On a cold winter day, I really enjoy bundling up with a nice scarf, some warm gloves, and dry, comfy socks. This is the guide for that.
I’ll talk about the items with pictures first, then include buying links at the end.
Gloves
Gloves have been around for a while, and they originated from metal bits of armor used during the times of the Ancient Greek but transitioned to more fashionable items made with silk and embroidered and jeweled. Now, they are a winter wardrobe staple, tasked with preventing ones precious digits from succumbing to frostbite.
Gloves are going to be our focus here. I’ll talk about mittens a bit, but those are primarily reserved for very cold climates and are not nearly as fashionable.
Materials:
- Leather:
. Leather gloves have been around for thousands of years, they look great, are made from a flexible material, and stand up to the elements reasonably well. . Leather gloves can be lined with cashmere, wool, silk, or synthetic fibers.
- Wool:
. These gloves have leather on the palm and fingers, which provides insulation when touching cold objects and provides extra comfort against ice and snow. Some of these materials will work with smarthphones, like these ones from JCrew. Wool gloves will either be unlined, or insulated with another material.
- Fleece:
. A synthetic fiber, fleece is very light weight but wind can pass through it very easily, making for cold fingers if the glove is not properly insulated. It also doesn’t look particularly fashionable, especially when compared to a leather or wool glove. I’d steer away from these.
There are also mittens and fingerless/convertible gloves. As I mentioned before, mittens are very warm as the body heat from all fingers are consolidated into one space. There are also fingerless
. Fingerless gloves are nice for fall days but are not suitable for colder environments, whereas convertible gloves combine the elements of a mitten and a glove and allow you to free up your fingers if necessary.Buying Links:
Leather Gloves:
$: H&M leather glove, , LL Bean Casual Leather Glove , Carhartt Insulated Work Glove .
$$: LL Bean Sure Grip Glove with rabbit fur lining , Fratelli Orsini Everyday rabbit fur gloves .
$$$: J.Crew Cashmere-lined Leather Glove , LL Bean Lambskin/Cashmere/Gore-Tex Glove , Portolano for J.Crew Cashmere-lined Leather Glove . Chester Jeffries
Wool and knit gloves:
$: H&M gloves , Uniqlo Heattech Fair Isle knit gloves (combination of synthetic fabrics, they get my personal recommendation in this price bracket), Gap knit touch gloves , Gap fingerless gloves , Gap convertible gloves .
$$: LL Bean Ragg wool gloves , LL Bean Ragg wool fingerless gloves .
$$$: J.Crew wool gloves with touchtec pads.
Scarves
Scarves are another staple of the man’s winter wardrobe, and have been worn for thousands of years. They keep your neck warm and can add a dash of color to a darker winter outfit.
When buying a scarf, look for ones around 10 inches in width (give or take 3-4 inches), with a length of around 60-70 inches.
Materials include wool, silk, linen, cotton, cashmere, or synthetic materials (like acrylic). For winter scarves, look for wool ($) or cashmere ($$). Acrylic is a cheaper alternative to cashmere, though the quality definitely represents the lower price.
When it comes to colors and styles, the simpler the better. Colors should be gentle, so nothing too bright or fluorescent. The material should be thick and not sheen. The fringe should be subtle.
Buying Links
$,$$ – Synthetic blends: Uniqlo: Fair Isle knit , Plain colored , Striped , Nordic knit . Gap cable knit scarf .
$$ – Wool: LL Bean Irish Lambswool scarf , J.Crew Donegal wool scarf , J.Crew lightweight wool scarf , J.Crew lambswool fair isle scarf .
$$$ – Cashmere: J.Crew plain cashmere scarf , J.Crew plaid cashmere scarf .
Now, how do you wear a scarf? Check out this video guide .
Hats
Hats. I’m not that big on hats. You put them on your head and they do a decent job at preventing all of the heat from escaping, and can also keep your ears warm. But they can also look kind of silly. A simple knitted toque, or beanie will do a decent job at keeping you warm. However, when I’m getting dressed in the winter, I’ll usually get all of my warm stuff on, then determine if I really want to wear a hat. If it’s not that cold, I ditch the hat.
Wool is common, as well as the usual synthetic blends. You can also go cashmere if you are feeling fancy.
$: Uniqlo fair isle knit cap , Uniqlo regular knit cap .
$$: LL Bean Ragg wool hat . I also found this , which I am not going to recommend for most people, but it looks pretty useful for incredibly cold winters.
$$$: J.Crew cashmere hat
Socks
Socks are awesome, don’t underestimate them. Think about the amount of time you spend on your feet, and all that snow you walk through every day. A nice pair of warm socks is the perfect cure for chilly toes. Wool is going to be the main material, but there are also some synthetic blends which are pretty good, too.
$: Uniqlo heattech grandrelle socks ($6.50 per pair). Costco also has their “Kirkland outdoor trail sock marino wool blend” which is an excellent value at $2.75 per pair.
$$: Smartwool medium hiking socks , Smartwool light hiking socks (~$16/pair).
And that wraps up my MFA Winter Accessory Guide. Hopefully it helps you guys stay warm. Feel free to ask questions or discuss topics relevant to winter accessories. Also, please message me if any links do not work (the J.Crew ones seem a bit temperamental).
EDIT: UK alternatives (thanks Syeknom)
original source : http://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/comments/12szmp/mfa_winter_accessory_guide_gloves_scarves_hats/
Original author : http://www.reddit.com/user/Jayross