Despite the bitter, cold air during walks across campus, students don't have to sacrifice their looks to stay warm. Coats, scarves and gloves not only keep the warm inside, but also look cool on the outside. Local stores provide a variety of winter wear that are made for warmth and style for both men and women.
"For women, scarves are very popular this year," Teri Comer, assistant manger at the Muncie Gap, said. The striped scarves featured in the Gap's current advertising campaign have become a big seller at the store. For men, scarves also are popular.
Comer said the toboggan hats available for men have been a big hit. Toboggan hats for women have been selling well but have not been as popular.
"Adults tend to like gloves more and children tend to like mittens," Comer said. This season the Gap offered a women's wool knitted mitten set that sold well.
The Gap featured long coats for men this winter. Women's coats can be found in both short and long lengths. One new style that was popular at the Gap was the suede coat with sherpa lining. Sherpa is a wool blend that has a soft, fuzzy feel. One particularly popular style for women was a long suede and sherpa coat that featured a hood for added winter protection and style.
Comer also saw a rise this winter in corduroy coats for men. Wool coats continued to be popular for a dressier look, especially wool peacoats.
Popular items at Muncie's Old Navy included "anything that we have in performance fleece," manager Randy Tapscott said. Old Navy featured various coats in its signature performance fleece and hats and gloves to match.
"The frost-free jackets always sell really well," Tapscott said. With a down feather fill, fleece lining and nylon outside, the frost-free jackets are a good choice for someone looking for warmth. The frost-free line is available for both men and women and also features vests and gloves.
Target also carries a wide range of outerwear for men and women with typically lower prices. "Peacoats are popular this year," Sissy Marsh of Target said. Target's patchwork leather coat featured earlier in the season was also a big item. Shorter coats dominated the racks at Target this winter according to Marsh.
Fleece and faux-shearling scarves and gloves are also a fashionable way to stay warm. The faux-shearling is similar to the sherpa items found at The Gap.
"The around-the-head earmuffs were very popular for women," Marsh said. The earmuffs were so popular that Target sold out of the item this winter.
The long and skinny scarves are a new item that can be found in department stores such as L. S. Ayres and Lazarus. The scarf is approximately 6 to 8 inches wide and 100 inches long extending below the knees. The long and skinny muffler is made by designers such as Kenneth Cole and Marc Jacobs.
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