My Minimalist Winter Wardrobe

Let me start off by saying that my indoor wardrobe is the same all year long. I am a jeans and t-shirt guy in the Winter just the same as the Summer.

What’s more, My Autumn/Spring jacket is also my Winter jacket. It’s a leather jacket with a thin mildly insulated liner. Fortunately in New York’s Hudson Valley (where I live) the weather seldom gets SO cold as to necessitate a thick, well insulated winter coat; that is, unless you happen to spend a LOT of time outdoors in the winter (you work outside or spend a lot of time shoveling snow, for example). That is  …. a thick winter coat is not necessary IF we have the right accessories. My Winter outdoor clothing accessories are as follows:

1. A thick scarf. This is ABSOLUTLEY necessary if we wish to keep a minimal wardrobe for the Winter season. Most of our body heat is lost through our neck. Keeping the neck warm beats keeping the chest and torso warm, hands down. Having a good scarf is the reason we don’t need a separate winter coat.
2. A thick winter hat. Also necessary. Gotta keep our melon warm, as this is where the body heat is generated.
3. Thermal gloves. Unless we plan on keeping our hands in our pockets the entire time we spend outdoors, those fingertips will freeze up in no time.

That’s it. The above items are the bare minimum needed for our outdoor wardrobe during the winter season. It’s the only articles of clothing we need if the only time we spend outdoors is when we are in transit. I am of course assuming our homes and automobiles have heating. On the other hand, in the event that we intend to spend considerably MORE time outside, here is a list of additional accessories to keep us warm (NOTE: We STILL don’t need a “winter coat”):

1. An Autumn/Spring flannel Shirt. Wear this UNDER our Autumn/Spring jacket, and we have the equivalent of a winter jacket (better in fact). Plus we have multifunctional clothing that is good for more than just one season.
2. Thermal underwear (top and bottoms). Under Armor makes them and so does Nike. They keep us warm and they are discreet. No one will even know we have them on. Furthermore, since they are not thick, they are not an encumbrance to our movement. We can still look sexy in thermals. Not so much with thick outerwear making us look like the Michelin Man.
3. Thick wool socks. To keep our toesies warm.
4. Winter gloves to put over the thermal ones. Only needed if we intend to actually touch snow.

That’s it! That is my total outdoor Winter wardrobe, and my ONLY change in wardrobe for the Winter season for that matter. It’s all we need in mid-state NY.