What to wear when it’s cold and wet

We’ve got a mild winter but it’s still cold. It’s the wind, rain and fog that gives you that terrible frosty feeling and chills you to the bone! even when the sun’s out. That’s why I’m giving you some styling tips on how to keep you warm through the remaining winter months and help you make smart choices before you step out into the wintery humid air.

Protect the extremities

You lose body heat from any part of your body that is exposed. It’s a good idea to wear a hat, gloves and socks. The best warm socks – which aren’t thick – are the possum wool socks. Just Google possum socks. You can also wear Kunert Panty Warm up 60 thermo. They are absolutely brilliant. I find it imperative to wear thick soles (for example the lace-up flat brogues) and preferably sheepskin inner liners in your shoes or boots.

Did you know that children lose proportionally more heat through their heads because their surface area is relatively greater than that of an adult and that women’s hands and feet tend to get colder than men’s?

Use color to influence how you feel

Colors affect your personal energy. Red is hot and the warmest of all colors. It is associated with the heat of sun and fire as opposed to blue which is associated with the coolness of sea. Feel like changing your frame of mind for the better? Play around with these colors when picking out your clothes and accessories.

Darker colors absorb heat and you will feel warmer in, for example, black than you would in white.

Feeling mellow, bored and tired? Yellow conveys a joyous, happy mood. But rather than going overkill go for only a touch of yellow or invest in yellow accessories to give you that uplifting boost, like a bright yellow umbrella, (hand)bag, scarf or even a yellow top under a jacket or sweater with low neck line. But keep in mind that not everyone can pull off a bright shade just have the right shade of yellow for your skintone. For a cheery feeling you can also inject some new colorful fresh and clear spring colors into your outfits.

What fabrics keep you warmest

When it comes to staying warm, which fabrics you reach for can make all the difference.

Water magnifies the effects of temperature so that’s why it’s cold – because it’s wet. When you want to stay warm, you want to stay dry. And once you break even the slightest sweat, staying warm can be difficult. Wool and polyester are the two main fibers we count on to keep moisture out and warm air in. Silk is not the warmest base-layer fabric, but it self-adjusts to your heat and humidity as much as wool does, so it is very comfortable. For outdoor activities you can wear Uniqlo heattech.

And what about cotton? Not such a good idea in the cold. The issue with cotton is that anything that can dampen your clothes, such as perspiration or rain can cause cotton to start robbing you of heat fast.