Female Winter Fashion? Advice on staying warm. (sales, to buy)

[ImSittinginStarbucks]

I'm a mid-twenties female moving to SLC soon from California. I've never experienced snow or severely cold temps. Still, I'm very sensitive to cold. That being said, I'm taking this time to get prepared for the real winter I'm going to experience living in Utah! As a young woman, I want to stay stylish but also need to be warm.

What kind of coats and accessories will I need to accomplish this? What sort of winter clothing do women/men wear out there?

I'd like to buy some essentials now, as there are sales on winter wear at most stores and I'd like to get a deal. Would a coat like this one (Shop The North Face® Arctic Parka Jacket | Free Shipping) be too much for SLC winter, or just right?

I know this is relocation forum and not a fashion-advice forum, but I'd like to get some insight into proper dress for the type of winter experienced in the SLC area. Thank you.

[UTES]

Actually, most people here don't dress in the Winter like they're going skiing - not a lot of parkas and real heavy stuff. People do wear a lot of boots - but not as many of the big overstuffed ones like you see in the movies. You will see many gloves, leggings, scarves and jackets though. People tend to layer so they can take off things as they heat up.

My wife and I have several sets of thermal underwear. It allows us to dress relatively normal but be warm and toasty nonetheless. We went out to dinner last night when the temps were in the 20's. She had nice slacks on and a cute short-sleeve top and flats. I had slacks and a nice long-sleeve shirt and dress shoes on. We both wore light dress jackets and looked like we were dressing for Spring or Fall. But, underneath it all we were wearing thermals (she prefers Cuddl Duds as they are very soft). Just don't overdo it (the leggings are enough for me) because you'll overheat if inside a lot and you're wearing thermals top and bottom.

Bill

[ImSittinginStarbucks]

Originally Posted by UTES

Actually, most people here don't dress in the Winter like they're going skiing - not a lot of parkas and real heavy stuff. People do wear a lot of boots - but not as many of the big overstuffed ones like you see in the movies. You will see many gloves, leggings, scarves and jackets though. People tend to layer so they can take off things as they heat up.

My wife and I have several sets of thermal underwear. It allows us to dress relatively normal but be warm and toasty nonetheless. We went out to dinner last night when the temps were in the 20's. She had nice slacks on and a cute short-sleeve top and flats. I had slacks and a nice long-sleeve shirt and dress shoes on. We both wore light dress jackets and looked like we were dressing for Spring or Fall. But, underneath it all we were wearing thermals (she prefers Cuddl Duds as they are very soft). Just don't overdo it (the leggings are enough for me) because you'll overheat if inside a lot and you're wearing thermals top and bottom.

Bill

Thanks! So I probably wont need the big parka jacket on a daily basis? Maybe I shorter down puffer jacket would better. I'll have to look into getting some good thermal underwear and layering pieces. Are hats and gloves necessary?

What kind of boots? I have some tall leather boots, and short uggs, but I assume neither of those are not water/snow resistant.

Would the parka be useful for skiing or going up to the higher elevations?

[skibarbie]

You do not have to have a "big" winter coat to stay warm! The past several years have proven that you can wear a super lite weight down jacket, aka as 800 fill and be super toasty without looking like the michelin man.
I don't walk to work so I do not have the need for huge winter boots. Working at a ski shop, I see lots of really cute footwear that is waterproof and cute-whoulda thunk it?

[UTES]

On snow days my wife and I tend to wear Ducks or other waterproof-style footwear. We keep a set or two of work shoes at work to change into (and wifey usually carries a pair or two in her vehicle).

If I were to post photos of what the Locals wear here in the Winter you'd probably notice we don't wear as much as people think we do. Like I noted before, we don't dress like we're going skiing or on a back-country expedition. I just don't see full parkas around here much.

Another tip I just remembered - buy your Winter boots with the cold in mind. If they're insulated, you don't need to worry about doing anything special with socks. But, if the boots aren't insulated (like a normal leather boot) then I try them on at the store wearing two pairs of good cotton high-rise socks (because that's the way I'll wear them when it's cold). If you keep your feet warm, it really makes a difference. And, yes, hats are always a good idea. However, my wife chooses not to wear one simply to keep her hair nice.

Oh, and I coat my leather boots with a good layer of silicone pre-Winter. It keeps the water off, and if they do get wet anyway, it keeps the water from penetrating.

Bill