The cold days of winter are here, and I dread the tricky early morning decisions I have to make: choosing between one of my higher rotation jackets or my dreaded puffer coat. Once I finally get into the routine of wearing long sleeves and cardigans, December rolls around, and those cardigans are not warm enough anymore.

But we do not have to freeze to death to be stylish. On a recent chilly night, I was talking with my friends about “fashion over comfort.” Some said that comfort always came before fashion, while others said they would much prefer for their outfit to be cute, even if it meant they would be giving up warmth. 

Across campus, fashion sure seems to be more important than winter comfort. There seems to be an increasing number of people not dressing for the weather. Instead of a heavy coat, they will wear a thin sweater, leaving their necks vulnerable to the wind. And sure, your slim and unlayered outfit may look nice at first glance, but your goosebumps speak for themselves. 

I will admit that I have been guilty of actively not dressing as warmly as I could because I like my outfit. When making a quick trip to the Fonseca Center or walking a friend to their bus, I will leave my jacket behind, thinking a less bundled-up look fits the mood, and I almost always regret it. As someone who used to be an avid jacket denier — I no longer identify with that version of myself — I can confirm that the cold is not more forgiving to those in cute outfits. 

But staying warm does not mean sacrificing your style. Scarves and jackets can allow for the chance to add even more personality to your outfits, and they will also keep you warm. Scarves are an untapped market for limitless accessorizing. Not only is there a range of colors, but materials and size are all factors that can allow the scarf to be personal to you. 

 “(Your coat) has to go with everything,” Sam Friedman ’27, one of my friends brought up in the conversation. With so many different jackets in the world, it is more than likely that there is a jacket that you could find that would suffice on a cold day and would suit your outfit. 

If your clothes are really important to you, then the next time you shop for a new winter coat, consider how it will look with the rest of your clothes, and consider how versatile the jacket is. Can you wear it with more than one outfit? The point is, we do not have to let jackets and scarves be armor over our personalities, and they are only “ruining an outfit” because we let them.