Old Lady, Not Cold Lady [Wednesday's Unfashion]

As far as fashion goes, this is basically a throw-away outfit to ensure I meet my goal. The bulky old-lady (and just plain old) sweater is best suited for bumming around in your minimally-heated-for-the-sake-of-the-gas-bill-and-the-environment home. Turtlenecks do not look good on me, and I don't buy them any more. The pants are too short to wear with tall shoes, hence, I've been forced to don my sneakers. You'll notice I've made an effort to dress the look up with a pendant, but the jury's still out on whether that improves my appearance or just amplifies the old-lady vibe.

The biggest challenge with an outfit like this is deciding whether to wear a coat. If you do, you'll probably be so heated up by the time you've walked to the office from the bus stop, you'll feel like you've become your own personal sauna. If you don't, there's a good chance the wind will cut right through the holes in your sweater and chill you to the bone.

The solution? Arm warmers!

Just say no to coats!

I have several pairs of old socks with the toes cut off, expressly for the purpose of adding a little warmth underneath my clothes. They're skin-tight, so they keep in the heat without adding too much bulk. When you do take them off, they're a lot less trouble to carry around than an entire coat.

With a pair of these warmers embracing my biceps, and a pair of long gloves covering me from forearm down, I kept warm enough to survive my commute to the office.