, I see so many people bundled up in Canada Goose jackets, scarves, hats and gloves when it’s 10/12C+.

How do people (strangers you see on the street) look cold? I’m now imagining icicles hanging from their noses! I’ve split most of my life between London and Paris and not noticed a huge difference in winter clothing.

I am still laughing at the cheek of it 🤣

That sounds very glamorous 😀