How I learned to layer for my life, a Canadian wilderness fashion adventure

When I was 14 years old I decided I wanted to run off and become a dog mushing superstar. I moved from the big city (Vancouver,BC) to the wilderness of the Yukon to live in a tiny cabin with my Uncle and his family in the bush. I learned many skills whist living in the Yukon, dog mushing, log cabin building, fire-starting, but the most valuble skill I learned was how to stay warm when it is negative sixty-nine degrees below zero, and you have to wake up and chop wood because the woodstove is your only heat source. Not to mention, we only had an outhouse, think about that for a minute... miles below freezing and you have to pee outside! Anyways, I digress... this blog is about fashion, and I know you are dying to know how i could possibly stay warm in those extreme temperatures. Staying warm was a art form, it was an exact science, and the consequences of getting it wrong meant hypothermia at best! On top of cold temps we also did intense physical labor outside which meant that you would heat up quickly, but under no circumstances could you break a sweat, sweating could mean you will literally freeze to death. I definitely learned how to layer for my life, I would sometimes wear 14 pairs of socks and up to 10 pairs of pants. As you heat up you must very quickly remove layers so that you stay a perfect temp nevergetting  sweaty or cold. 

As a teenager in the Pacific Northwest I would consider being cold a payoff to looking awesome. I often left the house on a cold crisp winter day wearing only a mini skirt, sweater, a thin pair of tights and cute boots to brave the cold Seattle weather. This brave the cold mentality was fine in my youth, but at 35 I can no longer handle that kind of free spirited fashion sense. When I get cold now, my back hurts and I have to pee, yeah... I know, Im an old lady, but I still want to look fabulous.  Since I got a job that keeps me outside most of the day I really needed to get serious about my fashion to comfort ratio, this is when I became eternally grateful for my wilderness fashion knowledge, when I applied my layering skills to my city wardrobe, magic happened!

I love layering because it is like having multiple wardrobe changes throughout your day. And it is a great way to make a small jacket warm enough. Today was a very wet rainy day in Seattle... I used my layering skills to compose a beautiful Red and Blue outfit. When I get dressed in the morning I do two things, I first look at the weather predictions for the day and then I pick out my inspiration piece, an article of attire that I form an outfit around. 

Today that inspiration piece was a beautiful Red Holister Raincoat with blue and white seagull print lining. I found this beautiful coat at my local goodwill for only $9.99... To stay warm and ready for any temperature I wore a red tank-top, a red cashmere sweater, and a blue zip up fleece underneath. It was a extreme wet day but i stayed warm and dry! I also had blue yoga pants, red knee socks, blue leg warmers, blue crocs rainboots, and my red white and blue Puma purse that is waterproof so I can wear it in the rain. I topped it all off with my cute white pom pom hat... I had so many layers yet managed to look sleek and cute in my rainy day gear. Take a look, see all the fashionable outfits I made today with my layers