Fashion (or whatever) in the Great White North
I dunno if I can do this or not because “people” keep TALKING!!!! GRRRR. The Marquis was talking about snowpants today, among other things of course. I bet his snowpants are better looking than mine. Mine make me look like a purple Pillsbury Doughboy. I don’t care. I wear ’em anyway!
Okay, we’re talking about absolute temperature here, not windchill. I have a few issues with windchill reports but we’ll get to those. Maybe. Until then. Layers. I have this wonderful Columbia jacket that I bought maybe 15 years ago. It has two layers. The outer layer is a windbreaker, the inner is insulated. You can zip them together or not. When the temperature is in the 30s, I wear the outer shell with a polartech vest underneath. And my ugly cotton-spandex pants. With no tights underneath. If it’s dry, I wear my Chaco sandals with polartech socks. If not, I succumb to my winter tennies. I wear a ski band and scarf and one layer of those little 50-cent KMart-type gloves.
Under 30. The inner layer goes into the jacket. Usually. Depends on criteria I can’t put into words. Tights go under the ugly pants. Feet? Hmmm. If it’s dry, sandals with polartech socks work down to about 25. Ski band and one layer of gloves.
15 degrees down to about 10. Two layers of jacket. Boots. Balaclava (i.e. big warm ugly hood). Two layers of gloves.
10 degrees down to about, oh, three or so. Two layers of jacket. Boots. Balaclava. SNOWPANTS!!! Two layers of gloves.
Three above down to about 10 below. Same stuff plus POLARTECH VEST. Same thing as above 30.
Below 10 below? I *usually* give myself a pass. Unless I am feeling really roto.
Veeeeend Cheeeelll? Depends on what you’re going to do. Walking around my neighborhood at zero-dark-30? Very rarely much wind and almost never as cold as they say on the radio. Shores of Gitchee Gumee? Whole ‘nother story.
February 6th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Doug is 60 today. Shhhhhhh!
February 6th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Kathy – you haven’t said a thing! LOL
February 6th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
My “snowpants” are shielded bike tights. They have a wind shield in front.
Are five day forecast has highs in the fifties and sixties. No snow pants required.
February 6th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I have none of that stuff and I have to ask you what polartech is. It sounds magic to me. We suffer cold pangs here when it drops below 30.
February 7th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Oh, Margaret! Polartech/Polarfleece is the BEST clothing fabric every! Soft and warm and soft and lightweight and… did I say *soft*? My FAVORITE clothing (next to jeans, that is!!)!!!
February 7th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Hmm. Supposed to get up to 60°F here. Hmm. Where are my shorts? Oh, under the pile of goose down jackets and long underwear from my Mich trip!