Fashionistas Agree: Here’s What You Need for Winters in New England

January is the coldest month of the year, especially in New England.  It's hard to stay on point with fashion when you're trying to stay warm.

I look at sites with models wearing puffy warm coats. However, it's a bright sunny day and they also have a skirt on with short boots.  What?  Don't bet they were in New England for that photo shoot, because that's not our vibe in the winter months.

According to PopSugar fashion editor Mekita Rivas, one of the winter fashion "must have's" in Boston is a good hat.  She's right. A wool or cashmere cable-knit hat is perfect, with or without the puff ball on top.  I think I have one in every color to go with every type of coat, dressy, casual, or everyday parka I own.

Puffy jackets and coats are still on point, but in New England there is one other important part to owning a jacket for the harshest weather months.  You have to make sure it's long enough so the wind doesn't blow up it and get you cold.  This is a very methodical process for many Northeast folks, making sure to cover all parts which could get cold.

Don't overdo it with one big puffy jacket. Rather, use layers so you can peel them off as you get warm, especially walking or shopping downtown.  We New Englanders love our Patagonia, North Face, and LL Bean lightweight puff jackets, which are great for laying and very warm solo.

Let's talk about boots. Short boots work with jeans, but so do waterproof Bean boots (from Maine retailer LL Bean), Uggs, and Sorel's.  These are staples (as are jeans) in any New Englander's closet, and they stay close by the door for quick trips in cold weather.

Don't wear spikey heeled boots. That would be a winter fashion faux pas here. They can catch in the sidewalk cracks, cobblestone streets, or ice.

Fashionista Kendra from curatedtaste.com suggests a wool scarf and a good pair of gloves, unlike the kind you buy at a convenience or drug store.  You need some very warm winter gloves to walk along the Esplanade in Boston, the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, Maine, or the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island.

I know, it all sounds logical, but it's not necessarily obvious to visitors who think they need to buy a Canada Goose jacket to look fashionable in winter.  Not true.  Even Boston University released this fun video to help students understand how to dress for a Boston winter.

This BU rep also mentions wool socks.  Wool is your friend.

Stay warm.  Keep fashionable.