Winter's coming, and though we have to use quotation marks around it when talking about "winter" in Houston, the winter in Manhattan is very real. It won't be my first, of course. I spent the first 11 years of my life in New England, and 4 years of college in Wisconsin. However, I've spent the past 3 winters in H-town, and the 2 before that in North Carolina, so as I survey the contents of my closet I have come to the realization that I need an entirely new wardrobe to work at the Met.
The winters in Wisconsin were brutal. I remember piling on extra layers to walk the short distance from the dorm to class, and then immediately peeling them off the minute I got inside the overheated classrooms. I remember being too lazy to use a blow dryer and winding up with frozen solid hair. I remember snow drifts much taller than me that didn't melt until May. You would think I'd have a whole winter wardrobe from that time, just sitting in storage waiting for me to need it again. This, unfortunately, is not the case. I do have a fair number of sweatshirts, which I seem to remember pairing with pajama pants to go to morning classes (*cringe*). Also scarves—I was a singer, don't forget. But most of my cold-weather wardrobe has been given away, either because it was too big or too unfashionable or both, so I need to start from scratch.
I'm thinking lined wool pants, high-heeled boots, button-up shirts, and soft v-neck sweaters. But you probably know better than I do...what are the NYC ladies wearing these days?
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you'll want a pair of flat, high on the leg boots. perfect with jeans - tucked in or out, perfect with nice pants, perfect with cropped pants, perfect to walk around in. srsly, I just got a pair and spent two weeks traipsing around the city in them - I now have an unhealthy attachment to them.
ReplyDeletegreat to see you last week!
omg. When i first moved to nyc (back in the dark ages) i immediately realized i needed a new wardrobe in order to blend with the natives. Problem: i was woefully poor. That first winter i basically lived in black tights and black or grey shift dresses with colorful turtlenecks & cardigans, and tall boots. I kind of miss "the uniform". no idea what folks are wearing now... good luck!
ReplyDeletemy favorite moment was when you were freaked out about the crazy sounds your tires were making . . . until we told you that the sound was the snow squeaking.
ReplyDeleteAva and Airstreamdiva: Thank you, thank you! Very helpful advice.
ReplyDeleteTimothy: Really?!? One mention of your home state, and you start breaking out the embarassing stories? Nice.
Mr. Unamplifed Voice asked me to get in touch with you.
ReplyDeleteBecause tailoring skills are not what they used to be, forget about finding pants with lining. Get one pair each of gray flannel and black wool crepe pants that make your legs look good. If it’s less than 50 degrees, you can add insulation with a pair of pantyhose, tights or leggings worn under the pants. I like the opaque tights and leggings by Fogal (around $30 each; they have a store on Madison and 58th), and a Japanese hosiery line called Antipast that’s sold at Barneys.
For boots, the holy grail is a zip up pair in black, made of calfskin, with a sturdy, stacked heel, that look fine with skirts, or with pants tucked into them. Make sure the heel is mostly wood, and not covered with leather, because leather covered heels will scuff during the first hour you wear them outdoors, guaranteed. Unfortunately, boots cost as much as cars these days. Except for Bloomingdales, all the other department stores won’t be discounting their boots until Thanksgiving weekend. For decent looking leather boots under $300, you can also take a look at Camper and Sacco. For snow, just get a pair of the plainest black rubber boots, the kind firemen wear.
If you happen to be bigger than a B cup, finding button up blouses that fit properly are a waste of time. For sweaters, J. Crew isn’t bad. I like their new store on the north east corner of Madison and 79th St., which sells a highly edited selection of their clothing line. It will still be pricy, Agnes B has 20% off the entire collection on Thursday November 13. And after Thanksgiving and Christmas, Bloomingdales will finally begin putting the Sonia Rykiel sweaters on sale.
If puffy down coats don’t thrill you, take a look at the George Simonton line in the ladies’ coat department of Saks, which are now on sale. There was a black, pleated, cashmere number, fitted around the waist, with a fur lined hood, that’s kind of YSL.
I'm certainly not as fashionable as you, so I won't have good advice - and it seems like you've got enough great advice...
ReplyDelete... but just wanted to say that I am in the same boat as you in a way - except all my winter stuff is still in Houston and I still haven't been able to come back yet!
Good luck and happy shopping!!
If you are coming to NYC, just go to Century 21 (across from the 9/11 site) and you can find almost everything with reasonable price . Also don't miss Daffy's (a lot of Italian clothngs). It has several locations in the city, there's one next to the NYC Four Seasons in mid town Manhattan. You will love their sweaters, especially the cashmere sweaters (with the price, you probably want one in every color and they have a lot of choices). Good luck and will see / hear you at the Met soon.
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