Winter is coming in York, and this is what it does to our wardrobe

Imagine this; you’re walking from campus back to your room, it’s not far – maybe a 15-minute trip. You think “it’s not that cold" and continue on, proud of yourself for walking past the 66 bus stop and taking the healthy option for once. But as your fingers start to freeze and your face starts to feel numb, you realise why there was a queue for that bus. We chose York for its picturesque city and high-achieving university, but at no point were we warned about just how cold we’ll be.

Puffer jackets are no longer worn as a statement fashion piece, we’re out here looking like Michelin Men for a reason now. But puffers alone won’t cut it, York temperatures require layers of clothing beneath them, so-much-so that you’ll end up looking like Joey from Friends when he wears Chandler’s whole wardrobe and asks “Could I BE wearing anymore clothes?!?” This is okay though, because Balenciaga’s new attention-grabbing runway outfit proves we are just ahead of the game.

These layers mean that we’ll never be able to show off our recently purchased clothes as they’re hidden under fleeces and hoodies, and your housemates end up being the only people that get to see your true style. Outerwear normally worn for hiking and camping becomes a necessity for the Salvos queue. Forget the college chants, for as long as we’re in York it’s “Fleeces ‘til I die”.

Campus East is a literal wind tunnel making it near impossible to wear a scarf, to keep warm, without looking like a human version of the Twister ice-lolly as the scarf wraps infinitely around you in the gales. Still probably feeling as cold as a Twister, too. And if it’s raining, you’re just going to have to get wet because an umbrella in these winds is the ultimate no-go.

The Christmas market in the city centre is a struggle too, tell us how we’re supposed to navigate the stalls looking like a walking blimp with all our layers. Pretty seasonal photos are just not going to happen here unless we’re brave enough to strip off for the 'gram, sorry.

And its not just the clothing that has to change, gone are the days when moisturiser and lip balm weren’t necessities. We’re having to cake on the lotion in an attempt not to look like ‘Thing’ from ‘Fantastic Four’.

So York students, get ready to pile on the layers and work on fattening up for warmth because, unfortunately, winter is coming.