<p>My d is moving to a school in a very cold place. Her pants of choice are skin-tight jeans, But she needs something that she can wear over long underwear. Even light silk long underwear aren't going to fit under those jeans. The pants must be fashionable. So far she's managed somehow to find a fashionable coat, boots, and mittens, all from REI and rated for extremely cold weather. I don't know how she managed that, but she did. The pants are a challenge. Hard to find acceptable replacements for skinny jeans! I suggested flannel-lined jeans. She looked at me like I had two heads. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>I don’t know how cold a very cold place is but my son goes to school in Cleveland and the kids there just wear regular jeans. While they are outside between classes that’s only a 10 minute walk or so. As long as they have boots, gloves and something on the head its not really too big an issue. And unless there’s a lot of snow, the kids don’t wear the boots.</p>
<p>My suggestion is the same I gave my son’s elementary school teachers. If they’re cold they’ll put on more clothes. No one gets sick from being a little cold. Really. Maybe a fashion for maxicoats will come back. 
Except when I’m skiing I rarely wear anything heavier than jeans and I’m out on job sites.</p>
<p>We’re in NH and the only time someone around here wears long underwear is if they will be outside for hours on end (think skiing, tubing). She would melt in the classroom wearing long underwear. If she really finds it unbearably cold, she could wear tights under her jeans.</p>
<p>My D1 in college in Massachusetts favors tight jeans that have more holes and splits than they have solid spaces. If she gets frostbitten at the exposed areas, she’ll come out looking like a red-and-white zebra.</p>
<p>“She looked at me like I had two heads.” I would too. I can’t imagine a college kid wearing long underwear to class - unless maybe they are going to college in northern Maine or Alaska. As far north as Boston, most kids are going to get by with hoodies and light jackets between classes. If they have a long walk or the weather is exceptionally cold, then maybe the heavy coats, hats, gloves, and boots. Maybe. Long johns, I don’t think so.</p>
<p>I think she will probably have to decide to keep herself warm but if she’s really fashion conscious, then she’ll also figure out that wearing only skinny jeans is so “last year.” Supposedly the boyfriend jean is the newer trend and she would have plenty of room under those for the long underwear. If none of her friends have caught on yet, then she can be the trend setter.</p>
<p>I live in Michigan and know many students here. Our highs this week are going to be in single digits with wind chills way below that. Lots of kids will just wear hoodies and not even wear coats or any special footwear. I can’t stand to wear long underwear, even in this kind of weather. S never wears anything like that. He does like to wear coats and jackets, but he never wears hats or gloves.</p>
<p>layers, but prob no need for long underwhere–really. It’s cold outside and can be toasty in the classroom.</p>
<p>As my mom used to say,</p>
<p>“I hope your vanity will keep you warm.”</p>
<p>There is also some really cute fleece yoga style pants this year! I have two pair and they are much, much warmer against the skin than jeans in the winter. On-line try Title Nine or Athletica. There is also really, really cute patterned long-john “tights” this year.</p>
<p>I’ve decided teenagers and those under, say 23, do not feel cold the way us old people do. D in Boston wears moccassins without socks on many cold days. The only time she wears anything under pants is to go snowboarding, and even that’s not always the case. She grew up in a much milder climate.</p>
<p>Your D sounds like mine! More concerned with “style” than practicality. She is from Southern CA and is now in the midwest. She has made it through two years with no long underwear. She wears her ski parka (which meets her style quota) but desperately needs a knee length or mid-thigh coat. Since she can’t find what she likes, she refuses to get one. Very stubborn, but not much I can do. Hopefully, your D got a long coat, If she did, l would love to see the style number! Basically, as parents, this issue is out of our control (and probably should be).</p>
<p>i wear regular tights under my pants here in the northeast. you wouldn’t think that tiny piece of barely wear fabric would make a difference but you’d be amazed how it shields from the wind!</p>
<p>I have spent years worrying and nagging my kids about their lack of boots, hats and other warm clothing. Finally, I’ve realized that the streets of our city are not lined with bodies of frozen teenagers, and just let it go. But I do insist that they own warm clothes and accessories. Send your daughter with the REI stuff and the extra layers (the tights are a great idea), but don’t expect her to wear all of them. You might include a soft but warm scarf and extra gloves.</p>
<p>Tell D not to knock the flannel lined jeans until she trys them. They are great for camping, and in side houses saving on heater costs. Might be too hot to wear in classrooms.</p>
<p>How cold is it? This article was in the Anchorage Daily News yesterday and may provide a fashionable compromise between freezing and flannel-lined jeans:</p>
<p>[Insulated</a> skirt for the arctic fashionista: Life | adn.com](<a href=“http://www.adn.com/life/story/650538.html]Insulated”>http://www.adn.com/life/story/650538.html)</p>
<p>Even as an adult (53) I don’t wear long underwear, even when my friends are wearing it–and I spend a lot of time outdoors with my dogs, and yes, it does occasionally get truly cold here in the Pacific Northwest. (A few years back I spent four days at an agility trial and it never got above 18 degrees F in that arena. Yes, there was a warmer area to go back to, but that was 45 degrees.)</p>
<p>I do, however, wear a cycling base layer top under a wool sweater under a fleece vest under a coat. I wear a thick cashmere hat with a double layer over the ears (which I knit particularly for those days–it’s too warm most days). I carry a spare pair of gloves so my hands are always dry. Wool or cashmere socks. Inov-8 Goretex hiking boots are lightweight and keep my feet dry. But I hate long underwear, it makes me feel like I can’t move. And if I can’t move, I can’t generate body heat.</p>
<p>My daughter asked me to make her the same hat I made myself. She tried to steal mine but I stole it back. </p>
<p>When I lived in Boston, a zillion years ago (before global warming), I had an ankle-length alpaca coat that kept me warm.</p>
<p>Another vote against long underwear here. We are from So Cal and D attended Syracuse. We insisted that she bring long underwear but she never used them; she found that a hat, scarf, gloves, down parka or coat, wool socks and snow boots were more than adequate (along with the usual jeans and top) even for the coldest days.</p>
<p>I posted, but it never appeared –</p>
<p>Temp down to -25 (wind chill) but I’m sure it’s not usually that cold. We live near Boston and it’s 30 here today and 4 there.</p>
<p>Skinny vs boyfriend jeans. The jury is out on that one. Not a whole lot of people are going for the boyfriend jeans yet.</p>
<p>Me worried? Mostly she’s worried! She’s pretty tiny and gets cold IN the house with long underwear top/wool sweater/jeans. But true, she won’t be outside much. Not a winter sports kind of girl.</p>
<p>Parka vs long coat. Yeah, it’s a parka. Nothing she liked in the longer version. </p>
<p>Mostly: We’ll see what happens when she gets up there. She’ll manage the learning curve, and if she’s cold, it’s not like she doesn’t like shopping.</p>