shortcuts for taking on the cold:

sick of the cold?
good. then own it. nothing makes the cold, dreary, not-quite-spring days worse than yet another wet pair of socks or numb fingers. you've already dealt with winter; you looked all classy for thanksgiving, maybe sported a bow tie at the family christmas party, and even broke out a sports jacket for new years. but now it's february and you're just ready for spring. no problemo, look good without doing very much. go for a few e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y functional basics and let them figure everything out for you.

1. the insulated-yet-trim parka:
the insulated parka is unstoppable. i still try to keep my parkas and outdoor gear on the trimmer side, but this jacket is meant to go over anything from suits to henleys so don't get anything too slim. no marshmallow suits either, you can get solid primaloft or even 800-fill down insulation that's less than an inch thick. the right insulated parkas are warm, as in base-camp of everest warm, and fully capable of handling the walk to the tube, or the bus stop, or those 25 minutes of scraping ice off the car wind shield and driving to work while the heater warms up. perfect for early february.

2. the boot:
there are classy patent leather boots these days, and there are the boots your grandpa used for 35 years of farming. this pair should be neither - just waterproof (if they don't come that way, then get some wax and do it yourself). i like the boots above by redwings because they work with dressier pants and a jacket, or your unwashed denim, and icy puddles shouldn't be a problem.

and finally...

3. the flannel shirt:
plaid is still king, and fully acceptable in all areas of men's style. my wife bought me this red and black buffalo plaid shirt from j. crew. the fit is impressive right off the rack (being 6 foot 4, 195 lbs makes trimmer shirts that are long enough in the sleeves hard to come by), but it's also comfortable enough to sleep in, or chop wood in, or brew your own ginger ale in, or i could wear it with a tie on sunday. versatile.