We were just in Copenhagen for a long weekend. I wanted to wear my nicest outfits, but I definitely didn’t want to freeze. That’s why I made a lot of effort to pack smartly and pay attention to what I carry and how. Winter style is only cute if you’re not cold. Here come mine viral winter fashion hacksthat have actually proven themselves.
The fashion blog on andysparkles
1) The base layer hack: Not fat, but smart
This is the unsexy trick that decides everything: the first layer. My boyfriend is usually a candidate for “I’ll just put on a hoodie, it’ll be fine”. However, it won’t. What made the difference for him was using Merino as a base because it keeps you warm without making you feel like a padded package.
He had one under everything Merino T-shirt for men and to that Merino underwear for men dressed. It really worked: less cold, less sweating, and overall he just wasn’t that annoyed by the weather.
For me, Merino is the layer that you try once and then you’ll never want to do anything else again. Especially when you’re outside for a long time and constantly switching between being warm inside and cold outside.
2) The miracle tights reality: Stay warm without snow pants
I love dresses, skirts, “I pretend winter is just a mood”. But I don’t feel like having pyelonephritis either. What saved me: my miracle tights. It’s like thermal tights, but they look like light tights. You can find it everywhere now!
This is one of those hacks that goes viral everywhere because it’s so banal: a pair of tights that actually keep you warm, not just pretend. I used it to wear outfits that I would otherwise send straight back to the closet in December.
My tip for this:
- If you wear skirts, mix and match warming tights + longer coatinstead of ultra thick at the top and “well, it’ll be okay” at the bottom.
- And honestly: If you wear thin 20 DEN tights in the wind, that’s not a look, that’s self-sabotage.
3) “Jeans in winter” hack: Cheat underneath invisibly
I see this trick all the time: people wear jeans normally, but the survival program is running underneath.
The principle:
- Underneath: thin thermal leggings or a warming layer
- Above: your normal jeans or trousers
This feels illegal at first because you think it’s too much. But it isn’t if the inner layer is thin and fits well. This means you can run for hours without your legs being completely frozen after 30 minutes. If only you a If you want to take a winter hack with you for city trips, then take this one.
4) The 3-layer rule, but please suitable for everyday use
The onion principle always sounds so complicated at first. It can also be really simple:
- Base: warm, close to the body, pleasant
- Center: Store heat (knit, fleece, thin down vest)
- Outside: Stop wind
The game changer is actually the outer layer, not the thickest middle. The wind is the real enemy in winter. Especially in Copenhagen. My favorite hack here: a thin quilted vest under the coat.
5) Scarf Hack: Triangle scarf or balaclava feel without the drama
This trick is everywhere right now: scarf not just around your neck, but so that your head and ears are also protected. You don’t have to buy a complete balaclava.
This is how it works:
- Triangle scarf or large scarf
- First cross it around your head, then under your chin, then tuck it into your coat
Looks surprisingly stylish, but most importantly, keeps the wind off your neck. This is particularly unpleasant.
6) Glove hack: Liner underneath, fancy gloves on top
If you’re like me, taking photos, cell phone in hand, pushing stroller, holding coffee, then you know the problem: you need mobility, but you also don’t want to freeze to death.
My winter hack:
- thin Glove liner underneath
- On top of that you can choose between mittens or “normal” gloves
This way you can do something briefly on your cell phone without having to stick your bare fingers in the ice air. Bonus: If you have a baby with you, you don’t want to spend minutes putting gloves back on while trying to rescue a toy.
7) Warm feet: sock logic instead of sock myths
For me, cold weather always starts in my feet. If they’re cold, the rest doesn’t matter. This helped us:
- Wool socksbut not too tight
- Shoes with enough space for air to circulate
- if in doubt, one warming insole
We had a really warm footmuff for our baby and that wasn’t just practical, it was the entire basis for being outside in a relaxed manner. Baby warm, baby happy, we not completely stressed. This is the only system that really matters in winter.
8) Stroller heat hack: Build a microclimate
That sounds nerdy, but it’s super simple: you can create your own little warm universe in the stroller.
What works well:
- Footmuff plus blanket as an additional layer when things get really draughty
- Wind protection on the car when the wind blows sideways
- Hat that really covers the ears
And important: Dear several thin layers as a very warm layer. Here we are back to the onion principle. Babies sweat too, and wet clothes are really nasty in winter.
9) The Belt-Over-Scarf Hack: Scarf plus belt
This is a trick that goes viral every year because it solves two problems at once: the scarf doesn’t slip, and you immediately have an additional layer of protection against wind over your chest and shoulders.
This is how you do it:
- Place a large scarf or blanket scarf around your shoulders like a cape
- Coat over it when it’s really cold
- Then fasten a belt over the scarf and coat at waist level
- Drape the scarf ends loosely at the front or tuck them in at the sides
Why I love it: You’re warmer without needing another layer of clothes, and it looks chic in photos.
10) The “Gap-Sealing” Hack: Cold comes through gaps, so seal the gaps
This is one of those viral winter fashion hackswhich are super logical: You can wear the best jacket in the world, but if cold air constantly blows in around your wrists and ankles, you’ll still freeze.
The trick is to consciously seal these places:
- Put socks over leggings or tightsso that the ankle area is closed
- If you are wearing pants: Tuck the trouser leg slightly into the shaft of the sockwhen it comes to the shoe
- Secure sleevesfor example with thin arm warmers or a tighter long sleeve under the sweater
- And very simple: Make sure that the scarf and collar fit really tightly, not just decoratively
That sounds small, but it is huge. In Copenhagen, this is exactly what prevented this cold draft from constantly blowing in somewhere. And that’s the moment when an outfit suddenly not only looks good, but also really works.
Conclusion: These tricks really help
Copenhagen was cold, of course. But it wasn’t this “we’ll fight our way through” kind of thing. It was more like: we’re outside, we see a lot, we stay warm, and at the end of the day we’re not completely exhausted. That’s exactly why I love these hacks. If you also have a winter hack that really works, please write it to me in the comments.
