The dos and don’ts this winter

05 Jul, 2015 - 00:07 0 Views

The Sunday News

LET’S face it winter isn’t a favourite season for most people and you can simply tell by the way they dress up. Bracing for the onslaught of wild winter weather with hats, gloves, sweaters, and scarves is rough stuff.

Before I get on with this week’s topic, I would love to urge people to bath as this is one of the most important hygiene tips. You wouldn’t want to lose friends or have people turning their noses up when you walk up to them, would you?

It’s a particularly treacherous time of the year for letting your style take a nasty slip.

However, wearing a homemade hat with a pom-pom is no easier than sliding on a sleek winter cap.

I summed up a couple of winter survival tips.

Take this as a timely present for navigating through the inclement conditions in style.

Stick to the classic winter clothing and don’t try to experiment with the clothes and styles you see on TV or magazines they won’t work.

Men usually don’t wear hats but this winter could be exciting as men could take this as the ultimate chance to advertise grandma’s knitting skills.

Your grandma’s, for those that still have them, creations may be warm but they are far from fashion-friendly.

Fortunately, some designers have come up with solutions to that. Basic hats like newsboy and poor-boy caps and bowlers keep heat in and foolishness out.

Long before man-made nylons, faux furs and poly-plastic fabrics there was leather. High-quality skins along with their specially treated friends, namely suede and patent leather, were (almost) made winter-ready. These were made particularly to beat the cold weather but now there are cheap line clothing items such as rexin.

These cannot be taken care of and will not take a beating from the winter, they will wear out, yes leather may be expensive but it is worth it.

Keep your expensive leather and suede looking sleek by occasionally wiping and shining with material made specifically for that.

You can also keep yourself warm by wearing vests underneath your shirts of course. Vests are the ultimate layering piece. In its infinitely strange, if not genius arm-amputated design, the vest can be one extra barrier against the cold or act as a final finishing piece on slightly warmer days.

Then there are scarves. Scarves were meant to be wrapped around the neck, one of the primary places the body releases heat. There are three simple ways to wear them.

The Parisian, obviously the most fussy of the family, is created by folding the scarf lengthwise and pulling the two ends through the loop created on the opposite side. It’s the snuggest fitting method for maximum warmth.

The more casual once-around knot works by placing the scarf on the neck with one side slightly longer than the other and then wrapping it around and through the loop. If it’s not quite that cold yet, keep the once-around loose and limber. Take note that, this route only works with long scarves.

Big, beefy jackets had their heyday years ago and they didn’t get any second looks back then either. Intuitively, it makes sense that thicker means warmer. However, toting yourself around town with more rolls than a pack of hot dogs isn’t the way to do it.

You are better off layering with several well-fitted pieces than a single jacked-up jacket. And for those who just can’t resist puffing up, there are more sensible and slimmer options these days. Bomber jackets as they are warmly known should be put away.

Boots are a good way of keeping your feet warm. You do know that once your feet feel cold the rest of your body will shiver. So get yourself a good pair.

Packing on extra pounds is the last thing anyone needs this time of the year. While adding armour to battle the cold is critical, it’s unnecessary to turn yourself into a shapeless heap of heavy layers. The main problem is that bulk can gradually balloon beyond control. It all starts with an oversize knit under a thick sweater. Then a massive ankle-length wool coat finds its way into the ensemble turning an otherwise idyllic winter wonderland into a catastrophic clothing avalanche.

Keep in mind that the colours you wear also play a role in fitting the ultimate winter clothing.

No Christmas trees please this winter.

 

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