Russian Winter Clothing

A lot of people have asked me about winter clothing in Moscow, when I first came over to Russia I didn't have a clue what to wear. I just thought I needed fur..

It turns out it is more common to see people in long down coats than fur coats. I have been in Russia now for a few months and I think I have finally got the clothing thing down. I love spending time outdoors. However I have never lived anywhere where the temperature is in the minuses day after day. Most days I spend about an hour outside, in this post I will explain what I wear to keep warm whilst attempting to blend in with the locals..

I swear by my base layer. This keeps me warm and takes away any moisture. I wear thermal leggings either from Mountain Warehouse, Wed’ze or thick leggings from Moov Wear. My thermal tops are from Primark, B'TWIN and I have one short sleeve thermal top from Uniqlo.

Over the base layer I generally wear jeans on my legs (I know these aren’t particularly insulating) and a jumper on top. For this layer I tend to choose something that hides the base layer and that won’t look too dreadful incase I pop into a café.

Next I’ll either wear my lightweight Decathlon down jacket under the waterproof Keela jacket or my long synthetic down coat from Snow Queen (a reasonably prices coat shop in Moscow). For my legs I’ll throw on my Trespass ski trousers as they are fleece lined, waterproof, wind resistant and basicaly amazingly warm.

On my feet I wear thick woollen socks along with a cheap pair of waterproof snow boots from Decathlon. If there is less snow I will go for my H&M boots, however these aren’t waterproof and so not ideal for long walks in the snow.

I always wear a hat, gloves (these should be lined) and a scarf, when it is really cold or I am outside for a long time I will wear a Headsweats ultra band to cover my nose and mouth. My long synthetic down coat has a fur hood. I chose this specifically because when it snows or when it is windy my face is protected by the hood.

I hope my post has been insightful and have helped you decide what to include in your winter wardrobe. If you have any suggestions or questions I would love to hear form you!

Many of you know I live my life on a budget and my winter wardrobe is no different. Links to websites are in the text, some of the items are a few years old or were gifts and so the prices may not be 100% accurate.