Thermals recommendations for an Aussie in London- is it worth paying more?

Dorothyy

Hey all!

I was hoping for some recommendations on thermals! I'm an Aussie about to spend my first winter here (or anywhere remotely cold!) and I leave the house for work around 5.45am most mornings.. :eek:

Should i just buy the cheapest thermals I can find? or is it worth buying more upmarket ones (and which?)

Also DEAL i found - Uniqlo are doing two 12.99 items for 20 (save £6) in their heattech range - a range of thermal that 'use your body moisture to create heat' ??

Cheers,
Maddy

loveabargain13

Uniqlo heat tech range is excellent!
Today I bought knee high socks and short socks, at the mo with that offer I would recommend getting the round neck long sleeve t-shirt (which I am currently wearing) and leggings. You'd be warm from top to toe! They also do last I have my top from 2 winters ago (as last winter I spent in melbourne )

I also have the heat-tech shorts which I wear under skirts hehe

These are modern thermals if you want fleecey thermals I'd go to primark for aroun £6 you can get tops etc, but heat tech really does keep you warm and that is coming from a cold person

loveabargain13

Uniqlo heat tech range is excellent!
Today I bought knee high socks and short socks, at the mo with that offer I would recommend getting the round neck long sleeve t-shirt (which I am currently wearing) and leggings. You'd be warm from top to toe! They also do last I have my top from 2 winters ago (as last winter I spent in melbourne )

I also have the heat-tech shorts which I wear under skirts hehe

These are modern thermals if you want fleecey thermals I'd go to primark for aroun £6 you can get tops etc, but heat tech really does keep you warm and that is coming from a cold person

babyshoes

Having also come from a warm climate (a few years ago now), I found that having multiple layers is only really useful if you are outdoors or in an un-heated building most of the time. Most buildings tend to be heated and some overly so, so you really want something you can take off all in one piece, rather than removing layers & layers of jumpers/cardigans/fleeces and finding somewhere to put them - or leaving them on and sweating buckets. What a pain in the @ss!

I personally find a good warm coat to be the most important piece of clothing in winter - the longer the better to keep your bum and legs warm, and if it zips up your neck, even better. It is worth spending a fair bit on a good coat, even if it seems like a lot of money up front it will be worth it. Don't worry about fashion when it comes to coats - everyone with an ounce of sense looks like the michelin man in the coldest months! The airheads still go out in mini-skirts though. If it is really cold they might accesorise with a little scarf, patterned tights and pretty gloves....

When it gets properly cold, ski gloves, a warm hat and a scarf all help a lot. Those sleeveless fleece bodywarmers are also surprisingly useful for keeping bodyheat in without adding bulk to your arms, so are perfect under a coat if you find you are cold when out and about. They can sometimes be a bit difficult to find though, so keep your eyes open. In previous years, I have bought them in BHS and Bon Marche.

Most of all, don't panic! You will find you get used to it in time, it isn't as bad as you imagine it will be as long as you have money to keep your heating on at around 19-20 degC when you are at home, (but don't forget to turn it way down when you are out to save money!)

Oh, and snow is not nearly as amazing as you imagine it will be when you have to get to work in it. It is wet, miserable and slippy. If you do get a day off though, making a snowman is good fun, and must be done! Enjoy

jenniewb

I have not been anywhere but the UK and still feel it gets colder every year!

I'd strongly recommend the Uniqlo range as it works very well, washes very well and keeps me warm. You can add layers easily and it looks OK too.
I have not tried the puffa jacket type things but they also look very warm and may be worth a try but have loads of the Heat-Tek stuff from 2 years ago and its still going strong

Failing that M&S have some good thermals but some of it can look a tad...Grannish (for want of a better word!) so you have to pick well. It does a fair job but not as easy to wear in layers as it doesnt stick to your body in the same way IME. The little vests are cute though but do bobble so not as chic to wear as day wear in warmer months unfortunately.

Clowance

And a lot depends where in the UK you are. Much colder up north, and for longer. Last year we had an exceptionally cold winter but statistically this is unlikely to happen this year. I would echo the previous poster - if you will be indoors in a heated environment get a very good winter coat or puffa jacket and hat, scarf, gloves. I lived in Massachusetts for a while and it was really cold in the winter there, but I didn't get thermals, but a hat was definitely essential.

mandragora_2

Aldi do good ones, not expensive and very efficient/comfortable. They often have them in our local store, but especially worth looking out for when they're running a skiing wear promo.

I have to say, I think you'll find that wearing thermals for indoors quickly becomes overwhelming. We were in Poland in February a couple of years ago - I very quickly learned that you only need the thermals on the most extreme of days, and then only really when you're outside. I think you will acclimatise much faster than you think at the moment, so don't go overboard and spend a load of money on lots of thermal underwear that you won't use very often.

Enterprise_1701C

My immediate thought was what will you do when you get into work? Is it inside or outside, heated or unheated?

If it is inside and heated I would not suggest using thermals, more the layering idea so you can gradually peel off when you warm up.

A warm coat really is a must though, a nice wool one does the job quite nicely.

alanrowell

Layering is great - if you intend to spend all your time in somewhere at roughly the same temperature.

Few of us do as we are in and out of shops, work & the likes of the Tube all of which will be at widely differing temperatures.

My advice is to get a decent outercoat - rain and windproof as well as insulated along with hat, gloves & a scarf. They will be a lot more easily removable and openable as you change temperature zones