<p>Hello there! I'm starting college in the Philadelphia area in the fall, and expect to be walking around campus and town as my main mode of transportation, so I will be spending a lot of time outdoors. However, I have virtually no experience living in cold weather, so I have no idea what clothing to bring!</p>
<p>Any suggestions? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any responses to my plea.</p>
<p>(Also, I hope it's alright that I'm posting this on the Parents Forum--I figured you all are a little bit more tuned in to responsible attire than your progeny.)</p>
<p>Honestly Trees, when you get to school you're going to get W-A-Y more help with this than you can possibly anticipate. September and October are beautiful months in Philadelphia, so you have PLENTY of time to decide what you want your "look" to be. The locals will know ALL the great places to fill out a wardrobe!</p>
<p>PS, Sometime during your four-year stay you really should take the road trip to L.L.Bean in Freeport Maine.</p>
<p>well I'm not a parent haha but I live in new york, so....
I mean you're definitely gonna need:
you're gonna need lots of jeans.
probably a pair of boots, thats more of a style thing though
lots of sweaters
a coat</p>
<p>but I'd say my best tips would be
1) instead of just regular sweaters, get some zipup hoodies and/or button up cardigans. neutral colors and some brights. that way, you can just wear some of the plenty of tshirts I'm sure you have and wear a hoodie or cardigan over them.
2) I always wear tights under my shorts and skirts during the winter. it basically doubles your wardrobe. black tights or colors are also in style now. you can get a ton at H&M. also, you can wear two layers of tights depending on how cold it is, or even a pair of footless tights under your jeans if it gets really cold.</p>
<p>Hi tressnogger, My S is a recent Swarthmore grad. He said to tell you that it could get cold, down in the 40's, by Thanksgiving, so unless you are planning to get home for the October break, make sure you have warm clothes with you when you start. He also said that some kids get away with not using any boots in the winter, just sneakers, because the College is very good about shoveling the walkways when it snows. He does say that you should have boots, though.</p>
<p>You'll have a chance to wear shorts at the beginning of the year, when it can be quite warm. The weather is generally mild by northeast standards.</p>
<p>Believe me - Philadelphia doesn't get tons of snow. It's not New England or upstate NY. It might be a little of a shock coming from California, but you can just wear jeans, moccasins/sneakers/boots/whatever, a t-shirt and a sweater and be fine well into November. Add a North Face or L.L. Bean fleece from december to february and you're set. I know I'm a New Englander and might have a higher tolerance for cold, but for me this means I wear Topsiders without socks year-round even in the snow occasionally.</p>
<p>It has been suggested before to wait until you get to school...see what other kids are wearing and what makes the most sense for you...then order from LLBean, Lands End. etc. Even those places have stuff on sale year round...especially Lands End. It will arrive within 2-3 days...even with "regular" mail.</p>
<p>Philadelphia is not dreadfully cold. It does tend to be rather gray and rainy. You probably do want to pack an umbrella and some kind of raincoat. Other than that I'd suggest that you take your current set of "winter" clothes. Save your serious shopping for after you arrive. This has two advantages: 1) You won't fill your luggage up with the wrong clothes and 2) You will have a chance to observe what other students wear and get on the spot advice from your not-from-anywhere-as-warm-as-Claremont classmates. If you can't find what you need cheap at some nifty second-hand store in downtown Swarthmore, the trip to a more distant suburb (or clear into Philly) will give you (and your fashion consultants) a much deserved study break.</p>
<p>I grew up in Philadelphia (back in the dark ages) and have also lived in California. Philadelphia, from a Californian perspective, IS "dreadfully cold." Really. </p>
<p>But I agree with the people who say you can ease into it. The fall is lovely, and it doesn't get really cold until after Thanksgiving, so you'll have a chance to figure out what you need.</p>
<p>I think that there is often a decisive change in the weather right around Columbus Day. However, it's not that it's 80 and gorgeous one day and then piles of snow the next. But ... right there in early October you can have a decided nip in the wind. Be prepared with something ... like a hoody or a fleece for that day. And pants. And something besides flip flops. You'll be fine!</p>
<p>Layer, Layer, Layer. The best thing to do is bring some tee shirts (short and long sleeved)and jeans, a couple of shorts and capris, sneakers, vans. As the weather gets cooler a fleece vest is the best to throw over your tee shirt. I'm from NY and the young folks here where lots of hoodies. Not many coats. As it gets into the cooler months a north face jacket does the trick as well as a pair of boots like timberlands.
A good place to start is: UrbanOutfitters.com</a> > Women's Apparel</p>
<p>Short sleeved and long sleeved t shirts (more long), plus fleeces and microfleeces, plus a wind-and-water-proof outer layer. Not body hugging--you want to be able to wear a bulky sweater or fleece under it! And make sure it comes down far enough...probably mid thigh. A hood, possibly detachable, is not a bad idea.</p>
<p>Think Gore-tex. North Face seems to be the de rigeur thing, but you can easily order one from Bean's. If you have short and long sleeved t shirts, and a fleece to throw over it, that should take even a Californian into October, I would think. (I admit that I live in Maine and haven't worn more than a gore-tex jacket with a fleece under it in 14 years. What can I say: I'm half Finnish! :) </p>
<p>I don't think I've ever seen a contemporary teenager using an umbrella.</p>
<p>^^Really? That's the second time someone has said recently, but I use an umbrella and so do lots of other Wellesley students (maybe it's a girl thing?). It's very different, to live in a suburb and just have to make it from the car to the building when it's raining, versus having to walk across a campus in a downpour. I guess it also depends on how big the campus is, but still, I would think an umbrella would be useful for most people. Maybe I'm out of it though!</p>
<p>DON'T buy a coat in Southern California. Friend of mine grew up in South Central LA, got admitted to Princeton (not far from Philly). He knew he'd need a coat. His family, very low-income, scrimped and saved to buy him a coat before he went, and bought him the warmest coat they could find. He got to Princeton and says he froze his a** off all winter. Philly's not cold by Northeast standards, but by SoCal standards it's COLD. Layers are good, but you'll need a good coat, easier to find in Philly than in LA. It doesn't need to be a heavy coat, but there are outstanding insulating/windbreak materials now, some with zip-in fleece linings for an extra layer of warmth & comfort when needed.</p>
<p>Oh, also lined gloves and a hat---a real hat, not just a baseball cap. These may not be fashionable these days but they really keep you warm. You lose a tremendous amount of body heat from uncovered hands and head.</p>
<p>Advantagious, back in the day when I was at Wellesley I had an umbrella too. Maybe it is just that teens in HS don't do too much walking around, while college students do. Also, I have a boy. Need I say more? :)</p>
<p>BTW, I agree about the gloves and hat, but wait to buy them until you are in Philly.</p>
<p>Listen to the wise -- don't buy stuff in CA. Wait till you get to school and wait till the weather gets cool. Then take your East Coast friends shopping. It'll be more fun that way for you -- and they'll get a kick out of outfitting the Angelino for an East Coast winter. And you'll get stuff that's useable and that looks cool. Because let's face it: you gotta look cool. </p>
<p>But for what it's worth, you'll probably see a lot of people wearing Northface jackets. And possibly Frye boots (at least, they were very cool in '06) And cool scarves. I think that's the best thing about cold weather: those awesome scarves. And mittens: cute mittens will be a must and you'll have fun buying them. </p>
<p>One thing you may consider bringing with you from CA: a really good face cream. East coast winters are tough on babied California skin. Oh, and bring some In N Out stickers to put on your dorm door. It'll mark you as a non-native ;) </p>
<p>Both my kids use umbrellas but won't wear raincoats. They wear fleeces all winter, but have ski jackets for when it gets cold. It seems to be a macho thing with them not to wear them though. My older son wears khakis year round, my younger son wears jeans. A knit or fleece hat is definitely a good idea, though only my older son actually wears one. Neither of my kids ever wears boots. They do soak their shoes from time to time though.</p>
<p>mathmom, I live in Maine and my S virtually never wears his boots. Nor does he wear gloves of any kind, or a hat. He has a couple of jackets that he will wear in the middle of winter, but refuses to do up the zipper! </p>
<p>It's definitely a macho thing. :) Actually, I think he'll be walking more in college, and it might be a bit colder, so perhaps he will finally start zipping up his coat.</p>
<p>Bring a couple of hoodies if you have them. This will last you a good while into the year. By October you could have some cold evenings. </p>
<p>A North Face polar fleece zip up jacket is fine for anyone, anywhere cold.</p>
<p>Bring a couple of underarmour long sleeve t's if you have them or can easily can get your hands on them. My son and his friends are not into sweaters and wear underarmour shirts under long sleeve t's or hoodies when it is sub-freezing cold and the air is damp. Actually they wear them under short sleeve t's sometimes but I think that looks dumb.</p>
<p>Check to see what price you should pay for waterproof gloves and polar fleece hats at Target or Target.com; buying warm weather clothes on campus or from sporting goods stores can cost twice as much as Target.</p>
<p>There are hiking tennies or Columbias that look sort of like boots and sort of like shoes that are a bit warmer than tennies and have slightly better treads; perfect for shoveled sidewalks. If you are not doing snow activities these might do. But you want to go sledding, don't you? Get some boots. You can wait til you get there. And you can get perfectly good winter boots from Target - no need to buy Sorels - it is not as if you will be going ice fishing.</p>