The morning air had an icy chill and I headed out with steamy breath pluming. My sky blue dress was just the topper over my insulating leggings, thick socks and tall boots. The Norwegians have a saying “There is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothes.” I have lived by this saying when building a cold weather wardrobe.

There seems to be this insistence that dresses are not warm enough for truly cold weather. However jeans are not warm enough for the cold without layering underneath. Nothing is truly warm enough for cold weather without base layers and outerwear in the right density and fabrics.

Leggings can be fleece lined but wool or alpaca knits are the best insulation. A matching long sleeved under shirt is a necessity.

Buy weather proof boots for snow or rain with insulation on the inside. Tall boots shield half your legs so taller boots are a good item. Buy a half size bigger to accommodate thick insulating socks, I recommend wool but fleece ones work.

Then throw on your dress. Even better if the dress is thick polyester, wool, or flannel. A dress is like wearing a blanket that helps break the wind and chill. It is an extra layer not a liability.

Next is your sweater layer. The best knit sweaters are dense knits and/or thick knits. It is still fall weather not winter weather so I stop at this layer now but as the cold weather gets harsher the outerwear layer goes over the sweater layer. Outerwear includes coat, hat, scarf, and gloves.

I loved my woods walk this morning but I did linger by the fireplace a little longer than usual before I went out….