Dressing For Canada
by Amanda on December 11, 2009
And here we have another “THINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT IN MY COUNTRY AND MAKE ME GIGGLE ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY” mega post of wondrousness.
Are you bored of these yet, kids? So Sydney is a pretty stylin’ town full of an impressive array of original style schools. From your uber trendy high end fashionistas, to your hipster, skinny jeaned indie kids, from your upturned collared, tighty stripy shirted douches to your vintage dressed, high haired, geek chic-ed second hand girls, fashion and style is a big part of Sydney’s culture.
At home, I would have changed out of my “house clothes” to take the garbage out. Saturday morning cafe breakfasts were not the place for track pants and joggers, while dressing up for a shopping outing was a usual affair.
Here in Vancouver, things are a little different. Here in Vancouver, walking outside to get the morning paper can mean 2 minutes of bone chilling terror for my poor, Australian body. Now, I know Vancouver is the mildest and warmest of Canadian cities, but for this sun seeking, Aussie girl, this place might as well be Siberia. I am freezing my toosh off and because of this shock to the system, fashion or dare I say, style, has gone out the window.
Each time I schlep out of the house in my Puma runners, ski jacket and beanie, I have to remind myself that this is necessity.
Each time I find myself holding a pair of furry, UGG style boots in my cold, lifeless fingers, I remind myself that this is necessity.
Each time that I look in the mirror and think to myself, “what have you become?”, I say to myself, this is necessity.
When I first arrived here, I bought myself a short, woollen winter coat from Aritzia, thinking it would be the perfect winter coat. Yes, that is the awesome Leslie Feist wearing my coat. Never in my life have I worn a winter coat, gloves and beanie in Autumn. Yet here I am December 1o, now having ditched the Feist coat and have gone and bought myself the fattest, puffiest, furriest hooded, bloated monster of a coat known to man. I feel like George Constanza in the bottle shop knocking over wine bottles with his Gore-tex beast.
Despite my inner disgrace, I still have these items to knock off my “Dressing For Canada” list. I would really prefer for them to be stylish if possible!
- Shoes that are super warm, stylish and not UGGs. I refuse to pay $200 for Australian UGG boots. Nothing against UGG boots but I never bought them at home, so I won’t buy them here for double the price. Any suggestions? I have 2 pair of knee high leather boots but need something that I don’t have to wear with skirts or tuck into jeans.
- Warm leggings if there is such a thing.
- Gloves that are warmer than woollen gloves but not full on ski gloves.
- Pants that are warmer than jeans.
- Long underwear? Oh, dear!
Got any tips Northern Hemispherians? I feel like I’m losing my style mojo.
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i LOVE these mittens from shopbop with the inner fur lining.. they do keep my fingers warm..
http://www.shopbop.com/mittens-faux-fur-lining-bop/vp/v=1/845524441852293.htm?folderID=2534374302062843&fm=other
also – you can always buy those hand warmers from a sports store AND hot chilly socks that are used for skiiers – those keep my toes warm when i wear my “stylish” boots…
You sound like me when I lived in NY — I also went out and bought a giant monstrosity of a parka…at that point, I didn’t even care how I looked, I just wanted to be able to walk from the train stop to work without crying and having my tears freeze to me cheeks! Some tips that work for me are: double layer tights, or layering tights under leggings / double layer socks with your boots / a scarf always makes a huge difference / leather gloves with a fleece lining! These are a few ways to be chic under the giant parka!
Cheers,
Tara
I feel your pain! I live just over the border from you and am absolutely freezing too! :-) I highly recommend silk long underwear – they’re thin and light (no bulk!!!) and warm as toast. :-) For trousers – go for wool tweed. They drape beautifully but are wonderfully warm. :-) Leggings – go cashmere – a bit pricey but they’re so soft and warm it’s worth it!! Cheers to getting warm! :-)
I lived in Alaska for twenty years. You’ll get use to it. Fashion can be painful.
oh ho, I can really relate to this post! As an English girl who decamped to Southern France 5 years ago, I’m still re-aclimatising even now! We go from blistering hot, long, summers where I have to wear skimpy clothes (I don’t look good in skimpy) to snowy, cold (mercifully short) winters. In England it seemed the seasons blended into each other, no need for drastic wardrobe change.
Love Feist and love that coat!
As previous mentioned, it’s all about layering. Tights under jeans might make them just a bit warmer, double up on the socks, wearing layered tops and shirts, and cute scarves. Urban outfitters has tons of tights of varying weights. I found a good warm pair there.
As for shoes, the biggest thing, especially in Vancouver, is to find something waterproof. Wet feet will make me cold all day.
A good place to get warm clothes and under things, though admittedly not the most stylish place, is Mark’s Work Wearhouse. They have good wool socks, long underwear, gloves, etc. I’m taking my boyfriend there this weekend to get somethings before we go up to my parents where it’s -40 C.
Silk long underwear from Mountain Equipment Co-Op will make you feel sooooooo much better, thin enough to fit under all but the tightest pants but adding a surprising amount of warmth.
I am the person who is ALWAYS cold, I swear by these :)
Trust me, parkas are stylin’! The pouffier, the hipper! Throw on an earflapped hat with tassles, a chunky scarf (handknit?) and yes, you can totally wear ski mitts and get away with it. The test? Can you hold a coffee with your mittens on? If the answer is yes, go ahead!
All of this advice is coming from Ottawa… which understandably isn’t as fashion conscious as Vancouver.
Get some lined (waterproof!) winter boots – you will appreciate the waterproofness walking through slush and you should be set!
Wool (lined) trousers should get you through winter without needing to wear any leggings or long johns…
Wow, thank you so much for all the wonderful replies.
Thu, those mittens look very cute.
Tara, your comment about crying made me laugh. Last night’s walk in the utter cold hurt me so much that I did feel like crying. Those ideas are great.
Krista and Deebs, I will definitely look into the silk underwear. I wear jeans A LOT and my legs are just like blocks of ice in them. I think Sean’s sis has a discount card at that store, so I will have to check it out!
LOL Suzie, I know what you mean. In Sydney we barely have Autumn, let alone Winter. It just gets a colder, nothing much else changes. I guess our big change though is when it gets hot, it gets really hot.
haha Ashley, I’ve been seeing those Mark’s ads on TV. The waterproof jeans are hilarious.
Thanks for those tips Lana! I bought myself an awesome beanie to keep my noggin warm but I definitely need the waterproof boots.
oh and I’ve now purchased:
* 3 pairs of knee high socks
* 2 pairs of woollen tights
* 1 pair of leggings that are way too long for me but I can pull them up to my boobs to give me more warmth lol
Hi Amanda,
What an entertaining post! I am 100 % with you about the ugg boots. Its strange to live abroad and see them everywhere. As I cringe at the low of 3 here in Amsterdam currently – your post will remind me to appreciate what I have.
Thanks for your lovely post on Pia’s blog re: my spain travel pics!
Cath
Sorry Amanda, but the best EVER boots on life for Vancouver weather are aussie ones….Blundest…ones/ I had mines for 10 years..wore them almost all year around and now looking for a new ones that will come from England.
And you will get used to layers…I come from tropical weather and used to live dressed as an astronaut in a little town in Québec :)
a MEC raincoat and an umbrella at the same time are the best there. If you have ONLY a raincoat your pants will be wet in a moment because is pouring rain there…
good luck! and remember : is not rain…just liquid sunshine… ;)
i live in a part of norway that isn’t very cold, but i like staying warm, and my best bet is woolen underwear. some of it comes with lace if you want to feel a bit feminine!
I live in the snow belt of Ontario so I feel your cold pain ;) And I agree with the comment above about Mark’s Work Wearhouse. I used to scoff at their ads but went in one day a few years ago to buy a pair of gloves for my Dad and have been swearing by their winter gear ever since. I eventually gave up trying to look stylish and decided that not getting frostbite on my toes is much more important!
Aritzia has a very similar coat to what you’re wearing now, down filled and quite puffy even to this Canadian, so I don’t think you lost your sense of style! I think when I pair it with tight pants and boots it balances it out. ;)
oh i love it. i have an ankle-length down-filled poofy black coat with this gigantic pointy collar. i call it my cruella deville coat. it is amazing.
and if you need to buy a pair of boots i recommend these:
http://www.rei.com/product/773642
i am wearing mine every single day for the second winter in a row now and they are still the best boots i’ve ever had! they are Polartec lined so they keep you toasty…they have a nice shape to them so are comfortable to wear all day, still can dress it up with leggings and a cutesy dress AND they are waterproof leather. seriously, i have dealt with chicago winters my whole life and i SWEAR by these boots!!!
I love the George Costanza reference!
loving the blog, loving your photos, cracking up at your northern hemisphere dilema… but i sooooo feel your pain. i’m an ozzie living in korea at the moment – we’re not quite getting canadian temperatures, but it’s far too cold for my liking… the plus side is there’s soooooo many funky scarves, leg warmers, leggings and tights, mittens, gloves and hats over here. for cheap cheap cheap… and though i have worn leggings under my jeans, so far i’ve not resorted to the long underwear…
good luck!!
OK, I only live in Tacoma, WA about 150 miles south of Vancouver, give or take, but we still get a little cold and my favorite thing is a scarf. You can bundle up in shapeless clothes to keep you warm and then have a little splash of color. I own at least 25 different scarves: wool, silk, cashmere, knits, crochet, they make me feel like an individual with all my winter clothes on.
I’m sure you’re tired of the question, but why would you move to Canada from Australia? Had a run in with the Australia authorities? :-)
Being a Canadian that has just returned from two weeks in Belize I can really relate to your pain. I grew up in Toronto and even after 30 years I still pray that winter will some how not come. May prayers have yet to be answered…