Cold Weather Wear for the Deep South

You would think that--living in the Deep South--I would have Florida temperatures year-round. NO. It has already gone below freezing a few times. Basically, we have horrible high-humidity heat for many months, followed by a week or less of autumn, followed by a coldish and damp winter, followed by a few days of spring. So even though I don't need the warmest winter clothing, I do need some. Plus, my old house is pretty drafty, in spite of Mr. FS's efforts to insulate and our use of ceiling fans.

Cold weather calls for comfort clothing. So does Finals Week, especially for teachers, who labor on after students have finished, and who have had several weeks of absorbing toxic levels of student anxiety and tales of disaster.

Naturally, in my case, the thrift store has provided. My latest comfort cold weather wear?

Bottoms (these turned up in a men's small, which fit me fine):

Outer layer on top:

The pants are the exact ones I found. While I would never spend that much on sport pants (since I don't do any of the winter sports they are intended for), they are toasty warm. The cape-jacket is similar. Mine is reversible navy wool (navy tweed inside) MADE IN WALES. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I get lots of things like that. I'm sure it was bought on vacation and never worn. I have already worn it non-stop since I got it.

In these two garments we see the opposing philosophies of cold weather wear. The pants are made of polypropylene, a synthetic I've probably misspelled. The topper is wool, of extremely good quality, which will last forever. The pants will probably pill and get disgusting in a few years.

Strangely, since the pants look like leggings, I can wear them when I'm out and about, and look perfectly au courant. And the topper is great, because I can wear layers and layers under it.

You may think this is outdoor wear...and it is. But I should mention that I am wearing the combo indoors too. It HAS been cold inside.

And what of my accessories? I found a pair of fingerless gloves that I bought Miss Em several years ago. They were bought for an 8th grader. Needless to say, they are too dorky for her now. They are great indoor and outdoor wear for me. You can even write a blog post while wearing them

Headgear: a problem. Since reading Duchesse's post about sheepskin earmuffs, I am filled with desire for a set for myself. Hey: a gift I would actually want!