What a great post. I’ve got a few relatives in Oz so know they’re all in shock over there.

Winter has long been my nemesis. I get no pleasure from any single aspect of it.

In my younger days as a painter/decorator I would often find myself outside in the cold wrapped up in five/six old cotton mix jumpers which I would know now was a pretty useless insulating method. At that age to me a blue jumper was a blue jumper. I had no understanding of the difference between linen, cashmere or anything in between.

Now I’m covered in that department. Shetlands, Cashmere. I think somewhere there’s a 100% acrylic shetland style knit that’s horrible but incredibly warm for sitting around in. Not so great if you’re planning on walking around too much.

Trousers. Cords or heavier denim. Moleskin And tweed are tops for warmth. Not gone as far as 35oz though. That’s some heavy duty trouser action!

Footwear is where I struggle. The warmest socks make your best shoes too tight. I’ve ended up with a small ‘one size too big’ shoe collection. Cashmere socks I’m sure are warm but don’t wear well. A real luxury item. I’m thinking about something like alpaca for next winter.

Of course if I really wanted to be warm I should stop being one of the blokes standing round watching another man dig a hole and jump down and help him.

Going for a brisk walk on a crisp winter day is one thing but, as you say Spender, standing around in it for several hours is another thing altogether. You seem to feel the cold more as you get older. I was in the police in the 1970s when cops actually walked the beat, you kept moving to keep warm. One night I was on a roadblock because someone had escaped from Dartmoor nick and when I went to move after standing still for some time I found that my feet had frozen to the ground. Long johns and thermals are the answer. DMs were the boot of choice as the air pocket soles do actually keep your feet warm, if you kept plenty of polish on them they were fairly waterproof as well.

The warmest coat I have is a vintage Rogers and Peet ‘Scotch Mist’ overcoat. A tweed coat, treated to make it waterproof, with a blanket lining like a duffle coat has. There’s one on US ebay at the moment just like mine:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373685503520

I didn’t wear it once last winter because it didn’t get cold enough in the UK to warrant it. But it would be just the thing for a New York winter.

Another great jumper l have is the Dachstein made by a family in the Austrian Alps. Perhaps the warmest and highest quality jumper ever made.

Boiled wool jumper with a really high collar to stop the wind
https://www.sweaterchalet.com/dachstein-woolwear-alpine-wool-pullover-sweater-1110/#cc-m-product-11652833731

A crewneck style
https://www.sweaterchalet.com/dachstein-woolwear-alpine-wool-pullover-sweater-1112/#cc-m-product-11823943131

Warm woolen socks
https://www.sweaterchalet.com/dachstein-woolwear/dw-5114-adult-socks/#cc-m-product-11653650031

Also looking at this. A nice Filson thick woolen shirt for winter.
https://doublemonk.com/collections/filson/products/jac-shirt-plaid

and of course this:
https://doublemonk.com/collections/filson/products/mackinaw-cruiser-cobalt-blue-black


Winter clothes are not cheap, but if you fork out for quality you are set for life.

The Dachstein is one of the best values for money available. It is a jumper made to last a lifetime, and one of the true great clothing items made the traditional way that no-one else is doing anymore. It is a family business over 100 years old, and if you order one you'll need to wait a few months. You will need to layer underneath because the wool can be a touch itchy,so wear a flannelette shirt and/or a thermal underlay.

Quality alpaca socks are pretty much impossible to find. I was lucky to get mine. Very difficult to find great winter socks.

Thanks RG. Good everyday colours too. Plain ecru/black/navy rather than some of the fancier statement socks I've seen. Got some very decent looking shoes on there too.

pity those Mamnick sox aren't over the calf. I wonder who makes them.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2022-06-13 12:21:19)

For winter socks I recommend Darn Tough socks. They are truly tough. I finally wore through one pair after five years of heavy use in fishing waders/boots. I fish a lot and the going is a lot rougher than strolling around on a sidewalk.

They come in basic colors and can be successfully deployed with real shoes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XIEAH8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000XIEAH8&linkCode=as2&tag=troutbitten-20&linkId=ec67b4a468011bdd95303d206a7230ce

Here in southern New England it gets cold for keeps around the end of October and stays that way until some time in May. I am always amused when we get a day in the mid-50s in March or April and I see the mooks breaking out the wife-beaters and the "shorts" that go down to their knees. I'm still wearing tweed, f'r Pete's sake.

Shooey might be a tad browned off to know it's now red hot in England-Land (although cool weather and rain are forecast for the weekend), which means parcels of flabby English knobends pretending to be contestants on 'Love Island' whilst toting their cases of Budweiser from check-out to vehicle.  I'm not sure who to pin the blame on for this sorry state of affairs, Bryan Adams or Sir Les Patterson.