How To: Dress For the Cold

*Kenzie is currently in Kyiv with ILP. She blogs very wittily about the quirks of Ukraine life. Today, she has graciously consented to give us a tutorial on how to dress for those infamous winters!*

When it's really cold outside, you have to dress appropriately. No hat in winter? You'll get weird stares from people. Wearing Converse in the snow? You'll get weird stares from people. Just follow these tips and you will blend in as best as you can (for being a non-Ukrainian).

Pro Tip #1: Don't bother doing your hair in the morning. You're going to have to re-do it when you get to your destination anyway. (So: ignore how bad my hair looks.)
Pro Tip #2: Have your backpack/bag already packed and ready to go because after you put everything on you are going to want to run outside into the colder air.
Pro Tip #3: Think 'layers'

Step 1: Get dressed.
Pro Tip #4: Make sure to wear two long sleeved shirts every day. It's also cold inside.
Pro Tip #5 : If wearing jeans, put tights/leggings on underneath your jeans. Extra warmth.

Step 2: Put on leggings and knee high socks

Pro Tip #6: If wearing jeans, put the socks on the outside, not underneath.

Pro Tip #7: You should have at least 2 layers of socks and leggings/tights. Add more layers as needed.

Step 3: Add some flannel and a music source.

Pro Tip #8: Make sure your flannel has a handy pocket for your music. Do not let your music freeze or be visible.

Pro Tip #9: Put fun dance music on your playlist. It will make you walk faster and stay warmer.

Pro Tip #10: Resist the urge to dance to the beat in public.

Step 4: Hats and scarves and boots.

Pro Tip #11: Put your hat on before your scarf so it stays on snug.

Pro Tip #12: Be sure to wrap your scarf around many, many times with your headphones securely underneath.

Pro Tip #13: Make sure your boots go as high as possible (while still looking cute).

Step 5: Add a coat and gloves.

Pro Tip #14: Make sure to wear a coat that goes down to your knees. It adds layers of warmth to your thighs and looks cute.

Pro Tip #15: Turn on your music before putting on your gloves. This saves a lot of hassle.

Pro Tip #16: Your pockets should be filled with:

• Kleenex- Even if your nose isn't runny, have it ready because the cold does funny things to you.
• A camera- For cute or funny things you'll find along your walk.
• Your phone- Because you forgot to put on your watch and asking Audrey every 3 minutes what time it is is kind of annoying.

Pro Tip #17: Make sure to pack your brush because after you walk 20 minutes in the wind re-adjusting your hat every 2 minutes you will look like this:

Good Luck!