One of my initiatives this year includes creating more content (also known as #LustReads) and introducing more informational posts that are useful to you.

I would occasionally get questions on where my winter coats are from and this led me to sharing some tips on how I go about shopping for them.

Ever since my Korea trip 2 years back, I’ve bought at least 20 coats from Taobao and have finally learnt a knack or 2.

Since then, I have also stopped shopping for winter wear (other than UNIQLO Thermal Wear) from local stores because of how highly inflated the prices are! Getting pretty (and good) ones really don’t have to cost you an arm.

Taobao offers really good deals, where people (like me) at my initial stage would blindly cart out and then complain about how sub-standard it looks upon receiving it. So whenever a winter trip comes up, I would start shopping for new winter gear - beanies, scarves, coats and knits and here are some tips to look chic without breaking a bank.

These visuals were also taken at Charles Bridge, where my family and I had an amazing time basking in the winter freeze and walking along the straits of Vltava River.


1. Get UNIQLO Heat Tech Extrawarm

It works like magic and you don’t have to look like a buffalo in incredibly thick piling layers even when you’re in subzero temperatures. I would put on 2 layers before piling a knitwear over.

So my typical 0 degrees outfit = 2 layers of UNIQLO Heat Tech + Knit Wear + Coat




AKA your second layer, buy pieces that you can wear over and over again with different coats. Some of the safest colours are white, black, khaki and beige.

I would also recommend purchasing longer pieces that covers your pants zipper because:

Chances are in winter, you’ll be wearing layers of bottom and it would cause a bulge and a short cropped knitwear is going to leave an exposed unsightly bulge.
It provides additional space for you to work with different bottoms, like pairing your outfit with a flare skirt.

One more thing, opt for turtleneck if you can! It gives you added warmth.

Some taobao references for knitwear:

For ladies

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.282.O1WUJN&id=536794259524&ns=1&abbucket=4#detail ($9.00)

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.35.O1WUJN&id=542538171952&ns=1&abbucket=4#detail ($13.00)

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.200.O1WUJN&id=540952229088&ns=1&abbucket=4#detail ($18.00)

For men

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=539637894404 ($15.00) - I got this for my brother!



Look out for warm & comfortable coats

My experience from Taobao has taught me never to judge the item by the pictures posted by the seller - but look out for information that helps to identify what you really need.

So whenever I shop for coats (which is the priciest among all my winter hauls), I would take time to look through reviews and pictures made by other buyers and find details as shown below.

For example, the pink jacket I wore above was my newest addition and I loved it!



It had a slimming effect because of the cut and was sufficiently thick with a fluffy interior. This coat was slightly pricier ($40.00) but both my mum and I agreed it was a superb purchase!!

Ultimately, it boils down to your needs. Are you looking for something wide or slim/ thick or thin?

I would recommend looking out for the table and go for coats which meets the 厚／加厚 (thick/extra thick) criteria if you’re visiting countries hovering between 0 degrees.

**ALWAYS ALWAYS use their measuring chart and add a few cm as buffer as well.

For ladies:

My pink jacket is out of stock but you may use the alternatives below!

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=523160550435 ($37.00)

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-b.w4011-7413297479.175.XflGU0&id=524507541536&rn=fa23843685057d67f6485801356fdb15&abbucket=8 ($36.00)

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a220o.1000855.1998025129.6.TZkrQX&abtest=_AB-LR32-PR32&pvid=b54076d7-a290-4b6b-b5ed-c55d95709af9&pos=6&abbucket=_AB-M32_B18&acm=03054.1003.1.1285741&id=524507254019&scm=1007.12559.61743.100200300000000 ($22.00)

For men:

https://ezbuy.sg/Product/Detail?url=https%3a%2f%2fdetail.tmall.com%2fitem.htm%3fid%3d536736950834&src= ($20.00 - opt for 加厚!)

4. Complete your outfit with accessories

Hats and beanies are readily available on Taobao, and we even got my brother one that completely covers your ears with a detachable mask (he’s wearing one in the pics!)

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-b.w4011-3255769676.153.mXG7KM&id=539005344045&rn=7ac2108850c158d22e9385a3536ee3a3&abbucket=8&sku_properties=20509:4054751 ($6.00)

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=538454717912
($6.00)

If you’re shopping for head gear, pair it along with affordable and good looking scarves too!

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-b.w4011-3255769676.104.zPSxhB&id=537923834913&rn=b15441d2bf6afc431845d613961cdf8d&abbucket=8&skuId=3242041184416 ($7.00)

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-b.w4011-3255769676.284.zPSxhB&id=539955280292&rn=b15441d2bf6afc431845d613961cdf8d&abbucket=8 ($5.00)

I would also recommend carrying sling bags instead of shoulder bags, especially if you are carrying money and cards. Leave the heavy duty items (like water bottles) to the boys! I was carrying our Blush Pink Bag in the outfit above.

For those looking for something bigger could opt for our Belinda Bucket Bag where I used it in my Europe trip too.


5. Stock up on heat packs

As I’m either on my phone or using the camera most of the time, I walk around most of the time without gloves and rely mainly on little sachets of warmth (aka heat packs) from Daiso! You can get them in packets of 9 for just $2!

I hope these tips and shopping links would give you some ideas on where to shop and how to prepare for the cold and in the process, help you make some fashionable decisions!