Winter wondering

What? Winter? But it is November!

That might be so, but right now I am obsessed with Winter dressing. You see, I am going to be spending Christmas in the New York this year and it is going to be cold. Stupid cold. Snow cold.

And while the thought of having a proper white Christmas thrills me to the core, as born and bred Australian lass, I am more than a little concerned that I won't be properly prepared for the freezing temperatures that come with it.

Easy - I should just wear more clothes, right?

Not so fast, my stylistically challenged friend. There are two complicating factors here that makes 'just wearing more clothes' near impossible:

1. I want to look cute in all of my travel photos and not like a giant pile of wool - otherwise it will be harder to make people jealous of me (and if people aren't jealous, what is the point of travelling?); and
2. Thanks to the strong Australian dollar and the fact that clothes are ridiculously overpriced here, I plan on shopping like a crazy person when I get to the US - this means I have to go there with only the bare minimum in my suitcase so that I have lots of room and weight allowance left to bring all my shopping back home with me. And Winter clothes tend to be heavy and take up oodles of space.

Tricky, tricky, tricky. 

Also, as is so often the case with my clothing dilemmas, there are my delusions to deal with.  In my mind, this is how I will look when I am walking around New York:

Source: www.29secrets.com

Source: www.gastrochic.com

Source:www.harpersbazaar.com

Source: www.keepitchic.com

Source: www.skyhighheels.blogspot.com

Source: www.teenvogue.com

However, given that I am not actually a 6 foot tall model and also the fact that I really, reeeeally don't like to feel cold, I am far more likely to look something like this:

Source: www.posh24.com

Happy and cute? Maybe. But not really the aesthetic that I am hoping to achieve.

The packing issue is easily fixed when I think about it. I just need to pack one, maybe two full outfits and then just buy everything else when I am there. Easy-peasy! What I do take with me, though, will need to be  pretty versatile and warm enough to at least get from the hotel to the first shop. 

So I am thinking I will pack at least the following:

• My heavy, black peacoat. It has a hood and is padded so it should be a good outer layer and will go with pretty much anything other than evening wear. 
• A few pairs of thick leggings and a bunch of fleece-lined opaque tights. If it is too cold for just one pair, I will double them up. All of these will be black.
• Maybe one pair of black jeans but honestly I prefer leggings when it is cold and jeans are sooooo cheap in America that I can just buy some when I get there. Oh lovely America!!!
• A few long sleeved tops that are thin (for layering) but that cover my butt (so I can wear them with leggings). Probably stick to blacks and greys - maybe white - for my tops. I don't think I will bother taking my big jumpers that I would wear in Sydney in Winter as they are just too bulky to pack and too chunky to fit under the peacoat. Also, I will buy heaps more tops when I get there. 
• A couple of scarves but nothing too flash - I think I will buy more when I get there so might take a couple of the cheap 'pashminas' that I picked up in Egypt years ago that I can chuck if I don't have room to bring them back.
• A wooly beanie - but again I might buy a cuter one (or a dozen) when I get there but at least my ears will be warm from day one.
• Super warm socks, leg-warmers (I love my leg-warmers so BACK OFF!), and knee high socks.
• Ear muffs!!!!! 
• My big boots. If it is snowing like crazy, though, I am going to buy some snow boots when I get there because I hate having wet or cold feet and I do NOT want to ruin my beloved boots. 

Hmmm... Am I missing anything major?

I am sure that I will end up panicking between now and leaving and will probably buy stupid things before I leave and end up packing way too much stuff that I don't even end up wearing, but at least I have a plan, right?