Does anyone else HATE carrying/packing space-hogging winter coats on vacation?? ARGH! I guess I'll just have to take mine on the plane with me and SHOVE IT wherever the sun doesn't shine (which is just about everywhere inside an airplane).

If you check out my 4-26-01 posting above, you'll see I was lamenting on how to take/pack/carry a sport coat/blazer. I'm faced with this problem once again, but at least I know that if when I get to Madrid I can have it easily and cheaply pressed/steamed. I'm going to make a REAL effort to dress nicely this holiday season. And I promise NOT to do a Jerry Seinfeld and wear my white tennis shoes with my jeans and sport jacket. heehhee.. (although I've seen some Spaniards doing this too. Yikes! )

Saludos, MadridMan

[ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

MM, you could always WEAR the sportcoat/blazer! It can be chilly on those flights anyway...and you'll look so very suave! I took my down jacket the last time I was required to bundle up...other times I've just layered sweaters and such under the blazer/jacket I wore on the plane! Madrid isn't cold enough in the winter to require the Nanook of the North attire you need for Ohio...maybe the layers would work for you? Add a great scarf and look so-o-o-o-o-o-o-o European!

la maestra, thanks for your suggestion, but YOU know how a sport coat looks after SLEEPING in it on a long flight? WRINKLED! Call me a clothing neat nut, but I even iron my T-shirts before wearing them. I HATE wrinkles!

I like your layering idea while in Spain.... with a scarf, eh? Hey, thanks for the fashion tip! Maybe I COULD get away with ONLY the sport coat and a sweater underneath, but might be too bulky for everyday wear and REALLY hot as soon as I walk into a bar/restaurant/store.

Saludos, Nanook

[ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

MM, you must travel in a higher class section of the plane than I do if you can wrinkle anything more than your face when you sleep! In the peon section we sleep in an almost upright position! I use my jacket like a blanket so that I can use what the airlines provide to wrap my legs and feet. The jacket is then on top of me and doesn't wrinkle much more than it would if I wore it...and much less than it would in my suitcase. Undershirt, shirt, cashmere (or something heavier) sweater, jacket, warm scarf...that might be enough. I remember getting through winter in Madrid in a lined London Fog trench coat...you might make it if you layer right! Yes, you'd have to ditch the jacket when you got inside, but you'd have to do that with your parka anyway. I took my industrial strength Chicago-style, down parka to Kosovo last year and was forever trying to figure out what to do with the blasted thing in cafes where space was at a premium. Both men and women there tended to wear leather jackets with layers...and, of course, the requisite scarf!

la maestra(who spent 40 plus years of her life in the arctic tundra area of Chicago and knows fashionable Nanook-like attire when she sees it!)

WEll, you just answered my question about coats this Dec/Jan. Are the buildings overheated in Madrid as they are in NYC where you sweat profusely while shopping or eating? How 'bout if we wear our trench coats with linings, and pack the oh so cool leather jackets?

OK, so what's the final verdict? Winter coat or layers and leather jacket? I'm from Miami. It's 76 F right now, with average lows of 64 at night. I'm usually shivering at 60. The rudolf the red-nosed reindeer look starts at about 50. I was planning on dealing with the cold the way I do in NYC when I visit in the winter. I've always worn a faux-fur coat, hat and gloves, all of which have kept me from turning into a popsicle. (Coat borrowed from some NY friend, of course.) Dios mio, will I look like a dork if I wear all this stuff in Madrid?

Miami, huh? You'll be cold. I'm from Hawaii and living in Boston - and the easiest trick to surviving anything under 60 Fwith our thin blood is layers! Best thing to buy is silk underwear - keeps the heat in and does not add bulk (read pounds) and totally destroy the fit of your clothing. The silk tops come in 3 styles - sleeveless/cap sleeves/long sleeves and the bottoms come in 2 lenghts - mid-thigh for dresses and long for pants.

Don't know where you'll find them in Miami but try a web search - the worst that can happen is you pay a bit more thru Eddie Bauer than you would at a general department store.

The added bonus - light weight; quickly wash and dry - and guaranteed to keep you warm.

Hi everyone. I'm going to be studying in madrid from january till june. Any suggestions as to what to bring for an extended stay? and if packing light, how to manage bringing home alot more than you initially take with you?

it will be cold in madrid when you get there so bring a winter coat but it will warm up by march probably...i wouldn't pack too much there is so much great shopping! i love zara and mango. they are wonderful stores...check out www.zara.com or www.mango.es if you want to see what styles they have...i would just bring things that you really like to wear and really anything you were in the us you can wear in spain. guys just wear tighter clothes and girls just wear brighter clothes in my opinion!

[ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Yeah, I'll be studying in Sevilla from Jan. until May. I'm wondering since its pretty southern, if I'd really need a coat? I'm from Boston, so I have a really thick coat. I don't think I'll need something that thick. I've looked up some average temps for Sevilla on the web, but I would still rather have someones opinion whos spent their time in Sevilla at these times.