My Winter Uniform // New England Winter Essentials

Moving to Boston I have been on the hunt for the best winter coats for women and the best warm winter boots to help survive these long dark months here in New England; Boston winter essentials.

In Ohio our winters were just as cold but a suburban winter is just not as harsh as a city winter.

We used to go from our heated house to our garage to parking spaces right outside our destinations. Now, the only way to avoid the cold altogether is stay in our little 700 square foot apartment all day long and that is hardly a viable option.

And so I’ve been on the hunt for a winter jacket and warm footwear. I spent a few months asking friends for recommendations….

TIP ONE: Get a long coat.

This was the thing I heard over and over again. Preferably down filled, but the more of your legs it covers, the warmer you’ll be.

I was skeptical. I didn’t think the long coat was necessary and didn’t believe it would really make that big of a difference. It does. Trust me.

At one point I thought I was completely talked into a Canada Goose jacket (“It’s pricey? But if I’m wearing it everyday for the next few winters than a couple hundred dollars for a jacket isn’t that unreasonable. Think of the price per wear!“). And then I checked the website and realized a couple was closer to ten and thought of all the places in the world I could fly to for the cost of that coat.

I’ve also heard awesome things about the long North Face coat which I had intended to look into (linked below).

But then Black Friday happened and we were up at my parents (in New Hampshire with no sales tax), J. Crew Factory was having a huge sale, and there was one of these coats left in my size. It didn’t hurt that it was also FREEZING that night.

I was worried a factory winter coat wasn’t going to cut it.

But you know what?

I’ve been snuggly warm every since 🙂 I’m super happy with it. The only things that get cold whenever I’m outside (even in sub freezing temperatures) are my shins and my face. If I’m going out in the cold for a longer stretch (walking into Cambridge, playing in the snow, heading downtown), I’ll be sure to layer a sweater underneath it and add a scarf.

So I’ve concluded I definitely don’t need to spend a thousand dollars on a jacket. If I were walking 25 minutes to and from work or class everyday I would probably splurge on the $300 ones linked below in a year or two.

The real winner of the winter uniform though, are these L.L. Bean boots. Everyone had told me I needed Sorel or Bean boots (but if you’re a true New Englander you have to go L.L. Bean). I was on the fence, and actually left these in the closet with tags for the first few weeks after buying them just because it was hard to swallow the price tag.

TIP 2: GO BUY BEAN BOOTS

THEY ARE AWESOME. The warmest part of my body is my feet when I’m wearing them. I haven’t worn them more than a few months so I can’t comment on how long they’ll last but I anticipate wearing them for the next 4-7 years before I replace them with the exact same pair.

shoppers tip: I grabbed these at the L.L. Bean outlet in Nashua, NH (no sales tax and additional sales) so they were still pricey but less than the $200+ price tag. 

outfit details:

my puffer coat: J. Crew Factory (sold out), similar + highly recommended ones below

boots: L.L. Bean more great snowboots here 

sweater: Joie (I bought it on sale and it was still a splurge, but I’ve worn it once or twice a week since it arrived and it still looks brand new – definitely my favorite piece in my winter wardrobe). more cute sweaters here 

denim: AG (I bought these on Amazon but I have a few other pairs I’ve snagged on thredUP).  more AG denim here 

hat: GAP, old (almost identical here with prime shipping) more cute hats here 

 

Do you live somewhere cold? Have you found the best winter jackets for women? Another awesome one I should add to this list? Let me know!