best outerwear for northeast US?
Budget is less than 500 per piece. Any recommendation of brands etc and how many different outerwear items do i need? This is my first winter lol
9 Replies
What temperatures are you going to be facing? Layering is always going to provide the most warmth. What is your style like? You could look at getting a down jacket from The North Face or Patagonia to start out.
Disregarding fashion, I would say you only "need" one coat: A proper winter parka like the North Face McMurdo or the LL Bean Baxter State.
Boston weather
I like sleek and preppy
Do you walk outside a lot? Different requirements for someone who has to walk across campus versus someone with a garage and a car...
Boston doesn't get truly cold, but it's windy as fuck so it feels cold. You probably won't need to be outside for more than a minute in weather any less than -10F, but wind chill is real. Boston also has plenty of precipitation -- snow is not really a problem, not nearly as much as sleet, freezing rain, and the annual misjudged puddle that's actually 7 inches deep and full of liquid water filled with salt and sand that's at a freezing temp.
I was a stubborn college kid so if I were to do it over again with a proper budget and a lot less stubborness, I'd focus on:
1. Boots. Waterproof and comfortable more than anything else. Warm you get sort of for free in any winter boot unless you walk a lot or your feet get really cold (mine do not), and longevity isn't that important if you need to cut corners somewhere. Not a particularly fashion forward choice but fully practical. Because those puddles will absolutely ruin your day. You could trade up for better looks, great construction, if you commit to taking good care of the stuff. (So again, there's the question of, are you a college student or a[n assumingly young] professional? The latter has much more opportunity to do things like "take care of leather boots.")
2. Layers. Pretty self explanatory. You can wear thinner, sleeker jackets if you dress more warmly underneath. Similarly, if you wear long johns you can wear a much sleeker trouser and still be warm, if not necessarily dry.
3. Pants: Truthfully I never had that much issue having my pants went in the winter, except the bottoms due to aforementioned puddles. Waxed cotton is probably more than adequate, as an example. Just some sturdy jeans can do fine if you don't get the bottoms wet, probably. For chinos or slacks, I'd look at tighter weaves like twill and gabardine. If you're cold, tweed trousers are dope (for my tastes, anyways.) Depends on your preferences.
4. Gloves: Preferences. I never bothered. How cold do your hands get? Kent Wang's leather gloves are fantastic.
5. Hat: Preferences. I never bothered.
6. Scarf: See above
7. So that leaves the questin of jacket, which I think is the most obvious question you're asking (that is, not the answer, but that you are asking it). So basically, it's easy to make a jacket warm if you allow for significant volume - just fill it with real down or a synthetic alternative, stuff it good and it'll be warm. Make it some sort of polyester or waxed coating and it's pretty water resistant. Throw on a hood if your head gets cold or wet or you like the style. (I inevitably took hoods off my jackets where they were optional.) However, for sleek and preppy, your choices are to either use more expensive materials/construction to keep you warmer, lean more heavily on certain synthetics which may not be sleek or preppy, or just be cold. When I went to college in Boston, the north face jackets were omnipresent -- if you walk quickly (and I find scowling helps), it's warm enough for building to building. But it won't do for a stroll in the park. Pea coats, thick safari jackets, fully buttoned up tweed sport coats with storm collars, there's a lot of jackets that are warm and look the way you want, but they tend to cost. Second-hand is great for these since they tend to see little wear. The other option is an overcoat. Whether that's sleek or preppy is in the eye of the beholder .... many other options probably are not -- like a barbour waxed jacket is probably too un-sleek for you?
One preppy and possibly "free" option is to unabashedly use a ski jacket, because when lift tickets at Stowe are $200/day, well... :P free if you ski and have a good jacket, anyways.
Some of the older trad stuff like duffel jackets probably don't qualify for sleek at all. Warm as heck though
Yeah, I think my essentials would be: 1) Winter coat (insulated, water-proof parka with an insulated hood) 2) Thick wool socks. 5) Waterproof boots. 4) Long underwear. 5) Gloves or mittens. 1-3 are everyday essentials. 4-5 are used rarely, for the very coldest days. Never been into hats and scarves -- that's what the hood of the coat is for.
But is this is my first winter where I actually care about fashion, so my opinion may change.
I spent all my winter years as an adult (or an "adult") just wearing a hoodie or whatever one jacket I owned over a hoodie, walking quickly, and scowling a bit, so yeah preferences change a bit over time haha
it depends on whether unwalking a lot
for coat i prob look for a lined peacoat
sleek enough and still super versatile
get a beanie too, just my pref. i get headache if my head exposed under cold air
i would get a down ll bean coat (those are super warm),and a peacoat for date or going out, or daily if u bored of 1 jacket
A wool duffle for the dead of winter (a longer one) and a Barbour with a pile liner for when it’s 30+ outside. You could get a balmacaan instead of a duffle if you want something a bit more contemporary/less ivy.
This could be hit or miss but you may be able to find good deals on jackets at places like Burlington.
Jeans might not cut it in cold months. Maybe try sherpa pants?
Layering is always going to provide the most warmth.100% this ! i.e. Wear a thermal undershirt > Your regular shirt > Light jacket -> Heavier jacket An important aspect of staying warm is to actually take off layers when you don't need them, and put them back on as needed. If you sweat because you're wearing too many layers, that sweat will get hit with the cold air and make you colder. Pants are also underrated. Have thermal pants under your pants.
Jeans might not cut it in cold months. Maybe try sherpa pants?