Preparing for Winter V

TheBanker

Today's exciting job is to do a stocktake of my winter clothes and work out what I need. My aim is to make sure I can keep warm during the day, given I work at home 3 - 4 days of the week. I need warm clothes so I can turn the heating down, but they need to be things I can work in, and the top half needs to look respectable on Zoom calls!

One thing I'm short of is decent warm jumpers that can be worn over a shirt (I am male). I find they're either really expensive, or they're not very warm. And I'd prefer to avoid materials that are awkward to wash and dry. I have a lovely thick Barbour jumper but it cost a fortune, is hand wash only and takes an age to dry. And I have some M&S and Next cotton jumpers that were cheaper, easy to wash and dry, but aren't very warm. And a Primark jumper that went a funny shape after one wash so I won't be buying any more of those!

Jellytotts

TheBanker said:

Today's exciting job is to do a stocktake of my winter clothes and work out what I need. My aim is to make sure I can keep warm during the day, given I work at home 3 - 4 days of the week. I need warm clothes so I can turn the heating down, but they need to be things I can work in, and the top half needs to look respectable on Zoom calls!

One thing I'm short of is decent warm jumpers that can be worn over a shirt (I am male). I find they're either really expensive, or they're not very warm. And I'd prefer to avoid materials that are awkward to wash and dry. I have a lovely thick Barbour jumper but it cost a fortune, is hand wash only and takes an age to dry. And I have some M&S and Next cotton jumpers that were cheaper, easy to wash and dry, but aren't very warm. And a Primark jumper that went a funny shape after one wash so I won't be buying any more of those!

Worth investing in a warm dressing gown, can be quickly shrugged off for zoom calls but will be warm and cosy and most, being fleecy will dry quickly.  

YoungBlueEyes

Instead of finding something to go over your shirt, how about putting something under it?  You can get lovely thin thermal tops which are toasty warm.

TheBanker

Jellytotts said:

Worth investing in a warm dressing gown, can be quickly shrugged off for zoom calls but will be warm and cosy and most, being fleecy will dry quickly.  

Already got one In fact it's in the wash at the moment because I spilt coffee on it earlier. Not sure I'd be comfortable wearing it in the day over my clothes, though. I might give it a try.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Instead of finding something to go over your shirt, how about putting something under it?  You can get lovely thin thermal tops which are toasty warm.

Because, whilst this is mainly about functionality rather than style, I like the look of a shirt and smart jumper. It's also something I can wear in the office and for going out. I'm going to buy some vests too though, so I'll have a range of options. A jumper is ideal because if the office or pub is too warm, it can easily be removed. 

What kind of trousers do people wear at home (bearing in mind I'm male!)? I normally wear jeans but wondered if jogging bottom type trousers would be warmer? 

YoungBlueEyes

When father retired he announced he was never wearing his watch or smart trousers again.  I bought him a few pairs of joggy bottoms and he loved them! Easy to wash and dry, very warm and soft. 

Re the jumper - I know what you mean.  There's something about a crisp white/very pale pink shirt under a navy jumper that's just right.  I don't know what size/shape you are, but himself is a tall skinny unit.  He gets most of his clothes from Crew Clothing.  Good quality, good sizes, very warm, wash and dry well.  They always seem to have a sale on too....  

TheBanker

YoungBlueEyes said:

When father retired he announced he was never wearing his watch or smart trousers again.  I bought him a few pairs of joggy bottoms and he loved them! Easy to wash and dry, very warm and soft. 

I know how he feels! I'm nowhere near retirement, but until that C-thing happened a couple of years ago I'd worn a shirt and tie to work every single day of my working life. I wore a uniform when I worked in a bank branch, and then a suit when I moved to head office.

Now our workplace has changed and since people have started returning to the office, casual clothes are acceptable (which is what most people wore when working from home).

I've worn a tie twice since Covid - once for a funeral and once for a Zoom meeting with some people from the FCA. I thought I ought to make an effort for the FCA but in fact I was the only person who'd bothered! It's a shame because I have a nice collection of ties, most of which will probably spend the rest of time in the wardrobe! In fact when I last put on a tie, I had to use Youtube to remind myself how to tie the knot, it had been that long since I last wore one!

YoungBlueEyes

Good ole youtube eh.  And you're always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed

Jellytotts

@TheBanker it's worth having a look in your local charity shops for jumpers, you'll be amazed how much stuff in the mens section is almost brand new.   We have a clearance shop for one of the bigger charity chains here and everything is £1, I pick up some amazing bargains in there.

Uniscots97

Jellytotts said:

@TheBanker it's worth having a look in your local charity shops for jumpers, you'll be amazed how much stuff in the mens section is almost brand new.   We have a clearance shop for one of the bigger charity chains here and everything is £1, I pick up some amazing bargains in there.

I second the charity shops. Most of the bigger ones (and sometimes small ones in smaller towns) will get brand new items donated from the actual chain stores themselves. I only know this as I volunteered for a large charity myself after redundancy (to keep myself sane whilst I looked for something else). We got new items from supermarket clothing lines, mid price high street chains and high end chain stores. One of my Mother's friends who went to a lot of functions ended up with a very nice high end wardrobe of clothes for a fraction of what it would have cost. Same for me too I got some lovely suits and dresses for the office. But also some very practical items too. Try and look for moleskin trousers, very stylish but very warm! 

Eenymeeny

I agree with you on the wearing of 'smart' clothes. My son always wore suits for work and thought that it really helped the way people treated him. (Many girls wore jeans and tee shirts for the office that he described as 'beach wear')
He travelled for his job and often got upgraded on flights which he attributed to the same thing. Since he usually was given a breakfast it was also money saving!