Winter coats and jackets

[Avantster]

Ooh, great topic! I was wondering what everyone wears as well. I'm going to Japan in Dec and I have nothing to wear in the cold weather! I'll probably have to get a down jacket or something here.

Question: When it's freezing (i.e. below zero) do any of you wear anything under your pants/jeans? Or maybe long socks, or just nothing?

P.S. Melisande is it true girls in Tokyo still wear miniskirts in the winter?

 

[EdK]

the balenciaga montcler jackets were made for men and women this season. barneys received them like 1 or 2 weeks ago.

 

[adorefaith]

good thread....
i'm having this dilemma at the moment...
living in canada....where we all know what the winters get like....

i dont particularly like the look of down...
i cant seem to find an instance where it doesnt turn everything you're wearing into a 'sporty' look....

i wanted to buy a long black wool coat...
beautiful cut...
but everyone has told me that once it starts snowing and the wind blows, it will go right through to the bone...
and the wool will be useless....

whats the solution here...???...
how do you manage to look somewhat tailored and really keep WARM??...
is down the only way to go?....

 

[Avantster]

good thread....
i dont particularly like the look of down...
i cant seem to find an instance where it doesnt turn everything you're wearing into a 'sporty' look....

whats the solution here...???...
how do you manage to look somewhat tailored and really keep WARM??...
is down the only way to go?....

I'm having the same problem... and so far down seems the only way to go. Well there are Goretex ski jackets but those are even more sporty. Hmm when it comes to something that's insulated, windproof and waterproof/resistant the options seem rather limited..

I'd be glad to hear any suggestions other than down!

 

[Melisande]

Adorefaith...I know your pain. That's kind of why I started this thread...
However I do think that long, slim, A-line down coats can look elegant rather than sporty. Many Moncler jackets look nothing less than the epitome of Italian elegance...but their prices reflect that too...you can check the designs out on their site.
I love Delerith's "Siberian" look with the long down coat and fur hat for example.

I wouldn't completely dismiss wool, however...when I was hiking in England in January and caught in the most miserable rainstorm of my life, I was wearing a wool Daks coat with a quilted lining... I was the only one in our group who stayed warm AND dry, unlike the others in their high-tech jackets. I'm not sure but I assume the lanolin in the wool is a natural water-repellent. I suspect good quality wool makes all the difference though because my other wool jackets have not done the same.

Avantster, yes, it is true...mostly the highschool girls in their uniforms. They usually wear wooly underwear/shorts underneath though...which of course does nothing for the knees...Are you staying on till January and February? Because that's when it gets REALLY cold...in December it doesn't get below zero, you can do with a good warm wool coat and layered sweaters, you don't need to go out of your way to buy a down coat or anything.

And yes I wear tights and wooly socks underneath my jeans/pants in the winter. Once you know wool trousers though, jeans feel like summer clothing...

 

[adorefaith]

^great info melisanda.....thankyou....

i have to say i'm still so confused...
everyone i talk to seems to give me a different story....
some say wool should be okay if i layer underneath and minimize my time outside in the very bitter cold...
others say the only way to go is a very thick down jacket.....or a ski parker....
but i cant do it....i cannot walk around everyday in a ski parker..!!

i think i must have checked out every shop selling winter coats here today....
though some very lovely sa's told me that perhaps the heavy duty (and hopefully stylish) winter coats won't hit stores until the beginning of november....
i was *this close to buying a beautiful long wool coat today but the lining is silk and it isnt the thickest jacket....i'm not sure.....

i think i will wait until early nov. and see what else is out there...??...

if anyone has any more tips....please contribute....!!!
apparently in the very cold weather here it is going to be -40...perhaps worse with the windchill....
i am in no way prepared for that.....
i dont even know what to expect....!

 

[castorpollux]

You shouldn't even be going out if it's -40... I mean, classes would be cancelled anyway if that was the situation (that's been my experience). You'd have to wear a snowsuit if you were going out in that type of weather.
My Calvin Klein wool/cashmere (w/acetate lining) topcoat keeps me perfectly warm (just as well as any hi-tech ski parka), especially when I layer properly and have on a sensible scarf, hat, and gloves.

(thenorthface.com)

 

[adorefaith]

classes wont be cancelled here....
they have a 'tunnel' system at my university.... you can get to anywhere on campus without stepping one foot outside....
which, theoretically, solves the problem....

but i do not live in the bubble of my university....
i often go out....downtown etc....
and one of the fantastic winter events here is ice skating along the canal, which will also require a 'proper' winter jacket...

this is extreme cold in this part of the country...!!!!
and i want to be sensible about it....
but i dont want to walk around in a ski parker until april....

 

[Melisande]

Oh my goodness Castorpollux...that photo surely wins the prize for being the warmest thing mentioned in this thread!

Iceskating along the canal...that's so romantic...

 

[delerith]

One more thing to mention My boyfriend worries for me very much and bought me special outfit which is normally used by people who are hunting in forests or may be who climb the mountains It really works! BUT for the time that you don't need taking off your down jacket or coat

 

[Avantster]

Thanks for the info Melisande , I'm leaving Tokyo at the end of Dec so hopefully I'll be out of there before it hits below zero! I like the idea of a wool coat and layering, that does give me much more options. I have been told however it's better for convenience sake to wear a down jacket and less layers underneath - as you'll be taking it off the jacket when entering shops/places in Tokyo 'cause of the warm air conditioning. What do you think about that?

As a side note I have to say those jackets on the Moncler site are not bad. Not bad at all!

But adorefaith -40 degrees is insane! I can't even start to imagine what that's like... Good luck with finding a good wool coat though!

castorpollux can you give me an example of what you'd consider layering properly? For below zero people tell me polar fleece is the way to go - but I can't stand it... I'm thinking with your said topcoat, would an undershirt, long sleeve cotton top, wool sweater, jeans, and long wool socks (with scarf, gloves, beanie) be enough?

Cheers, Brian

 

[castorpollux]

Thanks for the info Melisande , I'm leaving Tokyo at the end of Dec so hopefully I'll be out of there before it hits below zero! I like the idea of a wool coat and layering, that does give me much more options. I have been told however it's better for convenience sake to wear a down jacket and less layers underneath - as you'll be taking it off the jacket when entering shops/places in Tokyo 'cause of the warm air conditioning. What do you think about that?

As a side note I have to say those jackets on the Moncler site are not bad. Not bad at all!

But adorefaith -40 degrees is insane! I can't even start to imagine what that's like... Good luck with finding a good wool coat though!

castorpollux can you give me an example of what you'd consider layering properly? For below zero people tell me polar fleece is the way to go - but I can't stand it... I'm thinking with your said topcoat, would an undershirt, long sleeve cotton top, wool sweater, jeans, and long wool socks (with scarf, gloves, beanie) be enough?

Cheers, Brian

Yes, that should be more than sufficient for freezing weather in the city, especially if you're doing a lot of walking. Incidentally, I was actually in Tokyo in January/February of 2004, and I thought their winter was quite mild compared to anything I've ever experienced in Chicago or NYC...

 

[keysersoze]

classes wont be cancelled here....
they have a 'tunnel' system at my university.... you can get to anywhere on campus without stepping one foot outside....
which, theoretically, solves the problem....

but i do not live in the bubble of my university....
i often go out....downtown etc....
and one of the fantastic winter events here is ice skating along the canal, which will also require a 'proper' winter jacket...

this is extreme cold in this part of the country...!!!!
and i want to be sensible about it....
but i dont want to walk around in a ski parker until april....

How about a fur or faux-fur coat?

 

[Melisande]

Avantster, that is totally true...a down jacket is much more convenient for that reason, and much lighter too. And Castorpollux is right...Tokyo winters are FAR milder if you are used to Chicago or New York. Personally, I despise the cold, and would be very thankful for a down jacket in Jan/Feb here...and most people do wear down.

Speaking of down...anyone know if the Northface Aconcagua is warmer than the Nuptse?

 

[CAPiTA]

I hate to have to show my snowboarding side, BUT if you are looking for a nice, warm, waterproof, and good looking jacket look no farther than Holden Outerwear. http://www.holdenouterwear.com/2005/index.html.

Yes it is snowboarding clothes line, but it was started by snowboarders who were tired of terrible fitting/looking jackets. All the cuts are solid and come in some nice colors.

Well thats my 2 cents.

 

[castorpollux]

Avantster, that is totally true...a down jacket is much more convenient for that reason, and much lighter too. And Castorpollux is right...Tokyo winters are FAR milder if you are used to Chicago or New York. Personally, I despise the cold, and would be very thankful for a down jacket in Jan/Feb here...and most people do wear down.

Speaking of down...anyone know if the Northface Aconcagua is warmer than the Nuptse?

It's not. The Nuptse has 700 fill down, while the Aconcagua has only 550 fill...

 

[yourbestfriend]

Wow what school do you go to adorefaith?

I need to buy myself a jacket for winter, i already have a snowboard jacket but im looking for something else, it dosent get colder than 0celsious here...

 

[adorefaith]

^carleton university.....

 

[tinuvielberen]

^great info melisanda.....thankyou....

i have to say i'm still so confused...
everyone i talk to seems to give me a different story....
some say wool should be okay if i layer underneath and minimize my time outside in the very bitter cold...
others say the only way to go is a very thick down jacket.....or a ski parker....
but i cant do it....i cannot walk around everyday in a ski parker..!!

i think i must have checked out every shop selling winter coats here today....
though some very lovely sa's told me that perhaps the heavy duty (and hopefully stylish) winter coats won't hit stores until the beginning of november....
i was *this close to buying a beautiful long wool coat today but the lining is silk and it isnt the thickest jacket....i'm not sure.....

i think i will wait until early nov. and see what else is out there...??...

if anyone has any more tips....please contribute....!!!
apparently in the very cold weather here it is going to be -40...perhaps worse with the windchill....
i am in no way prepared for that.....
i dont even know what to expect....!

-40F??? That is dangerously cold.

The only reasonable alternatives to down are fur or shearling. A full-length fur coat is a bit over-the-top for a student, IMHO. And if it gets snowed on, that fur will smell like a wet dog once you bring it inside. Fur can also shed all over the place. Shearling is very snug, but I'm not sure how good a wind barrier it is. You could possibly make do with a heavy wool coat that has a big fur collar; but I'm afraid you're going to wind up hypothermic for fashion...

I think, to be happy, you're going to need two coats: a stylish one for when the weather isn't too extreme; and a serious, Arctic explorer-type down coat, for when it is.

edited to add:

Fun facts: -40F and -40C are the exact same temperature.
The average person's skin starts to freeze (frostbite) at -25 F wind chill.
At wind chills more extreme than -45 F, exposed skin may freeze in mere minutes, and there is a severe chance of hypothermia if you're outside for any length of time.

 

[tott]

I come from the north of Sweden where it's not that uncommon for the temperature to drop to -30 or even -40°. It usually doesn't really drop below -20° here in Stockholm, but that's also pretty cold.

If you lead a normal city life and don't really spend time outside, you will certainly survive in a stylish wool coat as long as you have room for a thick sweater under it, wear a warm scarf and shoes that aren't too thin. If you're going to spend time outside, you really need to prioritize practicality and warmth.

I'm guessing it's the same in most cold climates: When it gets cold enough, everyone throws on down or fur anyway so you wouldn't be the only one "compromizing" their style.