<p>Hey Parents!
I’m from the South and will be attending college in Rhode Island next fall; I really have no clue about which kind of outerwear to get, how much of it to get, which shoes to get etc. These may seem like stupid questions, but having never lived in cold weather on a day-to-day basis, I’m just really not sure what to wear. If this is the incorrect forum for such a post or if there is already a post addressing this issue, please point me to it. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Without knowing your taste in fashion, let me tell you what my 18 year old daughter has for outerwear here in New England:</p>
<p>A gore-tex raincoat; several North Face fleece layers, including a fleece vest; lots of sweaters; a nice wool pea coat; a ‘snow coat’, which she rarely wears unless it is very, very cold and nasty; Lots of gloves and scarfs; she is not a big hat wearer, although she’ll wear a fleece watch cap on bad days; She has a pair of LL Bean boots for real bad weather but wears sneakers October through March and then sandals. Hope this helps. Having warm, dry clothes makes New England living much, much better!</p>
<p>Layers are the way to go. Long-sleeved t shirts, fleece or micro fleece tops of varying thickness, outer jacket that comes down to the thigh and is a wind-breaker and possibly waterproof (Goretex is great stuff.). You may want a hat (fleece is good again) and gloves or mittens. </p>
<p>Re footgear, you may want to have some kind of boots. Personally, I prefer to wear plain boots like LLBean’s and add Smartwool socks if it is really cold, instead of lined boots like Uggs, but my feet get hot. (Even for people who hate wool, like me, Smartwool is fabulous. And socks are easily washable, while lined boots are not.) Rhode Island isn’t that cold, but obviously it will be an adjustment for you. 
It may be windy, depending where you are, and it can be a cold wind coming off the Atlantic. </p>
<p>(Cross posted with lantern5, but we seem to agree. I agree about the sneakers and sandals. If you like clogs, Dansko clogs with smartwool socks are my favorite combo in the winter unless there is a lot of snow on the ground.) </p>
<p>Check out the stuff sold by LL Bean. (Or Patagonia, North Face, or Land’s End. I’m told that North Face is the de rigeur outerwear at a lot of colleges, although it is probably overpriced.) If I were you I wouldn’t invest in a whole bunch of stuff until you see how things are. Hint: people in New England generally do NOT wear long johns! If you do decide that you want something warmer under your pants, Bean’s has great silk knit underwear for when you are actually hanging around outdoors and it is really, really cold.</p>
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<p>You’ll laugh, but they call Rhode Island “Southern New England.”</p>
<p>Nonetheless, layer up! And, depending on your hair, you can look great and warm up by loving hats, espec. woolen or cotton berets, and so on starting in Autumn. 80% of body heat escapes via the head. Hats are a way to feel warm in autumn, without all the outerclothes immediately. And you can toss it right into your backpack when not needed.</p>
<p>PS: Socks.</p>
<p>PPS: Once you get north, you can buy a pair of in-between cotton or wool-blend gloves, that look like socks but are shaped like hands. They are that lightweight. Again, these are simply things that make you feel comfortable late Sept- early Nov, that don’t take up any space. No need to go around too soon in big outergarments; save that for Thanksgviing and beyond.</p>
<p>Honestly…people talk about New England weather like its SOOOO bad. Unless you’re in northern Maine, Vermont, or New Hampshire, its really not bad. Especially Rhode Island…most of the state is less than a half hour from the coastline, so snow is nowhere near what it is up north. Neither are the temperatures as low as they are in the mountains. Sure, winters are cold, but no colder than in new york, new jersey, etc. Bring regular jeans/khakis, tshirts/polos, cotton sweaters or fleeces, and a winter coat. Maybe boots for the winter, but the fall and spring all you need are sperrys or moccasins and usually flipflops. Once it’s 50 degrees in Connecticut/Rhode Island, most people break out the shorts and flipflops.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Keep those ideas coming!</p>
<p>paying- haha that is pretty funny. Where I’m sitting the temp is 86 with a heat index of 96; I’ll have to see about this “southern” thing… </p>
<p>pinkpineapple- I’m sure the weather won’t be too bad, but coming from somewhere where there really are only two season (summer/ warm fall), I don’t really know what to expect when I’ll actually experience all 4 seasons.</p>
<p>Wait!</p>
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<p>We have been around this horn a few times here on cc. My take is different from what others have said. Not saying I’m right and they’re wrong. Just that there is a different way of looking at this — which may save you $$$.</p>
<p>You won’t need the warm clothes for several weeks, up to two or so months, after you arrive at school. You will not believe what kids up here do NOT wear when it gets cold. No jacket, no boots, NEVER a scarf for a male - don’t even start down that path. No gloves. Possibly they will wear a fleece and that will not be zipped up.</p>
<p>You may have “Southern blood”, we’ll assume, so may be colder. But you may not want to look different. At least my S, who is no fashionista, wouldn’t want to. There is lots and lots of time. Get a fleece now - Columbia is popular, NorthFace. S will NOT wear LLBean (and we get a discount!). This is just an example of the type of $ you can waste buying brand names and later deciding they are “Out”. </p>
<p>So get only the fleece now and buy the rest on-line and ship when it gets cold (if you don’t want to shop up there - which would be the easiest). You will waste less $ paying the big bucks for overnight shipping than you will buying the wrong stuff.</p>
<p>Trust me on this. S’s freshman year at Bates College in Maine, I saw a female walking around in high 30 degree weather wearing khaki mini-skirt about 8" above the knee, white open toe heels, and some sort of sweater. Okay, I think she was an outlier… but not by much.</p>
<p>Haha, in most of the places I’ve llived, also 2 seasons: Winter and Getting-ready-for-winter.</p>
<p>((crossposted with jmmom above)):</p>
<p>I think you can all the way through Hallowe’en without buying anything really heavy-duty for outerwear, in case you want to wait and see what others are doing. By late September, you’ll find yourself wearing socks and maybe a fleece outer-jacket on a regular evening basis. In autumn, I see a lot of kids wearing hoodies with pockets to jam their hands in. </p>
<p>I hope you like it. I’ve always lived in the North, except for one winter in Texas. The change of seasons is fun, and always an “ice-breaker” for conversation. Enjoy! </p>
<p>There were threads on this last year but I couldn’t find them in a search…</p>
<p>Cross posted with p3t and we have some of the same points to make.</p>
<p>jmmom:
“NEVER a scarf for a male - don’t even start down that path.”
Unless he’s a skinny-jeans, Elvis Costello glasses, lit. major … then the scarf is fine. But the jacket won’t be zipped and the scarf won’t be wrapped around his neck. And there will probably be Chaco’s or flip-flops on the feet!</p>
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<p>where, then? Is it used as a baby carrier or what? (j/k)</p>
<p>Hi - my daughter and I are wimps in the cold weather - we definitely have “Southern Blood”. </p>
<p>I love jeans, but I can stand to wear them after December because I think the cold cuts right through them. We use these things called ‘cuddle duds’ under them (and any other pants). Lots of stores sell them. They keep the wind from cutting through your pants, they are silky, thin, and warm. Cuddle duds also makes thin shirts too. They keep your sweaters from feeling scratchy also.</p>
<p>And, as another poster mentioned, Rhode Island might not be that bad, but it could be a bit damp, which makes cold feel colder.</p>
<p>Hats are great. Scarves are a fashionable substitute for turtlenecks. And boots also - have the practical kind for mucking around in snow and the fashionable kind for other days.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice- ya’ll are awesome. Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>Your biggest investment will be your outer layer: the waterproof/windproof coat. The coat seems to be the item that most southerners have the hardest time figuring out. If you get the right thing, you’ll be able to wear it through a wide variety of weathers, depending on what you wear underneath it. Don’t get one of those skinny “ski jacket” kind of things that fit close to the body, because you can’t layer under them. Also don’t get one of those girly puffy things, especially those with hoods trimmed with fluffy stuff. Personally, I wouldn’t bother with a wool coat. I haven’t worn one in years. (I live in Maine.) If it has a hood, make sure it is detachable. Also make sure it is long enough: preferably about top-to-mid-thigh. And as I said earlier, Gore-tex is great stuff. I agree that it is better to get a fleece or two and wait to see what you want.</p>
<p>^ In defense of wool coats: I stopped wearing them years ago, but my 20 year old son and 18 year old daughter wear wool pea coats all the time instead of down jackets (which I prefer). They think that ‘puffy outerwear’ is for the very old and the very uncool. As others have said, you won’t have to make the outerwear decision until Halloween…just have your gore-tex raincout and a fleece or two with you when you arrive. (I also second the hoodies suggestion. Both my kids wear them all the time. S prefers zippers; D prefers pullovers)</p>
<p>Wait and see in October. If you hear the term “northface” used as a generic jacket, just bite the bullet and get the $165 version. It’s available online at a few places for a discount, but generally is the standard. Wish our kids hadn’t absorbed such a single source mentalitly, but that’s another topic.</p>
<p>If there is one thing I can tell you it is this: DO NOT get UGGS for the purpose of the snow. They slip like no other. I would slip like three times trying to get from point A to point B and I sprained my arm(during finals, no less) 1st semester after slipping on the ice in my Uggs. Over winter break I purchased a pair of North Face boots and they were fabulous–didn’t slip even once. </p>
<p>I go to college in Rhode Island too–Providence to be exact. Are you going to Brown, by any chance?(Or RISD? Or any other college in Providence?)</p>
<p>Because if so:
WAIT until you’re there to go shopping for winter clothes…because everyone reacts to the cold differently and they’ve got a mall that is full of clothes so it should be easy to find something once you’re there. Providence Place Mall is the 2nd larges mall in New England and the largest is just a train ride away in Boston. It’s got everything—Nordstrom’s, Macy’s, J.C. Penney’s, Banana Republic, Gap, Hollister, etc. [Store</a> Directory](<a href=“http://www.providenceplace.com/html/storedirectory.asp]Store”>http://www.providenceplace.com/html/storedirectory.asp) </p>
<p>If you want to go on the cheap side, there’s a Salvation Army nearby and a store called Second Time Around on Thayer Street on Brown campus that I found great bargains at.</p>
<p>It really isn’t TOO cold. You get used to it. After spending most of the winter around freezing, the upper 40s starts to feel tropical come spring. </p>
<p>Having one really heavy coat can be helpful because then you can dress lightly underneath it–especially when you go to events. Dances and parties and whatnot are predictably full of hot and sweaty people so being able to dress light(dress, whatever) and then just pop the huge jacket on for the outdoors is handy. </p>
<p>Reminder: It is much colder at 4AM than at 8pm when you first head out. I learned this the hard way. </p>
<p>Oh and this might seem like a duh, but if your hair is wet don’t head outside. A number of kids who weren’t used to the cold(like me…) forgot and uhhh had their hair freeze.</p>
<p>As a girl, I did find it helpful to have one nice neutral scarf to accessorize and stay warm with…a typical “winter” outfit consisted of jeans, a short-sleeved t-shirt, Northface jacket, and my nice scarf.</p>
<p>Scarves, mittens, and hats are the way to go!</p>
<p>It really all depends on how you like to dress and how you react to the cold. Mothers have different ideas about what to wear than kids do. For example, yes, hat mittens scarf are a great idea, but I’ve never seen a teenage girl in a hat, and usually not in gloves/mittens. What my daughter (who dresses funky fashionable and shops pretty much consignment and Salvation Army) wears in the winter: </p>
<p>Yes:</p>
<p>Wool peacoat
Knee high fitted leather boots (Salvation Army) snow or not
Also these big furry boots (not Uggs) if it’s REALLY snowy, but I mean REALLY
Sweaters, sweaters, sweaters (Consignment/Salvation Army)
Skinny jeans
Dresses and heavy tights
Scarf sometimes, but only if it goes with the outfit
Lots of underlayers, all cotton</p>
<p>Never:</p>
<p>Hat
Mittens
Gloves
Fleece of any kind
Gortex or any other sensible snow/rain gear
Long underwear of any kind</p>
<p>Add to Never:</p>
<p>Down jacket or puffy jacket. She does have a tight black lightly quilted riding jacket that she will wear in a pinch. But only because it’s styled like leather and looks great. </p>
<p>Anything with a hood</p>