Winter is coming...get your wardrobe ready!

So this week, I had the rather heady experience of spending a small fortune on a pair of Doc Martens.  I’ve always been a fan and my first pair lasted 25 years but my reason for purchase this time round was less about being cool and more about being ready for the winter ahead.  I have been saving for a whole year for these shoes and now…..they’re finally mine!

Winter...these boots are ready for you!

You might be wondering why a pair of clunky, masculine and rather heavy shoes might be so important, so let me share my thoughts about embracing all that the UK winter offers.

When you leave SA you have this rather vague idea in the back of your mind that the UK winters are both to be feared and scoffed at – sometimes simultaneously.  But you don’t actually know what to expect until you start living through the winter.  Some of us have the pleasure of having travelled to the UK in the winter months and so have some experience…for the rest of us…well, we just wing it and bundle up as we go.

I had a few experiences to share, and what I learned just on arriving: 

1.  You need more than one coat

One of my very first purchases was a coat.  It’s a rather boring beige colour with a touch of plaid on the cuffs and the collar.  Very British I thought and it’s quite heavy too, so in my mind this was perfect!  £8 later, I had my new coat from the charity shop and I was so pleased with myself.  

I still have and use it every year…but it’s not a winter coat.  Not by a long shot!  A light autumn coat maybe, but not for winter as I learned very quickly.  We arrived in mid-October, just as the weather is cooling, and my new coat did me just fine to start.  Until we hit November and the temps plummeted, leaving me with the cold (pun intended) realisation that I was just not ready for this. 

So back to the charity shops I went and this time I asked the shop assistant for their opinion on whether my choices were good enough to get through winter.  I got some really good advice and picked up two fantastic coats on that trip, I still use both today.  Actually that shopping excursion was the source of much amusement amongst my colleagues for the next two years – I had just started working and I came to work in my rather thin coat, frozen stiff, went out at lunchtime and came back laden with new coats, wearing the thickest one of them along with a beanie which I never took off all afternoon.

So – you need to get a coat that’s weather proof, water resistant and warm enough to take the brutal morning cold.  Where you get it is up to you, but unless you’ve got experience with UK winters, ask a local for their opinion.  And as you may have worked out – one coat is not enough, but you’ll build those up as you go along.

2. The cold gets under your collar, literally

The second invaluable item I have in my winter arsenal is a buff.  This incredibly unassuming scrap of fabric has been one of the best things I ever bothered to take over from SA – and now I have dozens.

A buff is different from a snood which is a type of scarf and, in my opinion, the far superior option.  If you aren’t sure what a buff is, read about it here.  I discovered the beauty of the buff one night while watching TV and I kept feeling these little fingers of cold sneaking down my neck, managing to get past my lovely fluffy gown and positively ruining my night.  No amount of red wine could help me warm up until I had a flash of brilliance and grabbed one of my buffs which I hung onto for sentimental reasons, from my trail running in SA days.  Voila!  My neck was warm and suddenly so was I! 

And so started the family tradition of having a buff in every pocket, we all do.  You’d be amazed at the difference that scrap of fabric makes to how warm you are both outside and inside, so give it a try.  If you are still in SA, they are ridiculously cheap so pick up a few and slip them in, you won’t be sorry!

3.       Good footwear is more important than a good coat

Don’t skimp on your footwear.  Just don’t.  don't think your tekkies will cut it in the UK climate – you need waterproof, sturdy and warm footwear to make it through the winter comfortably. 

I thankfully learned this quickly, after eyeing up a pair of cheap boots in ShoeZone (very much like our ShoeCity), I showed my colleague what I was considering and she told me very seriously to rather spend a significant amount of money on proper leather boots.  She recommended Clarks but there are loads of different outlets. 

The key thing is, you need shoes that can take the punch.  You walk a lot over here so your shoes need to be able to handle that and be kind to your feet but you also will be walking in wet weather, ice, snow, mud and god knows what else so your footwear needs to be able to withstand all of that.  And that brings me to my recent purchase, the fabulous Doc Martens.  

They’ve made a huge comeback, and my 90’s soul is quite delighted about this.  They’re edgy and cool but they tick all the boxes of getting me through the next 10 winters if that’s what I need.  Plus, the modern development of a sole that can handle icy surfaces is a big plus - I've seen my arse a few times on slippery pavements.  Long live AirWare!

The winters are cold but you can get through this with the right gear…so, happy shopping!