Arctic

Chicagotribune.com

I would like to give a quick shout-out to all my midwest people braving that horrendous cold.  On the bright side it really looks as though people are enjoying throwing boiling water and watching it turn into ice or snow or whatever.  Bundle up, stay safe, keep warm.

Apparently it's so cold that moving to the South Pole would actually be warmer, whether or not it's true I don't know, but whatever say hi to Santa for me.  Let me clue those that have never dealt with this much cold, I have actually slept in a jacket, mittens, a hat and Ugg boots.   

1. Don't complain: This realization came to me after a blizzard happened during my spring break.  As I braveed the cold the rest of my class went to Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii.  The  rest of us were in the same frigid boat and mother nature does not care.  Instead I stayed at home with my toast and hot coco and watched the Travel channel's best resort special and took it like a real woman.

2. Start on the inside: Long john's were the bane of my existence as a kid but now I really kick myself for not utilizing them more.  The idea is the thermal should keep you warmer by adding another layer thin enough to fit under jeans and sweaters without really bulking up an outfit.  Especially for jeans, jeans are the worst for winter, they are always cold so add a thermal underneath.

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  Girls get to wear tights but they're useless if they're thin, go for the fleece leggings.  My mother bought me a pair for my birthday last year and it's now a big wardrobe staple.  Very snug, very warm, very practical, don't you just love that?  And your corner Walgreens should carry them from
$6-$8.00.  Layering is such a big part of winter wear that those who understand are the ones who need it. which brings me to three...

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3. Layered: Fun fact about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, when they first moved to New York City they had a rather interesting choice of clothing.  They were piling on clothes almost to the point of looking unrecognizable that is if you could find them underneath all those clothes.  Reality was they were just trying to stay warm.  Wearing skin tight gloves under knit mittens, a skull cap under a knit cap, and a fleece scarf under a knit scarf are little tricks.  Find a sweater that clings to your skin, throw on a chunky sweater vest over it and there's something new for you and should help guard you against that blasted cold.  Something I loved doing was the double jacket maneuver.  A cropped wool jacket on the inside and a bulkier thermal jacket on the outside so if I forgot to zip or button up the outside I still had on another layer.  Remember to actually button and zip all those little buttons, hooks, and zippers so air is very limited in entering your body.  Also be careful when layering because you don't want to plumb yourself by not flattering yourself.  Really study your figure and add pieces you never thought of.

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5.  Speaking of coats:  Some people do make the mistake in choosing the wrong coat, Remember most people see you in coats most of the time. Flimsy, big, loud you name it I've seen it or worn it. Duh you want a furry hood but if you want durability skip the fur-trimmed hood and just get a furry hood.  You want insulation really and desperate times call for desperate measures.  At the end of the day we're all cold judgement is left at a minimum but you can still attempt style.  Puffy jackets are good as long as they offer something worthwhile in return such as insulation.  Pick your material accordingly, I would rather go
for wool, fleece, cashmere than leather.  Leather doesn't work unless your wearing something inside.

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4. These boots were made for...: Stilletto boots are fun but not when you're waling on ice or looking out for black ice.  You want something with more traction and you also want to tuck your pants into the boot.  Think of it as rehearsal and opening show, the shoes you wear outside is rehearsal and the ones you change into is the actual performance.  Winter boots don't have to be ugly and a lot of designers have realized that and have made accomodations.  What you should really try to find is a furry inside for maximum heat, but at the same time you want to be able to clean it easily.  After a while the salt on the road mixed with the dirty snow wrecks havoc on your winter wear.

Stay warm, stay safe...