​Winter is Coming and What to Wear.

NEW YORK WEATHER 

New York is infamous for having unpredictable weather. It might be 70 degrees in mid-September, or the weather may fall within 55 degrees despite it being Spring. Not to mention the difference between a warm 70 degrees and a cold and breezy one in the city.

This winter specifically has been difficult to understand. Despite winter’s official start on December 21st, in the five boroughs of New York, the frosty weather commences as early as late October. However, not this year. In October alone it was 70 degrees six times. On other days reaching the upper 60s and mid-50s. Additionally, the first two weekends in November were 70 degrees, as well!! Fortunately, we now have stable weather, where the weather has generally remained the same. Well sorta kinda…

 

NYC WINTER LOVE STORY

You wake up and get ready to take the train to work, but before you leave your house you check the weather. The weather report is 43 degrees and sunny. So, you bundle up, with a big puffer coat, hat, thick scarf, gloves, and boots to match.

When you leave your house, it feels like 30 degrees, but the walk from your house to the train makes it feel like 50 and you're already sweating. Taking the train doesn’t cool you down either, with all the people and body heat, it makes it feel like it’s 65. So on the train ride, you shed some layers to get comfortable. But then you arrive at your stop and prepare to exit.

As you are exiting the train, you feel a gust of wind hit you, and are overcome by a chill. Now feeling cold again, you put your layers back on. As you start walking to work, you begin to feel overheated again. Finally at your desk, you shed your layers and begin your work.

Time has flown and you make your way to eat during your lunch break. But wait - it doesn’t feel as cold as it did this morning. You question if this is the same 43 degree weather or if it’s 70. Nonetheless, you get your food, the day passes, and now it's six o’clock and you're ready to go home. But wait, you are again overcome by this chilly feeling. But it’s not the same chilly feeling you had this morning. It's extremely cold, it almost feels like it's 20 degrees. And now you're asking yourself, when will the confusion end?! When will NYC pick a weather?? Well, at least that’s what I ask myself. 

Dressing for this unpredictable weather is just difficult. Most want to buy a big puffy coat just to get overheated in their daily commute. From getting hot walking to the subway to getting even hotter on the subway to finally feeling the cold weather hit you as soon as you exit the subway, this struggle planning for the weather is a tale as old as time for most New Yorkers.

Not to mention, looking stylish for the winter. As much as most of us want to dress stylishly for the winter, we stick to our old baggy sweatpants and our plain hoodies…. Well, at least I do. I love dressing cozy and comfortable in the winter. And I tend to buy big puffy coats for the winter. However, being comfortable does not mean being bland and boring. Being warm does not mean looking big and puffy.

Nonetheless, staying stylish in the winter is not impossible. There are many options to wear this winter; however, unique clothes for the winter are hard to find. Not to fear; Brooklyn Cloth has a fashionable wardrobe to keep you warm in this cold winter.

Our Favorite Stylish Options that are Perfect for Winter Weather:

1. Sherpa Hoodies

2. Sherpa lined jackets

3. Fleece Hoodies

4. Corduroy pants

5. Corduroy jackets

6. Beanies

 

All About Corduroy

Before we get into our corduroy collection, let’s talk about the fabric corduroy and its important history. Corduroy is a perfect choice of textile that works well in the cold dry winter weather thanks to its thickness and durability.

Corduroy first originated in Egypt as a woven cotton fabric. Before corduroy, there was fustian, named after the city Fustat in Egypt. They both have similar features and qualities; however, corduroy has more rough and raised ridges that you can see on the textile.

Despite the fact that corduroy is rougher, it is both comfortable and soft. As well as warm. As I said before corduroy is a very thick textile that can keep you warm in this cold winter. Adding corduroy to your winter wardrobe is a great way to look stylish this winter.

How to Style Corduroy

There are many ways to style the loveable fabric corduroy, from a bomber jacket to a hoodie. Here's how we at Brooklyn Cloth style corduroy.

Corduroy Pants

Our Navy Corduroy E-waist pants are a perfect option to wear for the winter. They provide a lot of warmth without the need for over-layering. Our Corduroy E-Waist pants are adjustable around the waist for comfort. You can style these pants with our sherpa pullover hoodies and our Tobacco Sherpa Lined Corduroy Trucker Jacket to create the perfect winter outfit. Complete this outfit with a dope pair of Nike high-top Jordan 1s in grey.

Corduroy Jacket

For another Corduroy option, there is our Olive Sherpa lined Corduroy Trucker Jacket. With the 100% cotton and sherpa lining, this is a perfect duo to keep you warm in this chilly winter. Sherpa and cotton are famous for trapping in heat, creating a layer of warmth and protection. You can style this jacket with our white wave graphic long-sleeved tee and our sand 2.0 sweatpants. To complete this outfit, you could pair it with Vans Old Skool Shoe.

 

Sherpa Knowledge

The word sherpa comes from Tibet, where Tibetan guides (Sherpas) navigate the Himalayan terrain for foreigners. Sherpas serve an important role for hikers trying to climb the Himalayan mountains. For Sherpas living on the Himalayas, they must prepare for the harsh weather. With adversity comes innovation, so the Sherpa people of Nepal made a thick warm jacket out of sheep wool. Sheep wool is a very thick fabric and since it’s a fur it has natural absorption properties, perfect for retaining heat and keeping warm.

Sherpa has come a long way, and here is how it has gotten modernized. Sherpa is used for either the interlining of jackets or fully turned into a sweater itself. Nowadays, Sherpa is made from synthetic fibers, like acrylic or polyester, instead of animal fur, but it still has the feel and look of traditional sheep wool.

How to Style Sherpa

Sherpa is a fabric that is versatile and can be turned into many different garments. From hoodies, hats, and even the inner lining of a jacket. Here is how we style sherpa at Brooklyn Cloth.

Sherpa Jacket

Our Black Stone Wash Denim Sherpa Jacket will add style to your winter wardrobe. The benefits of denim in the winter are that denim is a durable fabric. Being a durable fabric, it has a better chance of deflecting the cold winter air. Denim also has an amazing cover, so it will trap in the heat for the chilly weather. Our Black Rinse Denim Sherpa Jacket is 100% cotton with Sherpa interlining. You can pair this jacket with black Levi%u2019s and our Yellow Good Energy Long Sleeve Tee.

Sherpa Hoodies

Our Sherpa hoodie is a perfect choice to add to your winter wardrobe. We have 12 different styles of Sherpa hoodies, from pullover styles to quarter zip styles. Our High Rise Arrow Stripe Sherpa Quarter Zip is made out of 100% polyester. Polyester is a great fabric that helps pull away perspiration from the body and Sherpa is good for insulting heat. Both these combinations are great for the winter. You can style this with gray men's Heavyweight Fleece Cargo Sweatpants from Amazon and pair it with some Nike panda dunks.

 

 

A Brief History of Hoodies

The origin of hoodies has always been questioned. However, with digging and research it was found that hoodies can be traced back over 3,000 years. During the Assyrian empire, hoodies were worn as traditional garment pieces for certain religions. Many other religions, like Christian Monks and Buddhists, wear hoods as a part of head coverings. Muslim women wear head coverings as well, in many different styles depending on the ethnicity.

Hoodies are symbolic, despite how they are seen today. Muslim women wear hoods (hijabs) as a way of showing modesty to themselves. Christian Monks wear hoods (cowls) as a way of focusing on prayers and turning away distractions while praying. Buddhist wear hoods as an act of humility.

Hoodies were eventually modernized due to practicality. In the 1930s the Knickerbocker Knitting company revitalized into a style for sportswear. In the ‘70s- late ‘90s hoodies were used in fashion - specifically, streetwear and hip hop culture. Hoodies were symbolized as a protection and hiding identity for street kids and African Americans during this time. Now hoodies are transformed into a variety of styles, including everything from dresses to jackets. Here Brooklyn Cloth’s spin on it: 

Fleece Hoodies

Fleece is a polyester fabric that is lightweight, soft and warm. Fleece is a fabric that will keep the body warm and comfortable for NYC chilly winters. At Brooklyn Cloth we have 35 different fleece hoodies for you to style this winter. Hoodies are a practical choice for the winter because of the cover and protective layering it has against the winter air. 

How to Style Fleece Hoodies

You can style our Koi New Age Fleece Hoodie with our Heather Grey Blessed Jogger. You can also pair this with Steve Madden Possession Sneaker in color dark teal. For a coat option, you can style this outfit with our Black Stone Wash Denim Sherpa Jacket. This outfit will make you look dope and stylish for this winter weather.

You can also style our Hunter Green The Great Outdoors Fleece Hoodie with our matching The Great Outdoors Hunter Green Fleece Sweatpants. Adding a pair of New Balance 2002 Rs in the color jade will really complete this look.

For our last hoodie option, we have our Yellow High Demand Fleece Hoodie. This hoodie provides a pop of color to your winter wardrobe. You can style these bright yellow hoodies with a black North Face Puffer jacket and our Yellow Marble Sweatpants for a matching outfit. You can also throw on a pair of black Nike Air Vapor Maxes. For a black and yellow style moment.

 

Beanies

Lastly, we are going to feature our beanie collection at Brooklyn cloth. Beanies are practical and easy to dress up, much like our hoodies. You can style beanies in various ways and methods. Our beanie collection features ten different styles, from basic black to a dope tie-dye style.

We sell our beanies in a 2-pack set. Everyone loves two for the price of one and at Brooklyn Cloth, we value that. Our beanies are one-size-fits-all and can match with your wardrobe. My favorite beanie set is the black and double x smiley face red beanie . The black hoodie matches with any outfit. But the double x smiley red beanie adds a pop of color. Another option is our white blessed beanie and our blue tie dye beanie. Adding these for your winter outfit will complete the look.

That is all for our men’s winter collection. As you can tell, Brooklyn Cloth has a variety of items to spruce up your winter wardrobe. Check out all of our men’s winter pieces at Brooklyn Cloth. Hurry up before our Cyber Monday Part 2 sale, where you get 35% off on products, runs out,. Use code cyber35 and have a happy holiday.