We woke up to the first frost of the season last Thursday! I used to love fall and winter – and snow. I used to love snow. The cold season used to mean winter break from school was coming. It meant cozy evenings and holiday festivities, and big blizzards meant classes were canceled. Admittedly, as I’ve gotten older, the cold season has become less inviting; and I’ve found myself drawn to the long, sunny days of spring and summer more. Today I wanted to share some fall and winter wardrobe essentials I’ve been enjoying over the past few years, that have made the cold season a bit more tolerable for me. So let’s get into it!
Blanket Hoodie
When I’m lounging around the house, I like to wear a short robe over my pajamas for extra warmth. I had had my robe for so long, and decided I wanted to upgrade it last year, so I put this blanket hoodie (in kids’ size) from Amazon on my Christmas wish list.
Turns out, it’s so much warmer than my robe than I thought it would be. I think it’s warmer for a few reasons. 1) The sleeves have ribbed cuffs, which keep body heat in and cold air out. 2) Similarly, the hoodie style means the front is closed, which also helps to keep the warmth in and the cold out. In contrast, my robe was a cardigan style with an open front and tie belt. 3) The blanket hoodie is much thicker because it has a microfiber flannel layer on the outside and a sherpa layer on the inside, whereas the robe was a single fleece layer.
Velvet Lined Leggings
I like to think I don’t live in leggings all fall and winter long, but let’s be honest – I definitely do. It’s hard to want to wear cold, stiff jeans when I could wear warmer, soft leggings. Notice I said warmer, not warm. The average pair of leggings is warmer to the touch than jeans in the winter, but they’re still pretty thin.
So when it’s really cold outside, I’ll usually forego the thin leggings and reach for my velvet-lined leggings instead. I bought two of this pair from Target in size small a long time ago, and wear them constantly every fall and winter.
Wool Socks
One of my favorite ways to wear leggings in the fall and winter is with some wool socks and chunky ankle boots. Aside from liking the way they look together, my feet are always freezing cold as soon as the temperature starts to drop, and these wool socks help keep them warm. I have some from Target and some from Amazon, but I prefer the Amazon ones because they’re smaller and fit my size 4 feet better.
The North Face Jacket
To keep my upper body warm, my go-to jacket is my North Face jacket. It’s thick, warm, and waterproof, which is good for both rain and snow. Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of my jacket, but I think it was the Greenland down parka (in kids’ size). The style I have appears to be discontinued, but there are several others to choose from!
I normally wear kids’ size large (aka size 12), but I have this jacket in size medium. The tag on the jacket says M (10-12), whereas their site currently lists size M as equivalent to size 10. So according to the tag, the jacket would be true to size, but according to the site, the jacket would run large.
UGG Boots
Last but not least, let’s talk shoes – or more specifically, UGG boots. You either love them or you hate them. Admittedly, they’re not the most fashionable shoe; but also admittedly, it’s comforting to slip my feet into a snuggly pair of UGGs when it’s below freezing outside. So I do wear them, and I do love them.
UGG boots are lined with fur, which can be a sweaty problem if you’re prone to sweaty feet. The good thing is they sell replacement inserts, so you don’t have to replace the entire pair of boots.
I wear a size 4 in women’s shoes, but own a pair of kids’ size 2 UGG boots, and a pair of kids’ size 2 Koolaburra by UGG boots. Both fit, but the Koolaburra pair feel ever so slightly loose.
I hope you enjoyed seeing my top fall and winter wardrobe essentials! What are yours?
If you enjoyed this post, please let me know by giving it a like or leaving a comment! Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to get an email when I post something new!