Around this time of year both men and women face the same problem.  As the temperature drops and the number of layers clothing grows, we all suddenly start to look… well, a little like the Michelin Man. 

Right now my girlfriend and I are in Mongolia for the winter, a country that plummets to -40 degrees from December until February.  For the next couple of months we have little choice but to wrap up in long underwear, thick shirts, chunky sweaters, bulky parkas, hats, scarves, gloves and insulated trousers.  The missus has already begun to complain that she’s put on weight, but the reality is simply that she catches a glimpse of herself every time she passes a mirror, and the person looking back at her isn’t the slim, svelte beauty she’s accustomed to but a chunky beast covered from head to toe in thick clothes.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  Sure, we’ll always look a little larger in the winter months thanks to our bulky layers, but modern technology allows for us to wear insulating clothing that draws its power not from its thickness but its filling.  Let’s take a look at an example…

This is the Mountain Hardwear Zonal jacket for men.  The body of the jacket is made from 20D polyester rip, and the jacket is insulated by Thermic Micro, Mountain Hardwear’s patented insulation.  

Now, if you go back a few decades you’d have to wear an enormous goose down parka to get the sort of insulation provided by the Mountain Hardwear Zonal, but thanks to cutting edge technology Mountain Hardwear can provide unbeatable protection against the harsh winter cold in a jacket that weighs just 15 ounces.  

If you live in a relatively mild climate it gets even better.  A couple of months ago, as the summer ended here in Ulaanbaatar to be replaced by cool winds and temperatures hovering around zero Celsius, I took to wearing a Woolrich Woolen Mills Mountain Parka.   The parka is lightweight, with a body built from cotton and Nylon Ramar and lining of wool and Nylon.  The silhouette of the Mountain parka is incredibly slim, not bulky in the slightest.  

I walked around UB wearing the Woolrich Mountain parka for a couple of months before the cold made it necessary to add a sweater, and through all that time I didn’t once catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and think ‘Christ, I’ve gained weight’.  The idea that winter clothing has to be bulky and unattractive is one who’s time has been and gone.  Embrace the cold, my friends, and keep looking great until the sun finally returns.