Northern vs Southern Winter Trends

By Erin Foley

HottyToddy Fashion Contributor

Now that I am back home in Boston for the holidays, I’m starting to notice the fashion differences, as well as similarities, between the North and the South. After my first semester at Ole Miss, I am see tons of little differences in clothing choices and brands.

Even the smallest things pop out. For example, in the North we wear beanies with pom poms compared to the regular beanie that is seen more often in Mississippi. While the regular beanie is worn in both areas, the pom pom makes all the difference between the regions. 

My sister Meghan Foley, raised in Massachusetts and student at Ole Miss, sports the classic pom-pom beanie. 

This winter season is bringing a whole new addition to the Northern wardrobe. The two most noticeable articles of clothing, in my opinion, will be vests and Dr. Martens. Popular for years, Dr. Martens will always be a classic article for the winter. Additionally, Patagonia and Converse will be making their usual return for the season. 

Along with the Dr. Martens, more and more people are going to be exploring vests. Whether puffer or flat, vests are the perfect article of clothing for the in-between seasons. Northern weather can be quite unpredictable, so a vest is perfect for those sunny days with snow still on the ground. 

Moving on to brands: The North always seems to keep a couple of great brands such as Patagonia and Converse for the winter. While Converse is popular across the United States, the South tends toward different shoe brands such as Golden Goose. 

Patagonia is perfect for Northern weather since it provides an incredibly warm fleece option with tons of patterns to choose from. I love Patagonia because it allows originality for customers with their constantly changing patterns.

In comparison, the South (specifically Mississippi) leans toward the material satin along with keeping up with the signature cowboy boots style. 

Satin can be found often in the Oxford boutiques, with tons of styles especially in dresses. At Ole Miss, satin is popular for all formals, date parties and more. In Oxford, boutiques such as I Just Have to Have it and Miss Behavin both carry tons of different options for satin dresses. 

Cowboy boots are the classic Southern shoe. Extraordinarily popular in the South, cowboy boots are making their way across the country, increasing in popularity. While cowboy boots are a year-round item, the South also swaps the Northern hiking boots for cowboy boots when weather gets cold.

A pair of $400 detailed, white cowboy boots at a boot store in Nashville, Tennessee. 

While Converse is the go-to shoe for the North, Golden Goose is definitely seen a ton around the Ole Miss campus. Surprisingly enough, I had never even heard of Golden Goose until I came to Ole Miss. I know, shocking. 

While Lululemon is a very popular brand in both parts of the country, it is definitely more popular during the winter for the South than the North. The South experiences less extreme temperatures, so those who live there are able to layer less than the North and wear Lululemon gear in the winter. 

Going to the South for college opened up an entire new closet for me, with tons of new brands and styles I had never even heard of. Although they were not very noticeable at first, after a whole semester at Ole Miss, I found a lot of different fashion choices in both regions. I am excited to see the progression of fashion in both regions over the next three years at Ole Miss, though I hope I never completely lose my Northern sense of style.