What to Wear in Norwich - A January Style Guide

Rain boots, headbands, puffer coats, oh my!

When I arrived to Norwich in January it was certainly cold but it was not nearly as bitter cold and snowy as the January's I'm used to in Upstate New York. In fact it didn't snow at all while I was there and although it rained a bit was generally pleasant weather for winter. I had packed enough outfits to provide me with a few different looks but tried not to overload my suitcase because I knew I would inevitably purchase new clothes in Norwich. It wasn't until February that these new purchases were introduced in my wardrobe, so January consisted only of the clothes I packed. I didn't take too many full outfit pictures during this month but I do know what pieces I wore a ton and included some images of me wearing them from the semester.

Turtle necks and sweaters

I wore a turtle neck almost every day in January. I packed this cream ribbed textured one, a plain black one, and a camel colored one with thin, horizontal black stripes. These turtle necks were substantial enough to keep me warm but they weren't bulky so it was a breeze to layer them and create new outfit combinations. On my journey to Norwich I wore the black turtleneck layered underneath my bright salmon colored boat neck sweater. I also layered it underneath a v-neck periwinkle sweater with floral embroidery on the sides. This was my way of dressing for the weather but also creating variety in my daily outfits. They looked great alone as well paired with jeans for a simple but effortless look.

My puffer coat

My puffer coat got a ton of wear during January. The weather in Norwich was nothing compared to what I'm used to but it was still cold enough to warrant wearing a coat. If I was too warm I would just leave it unzipped for airflow or select one top to wear instead of layering. It kept me very comfortable throughout all my adventures and explorations in the city centre and traveling but it also looked super cute especially with a pair of blue jeans.

Jeans

I've been wearing leggings so much since this pandemic hit that I've almost forgotten what it feels like to wear jeans, but somehow I was wearing jeans every single day in Norwich. I brought three pairs, all high-rise, one black, one classic blue denim, and one dark wash pair. These also kept my legs warm but allowed me to dress outfits up or down depending on the pair of jeans I chose. I would wear the black jeans for a more sophisticated look if I was going out to dinner or if I was going to the LCR. The classic blue denim jeans were great for my casual every day look dressed up with a turtle neck and my puffer coat of course. My dark wash jeans were my favorite pair. The perfect in between color to work for casual and more dressed up looks, they were the most comfortable and fit me the best. I loved wearing them to the LCR because they always looked good no matter what top I was wearing. Unfortunately these jeans never made it home from Norwich because they ripped irreparably so I didn't bother wasting space in my suitcase for them.

Rain boots

The shoes that came with me to Norwich were of course my Hunter rain boots, an essential for rainy UK weather, gym sneakers (for some reason I thought I'd be going to the gym during my time there which I never did), and black heeled booties for nights out or fancy occasions. I couldn't wear my heeled booties every day to walk around and exploring so those were out of the question, the gym sneakers were multicolored pink and green so they clashed with every outfit I wore, so my trusty, classy, black, rain proof rain boots were the pair that I was wearing every day for almost the entirety of January until I finally bought fashionable walking sneakers in early February. I would wear my rain boots with everything, skirts, jeans, with a dress and tights. From a fashion standpoint the color and style went with every outfit and from a functional standpoint they were weather appropriate.

Headbands to accessorize

As you can see in many of the images featured in this blog I wore my cheetah print head band quite frequently. Especially in January when most of my outfit was covered up by my coat wearing headbands, ribbons, or hair scarves changed up my look from day to day. They were also a great way to add a bit of pattern or color into a neutral outfit.