Please help me with dressing for fall/winter
October 19, 2021 4:09 AM Subscribe
I live in NYC and have a tiny place with limited storage so multifunctional and compact is best for me. Lightweight/compact is also good because I feel like I end up carrying outerwear a lot on subway platforms, etc.
(I'm a size 8-10, 5'8, commute by foot/bike mostly. I work in a school with classrooms that will go between freezing and boiling in the same day).
I'd like the clothes to be good enough to work when visiting family in much colder places (MN, Canada).
I'd like them to look a bit stylish. This is the least important I guess, but a little grown up/sophisticated is nice.
I love clothes that feel nice where they touch my skin.
I'd like to not spend crazy money.
What I need:
* Coat - I had been using the Eddie Bauer Girl on the Go Trench but I changed sizes and it doesn't fit any more. I bought one from Shoebacca for much less money but it feels like the fit/look is different and I'm not sure if it's in my mind or what. I liked that this coat was a little bit less sporty, and that I didn't have to think about rain. I liked that it was longer. I don't like the way the hood doesn't really fasten or work for either cold-protection or rain, but I health with it. Should I just spend for the coat directly from the source or is there something better out there? This is probably the most urgent
* Wool sweater - once upon a time (20 years ago?) I had this burgundy sweater. I'm pretty sure it was wool. It wasn't thick, like a cable sweater, but it had substance. But relative to it's size/weight/thickness, it was the warmest thing I've ever had. It was neither scratchy nor especially soft. It would turn a fall coat into a Montreal winter coat all by itself. I never needed to worry about being cold if I had that sweater with me. I know there are different cuts/styles of wool. Does anyone have any thoughts what this might be or tips on what to look for? This is probably the strongest driving factor behind this question. I would love to find a replacement for that long-lost sweater
* Classroom-based gear - I picture leaving this in the school for when it's completely freezing in the classroom. I'm thinking some kind of ultra warm cozy sweater that can go over anything else I'm wearing, maybe unobtrusive gloves or long sleeves I can pull over my hands, maybe a hood that doesn't cover too much of my face.
* fall/winter tops - heavier weight/longer sleeves than summer but not too heavy because of warm work environment, light sweater/cardigan layer over summer t-shirt could potentially also work here. Prefer a somewhat professional look for the classroom but it doesn't have to be.
I believe I am set for footwear, hat, ear covering, bicycling mittens. But if you absolutely love something I'm glad to hear about it.
Thank you!
(I'm a size 8-10, 5'8, commute by foot/bike mostly. I work in a school with classrooms that will go between freezing and boiling in the same day).
I'd like the clothes to be good enough to work when visiting family in much colder places (MN, Canada).
I'd like them to look a bit stylish. This is the least important I guess, but a little grown up/sophisticated is nice.
I love clothes that feel nice where they touch my skin.
I'd like to not spend crazy money.
What I need:
* Coat - I had been using the Eddie Bauer Girl on the Go Trench but I changed sizes and it doesn't fit any more. I bought one from Shoebacca for much less money but it feels like the fit/look is different and I'm not sure if it's in my mind or what. I liked that this coat was a little bit less sporty, and that I didn't have to think about rain. I liked that it was longer. I don't like the way the hood doesn't really fasten or work for either cold-protection or rain, but I health with it. Should I just spend for the coat directly from the source or is there something better out there? This is probably the most urgent
* Wool sweater - once upon a time (20 years ago?) I had this burgundy sweater. I'm pretty sure it was wool. It wasn't thick, like a cable sweater, but it had substance. But relative to it's size/weight/thickness, it was the warmest thing I've ever had. It was neither scratchy nor especially soft. It would turn a fall coat into a Montreal winter coat all by itself. I never needed to worry about being cold if I had that sweater with me. I know there are different cuts/styles of wool. Does anyone have any thoughts what this might be or tips on what to look for? This is probably the strongest driving factor behind this question. I would love to find a replacement for that long-lost sweater
* Classroom-based gear - I picture leaving this in the school for when it's completely freezing in the classroom. I'm thinking some kind of ultra warm cozy sweater that can go over anything else I'm wearing, maybe unobtrusive gloves or long sleeves I can pull over my hands, maybe a hood that doesn't cover too much of my face.
* fall/winter tops - heavier weight/longer sleeves than summer but not too heavy because of warm work environment, light sweater/cardigan layer over summer t-shirt could potentially also work here. Prefer a somewhat professional look for the classroom but it doesn't have to be.
I believe I am set for footwear, hat, ear covering, bicycling mittens. But if you absolutely love something I'm glad to hear about it.
Thank you!
On the sweater, different types of yarn have different warmth for the weight. So a cashmere sweater will be noticeably warmer even when it's quite thin. Similarly for alpaca, and to a certain extent lambswool. Uniqlo usually do good basics.
Etsy might be the place to get wrist warmers or fingerless gloves.
Coats, to a certain extent, I find you pay for what you get. Or rather that a cheap coat will make its cheapness known to you.
posted by plonkee at 5:51 AM on October 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
Etsy might be the place to get wrist warmers or fingerless gloves.
Coats, to a certain extent, I find you pay for what you get. Or rather that a cheap coat will make its cheapness known to you.
posted by plonkee at 5:51 AM on October 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
I've had great success with the sweaters from Uniqlo - the cashmere/merino blend ones are quite a bit less expensive than the pure cashmere and are still wonderfully soft and warm, though I believe the pricing on the cashmere ones is also reasonable for what they are.
I'm also a fan of their Ultra Light Weight Down line. The regular puffer coat is great for temps in the 25F-50F range, super light as advertised, folds up into a tiny ball for storage if you like. There are vests if that is suitable for your look which are great for layering. The heavy coat is solid for below freezing down to 0F. (I live in Philly so it never really gets colder than that, so I can't speak to how well it handles true north winters.)
Since you're in NYC, you can go check everything out in the stores.
posted by sockshaveholes at 7:09 AM on October 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
I'm also a fan of their Ultra Light Weight Down line. The regular puffer coat is great for temps in the 25F-50F range, super light as advertised, folds up into a tiny ball for storage if you like. There are vests if that is suitable for your look which are great for layering. The heavy coat is solid for below freezing down to 0F. (I live in Philly so it never really gets colder than that, so I can't speak to how well it handles true north winters.)
Since you're in NYC, you can go check everything out in the stores.
posted by sockshaveholes at 7:09 AM on October 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
More sweater thoughts and Uniqlo thoughts. I've never tried their cashmere or cashmere blends, but their lambswool and merino sweaters are really good for the price. The merino sweaters are smooth and light and drapey and kind of stealthily warm, and the one I machine-washed and accidentally dried on low heat handled it pretty well and fuzzed up into a more opaque and slightly warmer fabric. (It's still an oversized men's size on me but maybe a little less so, I can't guarantee they don't shrink up a little with the illicit tumble-drying.)
The lambswool is warm, *really warm*, a little bit prickly in the way that wool can be but also very soft and squishy and fuzzy. It needs some attention with a lint brush about once per season but bounces back pretty well. I find myself waiting until the dead of winter to wear it because of the extreme warmth.
If you want wool sweaters which are heavy and non-fuzzy in that substantial, not so soft way, it's worth looking on secondhand sites like Poshmark for vintage wool sweaters. It seems like the niche for basic heavy sweaters that aren't luxuriously soft and delicate or super expensive is... not wool, these days. But I can search for 'wool dad sweater' or 'wool grandpa sweater' and find a lot of sturdy stuff with the Woolmark label which seems to be correlated to decent, sturdy, workhorse yarn.
posted by fountainofdoubt at 7:40 AM on October 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
The lambswool is warm, *really warm*, a little bit prickly in the way that wool can be but also very soft and squishy and fuzzy. It needs some attention with a lint brush about once per season but bounces back pretty well. I find myself waiting until the dead of winter to wear it because of the extreme warmth.
If you want wool sweaters which are heavy and non-fuzzy in that substantial, not so soft way, it's worth looking on secondhand sites like Poshmark for vintage wool sweaters. It seems like the niche for basic heavy sweaters that aren't luxuriously soft and delicate or super expensive is... not wool, these days. But I can search for 'wool dad sweater' or 'wool grandpa sweater' and find a lot of sturdy stuff with the Woolmark label which seems to be correlated to decent, sturdy, workhorse yarn.
posted by fountainofdoubt at 7:40 AM on October 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
Truthfully the answer is that you should learn how to knit and make yourself your own knit items from 100% wool, alpaca, or cashmere, but that will take a while. Try searching eBay for used 100% wool Pendleton sweaters. They are very warm and not terribly expensive on eBay.
It's become nearly impossible to find hard wearing cashmere sweaters of high quality in the stores these days that aren't very expensive in my experience, so search for vintage 100% cashmere also. Lord & Taylor used to carry high quality cashmere in the 1990s and that might be a good brand to start with.
posted by twelve cent archie at 7:54 AM on October 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's become nearly impossible to find hard wearing cashmere sweaters of high quality in the stores these days that aren't very expensive in my experience, so search for vintage 100% cashmere also. Lord & Taylor used to carry high quality cashmere in the 1990s and that might be a good brand to start with.
posted by twelve cent archie at 7:54 AM on October 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
I’m a big fan of Lands End for less-expensive quality winter coats (especially since they come in tall sizes). I think this coat could work nicely for you - it’s got a waterproof outer layer, and you can wear the inner layer in cold weather. I live in MN and have a regular (not 3 in 1) Lands End Squall parka that I got for a steal via Poshmark, and it is what I wear for most winter days above 15 degrees F. If you buy directly, wait a week or two until you can get at least a 40% off coupon code - never pay full-price!
As for other layerable winter clothes, I’m on a long-term quest to gradually replace all my cotton t-shirts with merino wool versions. I buy Smartwool or Icebreaker basic t-shirts and long-sleeved base layers when I spot them on clearance at REI. The Icebreaker shirts look classier than the Smartwool but are harder to find on clearance.
I’ve been tempted to try a merino dress from Wool &, and they specifically market that you can wear their stuff many days in a row, which would be good if clothes storage is an issue. I’m also considering wool leggings from Wool X because they come in tall sizes, but I don’t know if the wool on wool static cling situation would require wearing a dress slip…
As for warmer layers, how fancy do you need to look at work? I like my Patagonia better sweater fleece, which has held up better than the North Face and Eddie Bauer equivalents I found at Goodwill. Otherwise it could be worth looking on Poshmark for wool sweaters like fountainofdoubt suggested. There are a lot of wool sweater options from Prana on Poshmark if you want something that doesn’t scream vintage.
posted by Maarika at 9:04 AM on October 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
As for other layerable winter clothes, I’m on a long-term quest to gradually replace all my cotton t-shirts with merino wool versions. I buy Smartwool or Icebreaker basic t-shirts and long-sleeved base layers when I spot them on clearance at REI. The Icebreaker shirts look classier than the Smartwool but are harder to find on clearance.
I’ve been tempted to try a merino dress from Wool &, and they specifically market that you can wear their stuff many days in a row, which would be good if clothes storage is an issue. I’m also considering wool leggings from Wool X because they come in tall sizes, but I don’t know if the wool on wool static cling situation would require wearing a dress slip…
As for warmer layers, how fancy do you need to look at work? I like my Patagonia better sweater fleece, which has held up better than the North Face and Eddie Bauer equivalents I found at Goodwill. Otherwise it could be worth looking on Poshmark for wool sweaters like fountainofdoubt suggested. There are a lot of wool sweater options from Prana on Poshmark if you want something that doesn’t scream vintage.
posted by Maarika at 9:04 AM on October 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
One other thought: when I used to work in the office I had a pashmina shawl that I left at my desk, and it was my #1 strategy for dealing with temperature fluctuations. Having an extra way to keep my neck/chest warm helped a ton - and it was easy to pull over my shoulders like a blanket if I was super cold.
posted by Maarika at 9:12 AM on October 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Maarika at 9:12 AM on October 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
I think it's worth exploring Uniqlo's Heattech line. Maybe wearing a Heattech tank under a sweater?
For winter coats... a helpful keyword may be "packable" (e.g.).
posted by oceano at 10:23 AM on October 19, 2021
For winter coats... a helpful keyword may be "packable" (e.g.).
posted by oceano at 10:23 AM on October 19, 2021
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An option for this question:
I know there are different cuts/styles of wool. Does anyone have any thoughts what [the old sweater] might be or tips on what to look for?
You also mentioned you were looking for "lightweight" - look into alpaca garments. Alpaca is super, super lightweight for its warmth-making ability, and is also incredibly soft. I just found this alpaca cardigan at a reasonable price - it only comes in four colors, but looks neat enough to use in either a dressy or a casual outfit.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:27 AM on October 19, 2021 [4 favorites]