ETA Here I go! What’s warmer?

Stagiaire Fash

Monday morning, I will get up several hours before sunrise to go stand in line outside for several hours. Temps will probably be just above freezing.

I plan to wear my Uniqlo heat tech LS undershirt, tights, and socks with airism leggings and my warmest tall boots. Beyond that, I’m not sure, but I know some of you are frequently out in the cold.

Which is warmer, my wool skirt or blue jeans? The skirt’s fabric itself is warmer, but it just reaches the top of my boots.
If I wear a cami under the heat tech, does it interfere with the ability of the little loops in the fabric keeping me warm?
I’ll probably wear 2 sweaters, at least one of them T-neck.
I’m undecided about my top layer; the bomber jacket has Thinsulate, so it’s warmer than my wool coat, but it doesn’t cover my bottom. I could add a pair of velvet shorts in with all the layers.
I plan to take a couple scarves so I can swap them out if my exhalation gets one of them wet, or just take paper face masks to use as liners for the scarves.
Suede gloves or fuzzy yarn mittens (or both)?
I may take a thermos of hot tea or veggie broth.
All advice and tips will be appreciated!

4 years ago

Dressing

22 replies

Latest reply was from Stagiaire Fash

Vildy

Veteran

I don't envy you your adventure. Denim is not warm. I'd wear the
skirt over the tights/leggings with the tall boots. I might try the mittens over the gloves. You can wear your scarf so that it covers a lot of your face but did you mention a hat that covers your ears? Also, you want
room for your toes to wiggle a bit - like the mitten principle - but be mindful that if your boots are dress boots with a thin sole, you could
feel the cold cement beneath your feet.

4 years ago

Vildy

Veteran

Since you don't have a warm coat, do you maybe have some kind of
puffer vest that would fit over the coat?

4 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

Jeans make me cold, so I think I'm with Vildy. If the skirt is roomy enough for layering, put some fleecy leggings or tights underneath, and some long wool socks if you've got 'em. I'd go with whichever coat is easier to layer under -- I imagine the longer one? I feel like the shorter length and elastic waist on bombers limits layering options, but maybe you have the right tops/sweaters to go underneath it. I always opt for mittens over gloves if I need to actually keep my hands warm. I imagine that once the sun is up, you'll probably want to shed at least one layer, so make sure whatever you're wearing underneath can stand alone. Good luck!

I keep looking at these wool-blend wrap skirts, designed by a woman in Minnesota for adding extra warmth in winter conditions. Wool skirts are just blankets you can wear.

4 years ago

Vildy

Veteran

do you have anything like an afghan you could wrap over your coat?

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4 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

“Skirts are just blankets you can wear” ha! So true. And yes, I do have a throw blanket to take along—good idea!
Vildly, yes, I’ll wear one of my knit caps.
LePed, I thought I was being innovative with the mittens over gloves idea—nope!
Thank you both for your suggestions!

4 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

When it's really cold here, I always opt for skirts over jeans. You can fit a lot of stuff under skirts! On the coldest days, I would wear thick tights with thick leggings over the top, and a pair of black silk long underwear over that (the silk underwear was very nice looking, and it wasn't obvious that it was underwear--you couldn't see much of it anyway by the time I was done with the outfit). I would add a pair of heavy socks over the tights. Then boots and a thick wool midi skirt.

For my top half, I wore my warmest underlayer (Cuddl Duds), and over the top of that I wore a thick turtleneck. Then over that I wore a long cardigan (duster?). Do you have any long sweaters you could wear to help cover your rear end? Then my puffer over the top, along with a heavy scarf. Then a warm hat that covers the ears well.

I generally find mittens warmer than gloves, because the fingers aren't separated and can help keep each other warm. If you have some very thin knit gloves (the cheap stretchy kind), you can wear them under the mittens.

Good luck!

4 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

FI, I’ve had a pair of cheap synthetic “liner gloves” my whole adult life. In really cold weather, I almost always have them on underneath my mittens, so that I don’t have to choose between manual dexterity and staying warm. Now that it’s the age of smartphones, I should probably replace them with an “e-tip” pair...

4 years ago

Joy

Veteran

Do you have a hoodie That you can layer under your coat? While teaching there were 30-45 minute periods of recess duty walking a cold playground for recess duty. I found that the longer the coat, the warmer it was. A hood hat with faux fur around the face did a good job of handeling cold winds. It tied under my chin and allowed a knit beanie underneath. I warm scarf or shawl under or over the coat helps. Layers are good because you can change the level of warmth, especially if you feel too warm. Consider getting hand warmers to put in your coat pockets. Wishing you warmth.

4 years ago

Minaminu

Veteran

Echo

Vildy and La Pedestrienne! Don't forget a warm beanie, if the extremities are warm, the cold is more bearable. Good idea to bring a thermos with a hot tea, it will warm you up.

It may be a bit extreme, but I am always cold... when I was a student in Germany, I had to queue up early in the morning to register to some courses and was not afraid to use a hot bottle water under my under my arm! It takes some skills when walking but it was soo good!

4 years ago

Lynne

Veteran

Please let us know what you decide and how it plays out....FWIW I wore jeans over tights during Copenhagen winters, but I had friends that thought jeans were cold to wear. Do you have pocket handwarmers? The ones where you snap a little metal disc and gel heats up?

4 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

How about one of those heat up patches that stuck onto your lower back? I think they’re for back pain, but would help keep you warm. Back when our son was in high school band, they helped the song girls from freezing in their skimpy outfits during half time.

4 years ago

nuancedream

Veteran

Jeans have that magical quality of making me feel too hot or too cold unless I'm in a temperate, mild climate. I'm with Vildy and La Ped with the fleece leggings or tights under a wool skirt with long wool socks and tall boots. When I'm in extreme cold weather, my Helly Hansen base layer shirt and pants keep me very warm.

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I’d double layer: Stockings, thermal leggings, wool (wool is best for warmth) socks, skirt, longer coat, thermal top, top, sweater (obviously not in that order necessarily). Close fits. Drafts are killers to me. I learned from YLF here the magic of the close fit and double layers. Before YLF, I wondered why my puffers never really kept me warm. I was just putting the coat on over my California clothes, with no under layering. Agree that sneakers can be better than thin soled boots...

4 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

RL, yep, tights *and* leggings are in the OP, and it sounds like I’ll be wearing them under my midi wool skirt.

Thanks, everybody who suggested hand warmers, warming bottles, etc. We have a heat/ice pack (to put on injuries) that I can heat up that morning.

4 years ago

nemosmom

Veteran

Lots of layers and your longest coat!

4 years ago

Cee

Veteran

I hope you don't pass out from the facemask and scarves combo !

What you suggested in your opening post sounds pretty good to me, Fash'.

Long thermals, a turtleneck, another sweater and either the coat or bomber jackets sounds pretty cool and on your bottom half jeans and boots should suffice unless it's a particularly bitter early morning.

4 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Cee, if I pass out, it’ll be in amazement at do many words from you ;). Thanks for the concern & the advice.

This grand expedition may be moved to Tues, but it is coming for sure.

3 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

And I’m off on my big adventure at the foreigners office. Am wearing
Tall btown boots
Wool skirt
Uniqlo heat tech tights
Fleece tights
Heat tech socks
Mesh/lace body stocking
Sleeveless linen bodysuit
LS sports gear mock T similar to heat tech
LS velvet Henley
Chunky cotton/silk T-neck sweater
Big blue coat
Suede gloves
Huge flat plaid scarf
Knit cap.

In my bag, just in case, are big mittens abs a winter headband. It’s 39 degrees, predicted to go down two before sunrise around 8. By then I hope to be inside—they open at 7:30. Ordinarily I’d say a line back to here is bad news, but we are spaced out, so I might. I wish I’d brought headphones.

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3 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

If your feet start to get cold... take off the socks (!)

3 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

RL, i remember thinking that when my mom dressed us for ice skating. Is it true?

3 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

It is if your feet are getting sweaty... you end up cooling your feet. The thing is for me, my feet don’t necessarily feel sweaty, but it’s happening nonetheless.

3 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

All done now! My feet did get cold, but a little stomping & dancing around helped.

I’m not completely through the butocratic jungle yet, but I got our passports back. Turns out the reason I couldn’t get an answer after I sent in requested documentation was that they realized they had been confiscated in error, so another dept was responsible. “Not my job!” No one bothered to tell me. P

3 years ago

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