Tips for a Desert Gal visiting the Cold East

[yash13177]

Hi everyone!

For my entire life I've lived in pretty warm places, aka no snow and temps never below 55 degrees. I'm visiting a school on the east side of the USA from 1/31 - 2/2. Based on weather.com's monthly estimates, it'll be about a 43 degree high and 25 degree low with RAIN - probably the coldest I've ever had to deal with ever.

Any tips with how to survive the interview weekend? The thickest coat I have is just like a black trench coat, looks professional but doesn't provide enough warmth for such a low temperature. I can borrow a coat from my boyfriend put it is quite puffy and not really suitable for interviews. How do I stay warm and also be business casual? I'm counting on lots of layers but I'm guessing wearing a thick coat to interviews is normal? Is there anything that is a must buy?

Literally a desert girl who has never had to deal with cold ahahaha!! sorry for such a silly question  

[PsyDuck90]

Wear the warmer coat with a professional blazer underneath. Take the coat off when you get inside the building. Or, if you really feel like spending money, a nice peacoat is both warm and stylish. I have lived in the Northeast all my life. We don't really pay attention to the outerwear. If you wear the coat inside, that might be a little weird. Just be glad you're getting off easy. The fun times is when it's a high of 15 and feels like 2 with windchill. 

But yeah, borrow the bf's coat as long as it doesn't have rips/stains and doesn't look comically huge on you. Dress in layers. Maybe bring a scarf and gloves too. If you aren't used to the cold, it will probably feel worse for you. For shoes, I would suggest either rain boots and then change into flats/heels once inside, or wear a nice pair of leather (or leather-looking) boots. Suede is a bad idea if there's going to be rain. 

[yash13177]

13 hours ago, Hk328 said:

Wear the warmer coat with a professional blazer underneath. Take the coat off when you get inside the building. Or, if you really feel like spending money, a nice peacoat is both warm and stylish. I have lived in the Northeast all my life. We don't really pay attention to the outerwear. If you wear the coat inside, that might be a little weird. Just be glad you're getting off easy. The fun times is when it's a high of 15 and feels like 2 with windchill. 

But yeah, borrow the bf's coat as long as it doesn't have rips/stains and doesn't look comically huge on you. Dress in layers. Maybe bring a scarf and gloves too. If you aren't used to the cold, it will probably feel worse for you. For shoes, I would suggest either rain boots and then change into flats/heels once inside, or wear a nice pair of leather (or leather-looking) boots. Suede is a bad idea if there's going to be rain. 

Thank you so much for your suggestions! Hahahaha oh dear.... I'm glad I am "lucky" this time!

I have some just above ankle height black leather looking booties I think I'll wear. I also have some black oxfords but they're quite flimsy and probably wouldn't hold up in the rain... 

[PsyDuck90]

5 minutes ago, yash13177 said:

Thank you so much for your suggestions! Hahahaha oh dear.... I'm glad I am "lucky" this time!

I have some just above ankle height black leather looking booties I think I'll wear. I also have some black oxfords but they're quite flimsy and probably wouldn't hold up in the rain... 

The black ankle boots with dress pants should look good! That's actually what I wore for interviewing last year. Just make sure they still look professional with pants (your pants aren't too short where you can see the socks when standing or something). 

Good luck!

[biggielarges]

As a Northern gal, I second the suggestion for hella LAYERS and a thick outer coat over your blazer.  No one will judge you for bundling up as long as your coat doesn't drag on the ground, haha!! 

I'm assuming you're going to Tufts based on your signature... The Boston area is really quite windy, so I would really recommend a warm hat, gloves, and maybe a scarf. RE: rain, from my experience, the wind here can sometimes break your umbrella, so I generally don't bother carrying one.  Watch out for salt/mud in the roads on your nice ankle boots. 
Take care and good luck, you're gonna nail this 

[N0rd]

17 hours ago, Hk328 said:

Just make sure they still look professional with pants (your pants aren't too short where you can see the socks when standing or something.

You also can't overestimate the value of a good thick pair of socks. I know it sounds minimal but it's incredibly difficult to focus/be in a good mood when your toes are cold and if it's damp and cold outside you'll definitely feel it. Wool is a good material and if you get them in black they're a lot less noticeable even if they do peak out a bit.

 

[BabyScientist]

This was me last year. I had no idea what to do/wear. The above suggestions are great, but I just wanted to say that you should be aware when you're there of whether you can actually handle living in that weather. I had one interview where it was 23F and snowing and everyone was saying we were lucky it was so warm that weekend and I was like wtf this is warm?! Didn't end up picking that school. 

[LOiseauRouge]

I agree with layers! I grew up in Arizona/California and then moved to the East Coast for a while and had no idea even how to layer. Layering plus warm coats, thick socks, and gloves can be a life saver! (I usually preferred the fingerless gloves that also had a flap to fold over your fingers for extra warmth so I could use my phone without taking off the gloves)

[yash13177]

Hi everyone!!

Thank you all for your suggestions - I was able to survive two interviews in temperatures below freezing. I'm updating this for posterity and to save little fragile desert people like me. Three things helped me: A legit winter coat I bought from Amazon (not Arizona winter coat, an actual winter coat), layers, and thermals. 

Winter coat I bought was Orolay's thickened down jacket, which after reading reviews seemed pretty legit. It's a bit pricey, but since all my interviews are on the East coast I figured I would end up moving somewhere cold. This thing is magical. It's big enough to wear things under it (sweatshirts/blazers/etc) and is pretty resistant to wind. 

My layers consisted of things I owned plus Heattech (see below). Unfortunately couldn't find any good socks, so I just went with the thickest cotton pair that I own.

I am currently in Hong Kong, which has a huge Japanese brand called Uniqlo. There's a line called Heattech that is a literal life-saver. I have some shirts but I bought leggings specific for the interviews. They are the highest grade of warmth and I wore them under jeans/slacks. These were the best thing ever.

 

So! With all of this, I survived temperatures around 20 degrees with wind. I had scarves too but I could just zip up my jacket and that was fine. For most interviews you're not walking around too much, so I don't know how my tactic would work if I had to stand outside for long periods of time. But for me (who thinks 60 degrees is cold), I was warm and toasty throughout my interview weekend. Thanks to all for suggestions! ❤️ 

[LOiseauRouge]

On 2/13/2019 at 12:53 PM, yash13177 said:

Hi everyone!!

Thank you all for your suggestions - I was able to survive two interviews in temperatures below freezing. I'm updating this for posterity and to save little fragile desert people like me. Three things helped me: A legit winter coat I bought from Amazon (not Arizona winter coat, an actual winter coat), layers, and thermals. 

Winter coat I bought was Orolay's thickened down jacket, which after reading reviews seemed pretty legit. It's a bit pricey, but since all my interviews are on the East coast I figured I would end up moving somewhere cold. This thing is magical. It's big enough to wear things under it (sweatshirts/blazers/etc) and is pretty resistant to wind. 

My layers consisted of things I owned plus Heattech (see below). Unfortunately couldn't find any good socks, so I just went with the thickest cotton pair that I own.

I am currently in Hong Kong, which has a huge Japanese brand called Uniqlo. There's a line called Heattech that is a literal life-saver. I have some shirts but I bought leggings specific for the interviews. They are the highest grade of warmth and I wore them under jeans/slacks. These were the best thing ever.

 

So! With all of this, I survived temperatures around 20 degrees with wind. I had scarves too but I could just zip up my jacket and that was fine. For most interviews you're not walking around too much, so I don't know how my tactic would work if I had to stand outside for long periods of time. But for me (who thinks 60 degrees is cold), I was warm and toasty throughout my interview weekend. Thanks to all for suggestions! ❤️ 

Thanks for this info! I'm going to Hong Kong in a couple weeks (I used to live there!)! I might look into Uniqlo while out there because I'm going to be leaving the desert and moving to New York for grad school! Definitely will need some warmer clothes

[PsyDuck90]

Uniqlo has stores in the US too! I live in the northeast and my coat is from them. I love them!

[yash13177]

On 2/16/2019 at 12:59 PM, LOiseauRouge said:

Thanks for this info! I'm going to Hong Kong in a couple weeks (I used to live there!)! I might look into Uniqlo while out there because I'm going to be leaving the desert and moving to New York for grad school! Definitely will need some warmer clothes

Oh my gosh!!!! So cool!!! I just finished my degree in HK. I'm heading back in the beginning of March! Hope you have a good time ?

[yash13177]

On 2/16/2019 at 2:25 PM, PsyDGrad90 said:

Uniqlo has stores in the US too! I live in the northeast and my coat is from them. I love them!

???? awesome! None in Arizona I'm afraid, only discovered them in Hong Kong... Great to know I still have access to them after I move back to the States!