Hats and Coats

A friend of mine is visiting New York City from London. When she asked me what the weather is in NYC this time of the year I told her to bring: a hat, gloves, a heavy winter coat, a scarf and boots. She came last week on a beautiful sunny day. “Oh, it’s not that cold she said, I will be fine”. She also said that she did have a coat, two pair of boots, two pair of gloves but no hat. “I don’t like hats”. Ok, I said. Let’s try tomorrow.

It’s true that fashion is not the number one priority of New Yorkers during the winter days. Forget about the “Sex and the City” cocktail dresses, Manolo high heels and Prada bags. New York has nothing to do with those pretty and sexy images on January days. All you can see (or I can see) is non-elegant individuals walking around in heavy jackets, thick sweaters, ugly boots, woolen hats, colorful gloves, wrapped up in long warm scarves. Often they are so wrapped up that you can’t actually see their faces. Yes, New York is not really the capital of fashion as you would have thought when you moved here. It’s probably the opposite.

On the other side of the Atlantic, London, is doing much better (am I biased or what?). Londoners are dressed elegantly even if it is winter time. It’s not that cold anyway. You see nice silk mashminas, leather boots and trendy coats bought at Top-Shop. The only unpleasant necessity is the very famous item all Londoners need to carry with them: an umbrella! Rain is a part of daily life in the British capital. It’s wet and disturbing and can spoil the mildness of the weather. But again, fashionistas in London pick elegant umbrellas too that match the colors of their clothes.

My friend enjoys her stay in New York. But also, she bought a hat. A woolen hat. The one she didn’t have when she landed in JFK. The hat she didn’t like. She has an umbrella already.

New York is cold in January.