You be the judge: Should my best friend stop wearing winter coats all year round?
The charge: Halina
Samantha will wear a big fleece to go eat ice cream in the summer. She makes us all look ridiculous
My best friend, Samantha, seems unable to dress for the weather. Even in the hot summer we had this year, she was still walking around in a big coat. She has an extensive collection - large designer down jackets, long vintage leather coats and sheepskin fleeces. I think they're pretty cool, but she wears them when they're not needed.
This year she put on a giant puffer jacket when she came to meet me in the height of summer. Another time she wore this huge fleece as we went to get ice cream in a van.
Samantha's jackets are simply incongruous with her surroundings. She doesn't have a "transitional" wardrobe. They're winter jackets most of the year, and then when it gets really hot, she'll forego a jacket or wear one of those little cropped sweaters. There's no in-between.
We've been friends for five years and I noticed this quirk a little more last year. I tell Samantha that she needs to buy a denim jacket or some sort of spring wardrobe, but she's adamant that her winter jackets are suitable for most of the year. Friends always comment on how weird it is.
When we were in a group this year we looked a bit ridiculous as Samantha was dressed for Baltic conditions when there wasn't a cloud of it in the sky. In my opinion, unless you're in the dead of winter, you don't need a huge padded jacket or thick fleece.
When Samantha and I met this fall, she was wearing thermals, which I thought was a bit crazy. We were having brunch and it was 17°C. Samantha arrived in her giant padded jacket. I said, "When does the ski season start?" Samantha's response was, "Well, it's going to be cold later."
Samantha should make some changes to her wardrobe so that when we go out, she doesn't look like anything wrong with it. When you see someone wearing a coat that's too heavy for the weather, you think they must be sick or a tourist. People should dress for the season. Makes sense.
Defence: SamanthaI'd rather be too hot than too cold, so I always go out with heavy coats. Halina should leave me alone
People love picking me up because I'm wearing too heavy jackets, but I don't think it's that bad. Who wants to be taken aback by the UK weather?
I have a selection of chunky fleeces and down jackets that I wear pretty much all year round and I don't think not that there is anything wrong with that. My favorite is my Moncler quilted jacket, which was very expensive, and another beige fleece that was found in a charity shop and is really warm. I must have seven or eight big winter coats that I alternate throughout the year.
It makes no sense to buy what Halina calls "a transitional wardrobe" because for most of the time wearing a thick coat when it's a little too warm is only a minor inconvenience for a few hours. Usually this pays off later when the sun goes down or the weather becomes unpredictable. Or if not, I'll take the coat off when I get to where I need to go.
The way Halina talks is like I was sitting in a restaurant with my hood on – which is not the case. These coats are not a disadvantage for me, quite the contrary. Even in summer, I can't leave the house without a big coat: I just feel naked. Buying lighter jackets, as Halina suggests, is just a waste of money because I'm either wearing one of my big coats over them or nothing at all.
I guess my love of thick coats has become kind of a running joke for my friends, but I don't care. I will arrive for brunch and there will be jokes. Halina asks me if I'm looking for a polar bear or if I'm working a ski season. I just laugh and say, “Never mind, guys. I am comfortable. The irony is that I've seen Halina in outdoor cafes shaking at the end of a night out, because she hadn't properly packed her own outerwear.
< p class="dcr-18sg7f2">I'd rather be a little too hot than too cold for hours on end, so I'll always leave the house with one of my heavy coats unless it's a heat wave. I don't see that changing, so my friends, including Halina, will just have to get used to it.It's not like I'm making them wear the jacket -selves, so why are they so bothered?
Should Samantha buy lighter jackets?
Samantha will wear a big fleece to go eat ice cream in the summer. She makes us all look ridiculous
My best friend, Samantha, seems unable to dress for the weather. Even in the hot summer we had this year, she was still walking around in a big coat. She has an extensive collection - large designer down jackets, long vintage leather coats and sheepskin fleeces. I think they're pretty cool, but she wears them when they're not needed.
This year she put on a giant puffer jacket when she came to meet me in the height of summer. Another time she wore this huge fleece as we went to get ice cream in a van.
Samantha's jackets are simply incongruous with her surroundings. She doesn't have a "transitional" wardrobe. They're winter jackets most of the year, and then when it gets really hot, she'll forego a jacket or wear one of those little cropped sweaters. There's no in-between.
We've been friends for five years and I noticed this quirk a little more last year. I tell Samantha that she needs to buy a denim jacket or some sort of spring wardrobe, but she's adamant that her winter jackets are suitable for most of the year. Friends always comment on how weird it is.
When we were in a group this year we looked a bit ridiculous as Samantha was dressed for Baltic conditions when there wasn't a cloud of it in the sky. In my opinion, unless you're in the dead of winter, you don't need a huge padded jacket or thick fleece.
When Samantha and I met this fall, she was wearing thermals, which I thought was a bit crazy. We were having brunch and it was 17°C. Samantha arrived in her giant padded jacket. I said, "When does the ski season start?" Samantha's response was, "Well, it's going to be cold later."
Samantha should make some changes to her wardrobe so that when we go out, she doesn't look like anything wrong with it. When you see someone wearing a coat that's too heavy for the weather, you think they must be sick or a tourist. People should dress for the season. Makes sense.
Defence: SamanthaI'd rather be too hot than too cold, so I always go out with heavy coats. Halina should leave me alone
People love picking me up because I'm wearing too heavy jackets, but I don't think it's that bad. Who wants to be taken aback by the UK weather?
I have a selection of chunky fleeces and down jackets that I wear pretty much all year round and I don't think not that there is anything wrong with that. My favorite is my Moncler quilted jacket, which was very expensive, and another beige fleece that was found in a charity shop and is really warm. I must have seven or eight big winter coats that I alternate throughout the year.
It makes no sense to buy what Halina calls "a transitional wardrobe" because for most of the time wearing a thick coat when it's a little too warm is only a minor inconvenience for a few hours. Usually this pays off later when the sun goes down or the weather becomes unpredictable. Or if not, I'll take the coat off when I get to where I need to go.
The way Halina talks is like I was sitting in a restaurant with my hood on – which is not the case. These coats are not a disadvantage for me, quite the contrary. Even in summer, I can't leave the house without a big coat: I just feel naked. Buying lighter jackets, as Halina suggests, is just a waste of money because I'm either wearing one of my big coats over them or nothing at all.
I guess my love of thick coats has become kind of a running joke for my friends, but I don't care. I will arrive for brunch and there will be jokes. Halina asks me if I'm looking for a polar bear or if I'm working a ski season. I just laugh and say, “Never mind, guys. I am comfortable. The irony is that I've seen Halina in outdoor cafes shaking at the end of a night out, because she hadn't properly packed her own outerwear.
< p class="dcr-18sg7f2">I'd rather be a little too hot than too cold for hours on end, so I'll always leave the house with one of my heavy coats unless it's a heat wave. I don't see that changing, so my friends, including Halina, will just have to get used to it.It's not like I'm making them wear the jacket -selves, so why are they so bothered?
Should Samantha buy lighter jackets?
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