The current cold snap, (aside from providing a rare opportunity for us to wear our favorite cashmere camel-hair coat and acid-green leather gloves on our daily walk along Bayshore) is also a perfect excuse to clean out those un-air-conditioned nether-regions of the house that tend to collect all of those seldom-worn clothes. 
Whether it’s in the attic, guest room closet, or storage unit, most of us Tampans have a stash of heavy, cold-weather clothes tucked away for our trips to colder climates and the occasional local chilly spell like the one we’re having now.  And because these pieces don’t get the kind of year-round play that our lighter-weight stuff sees, let’s all just admit it:  We don’t always edit and update our “winter clothes”  as often as we should.  (All y’all who are still harboring some version of a circa-1997 J. Crew down ski vest know exactly what we’re talking about). 
So we think it’s nothing less than a celestial harmonic convergence of the Shopping and Closet Gods (and, oh yes, Virginia, there truly is such a thing—we’ve seen too many miracles to believe otherwise) that this crispy weather has arrived at the exact same time as the post-holiday clearance sales.  While the balmy January temperatures of years past have had us jumping right into the resort collections,  this year’s chill has given us a renewed appreciation for those tweeds and cashmeres.
In other words, if there ever was a time to upgrade that tired old collection of coats, boots and scarves, this might be it.

Consider these:

A princess-cut coat from Nordstrom in yummy black or camel cashmere/lambswool that’s classic enough to carry you through another few years:

Jimmy Choo suede boots:

Yeah, they’re outrageously expensive, especially when you factor in the whole weak dollar-to-[every other currency including the pound-ratio, but this particular style, with it’s classic cut and luxurious buckles, will—trust us on this—only get better with age. You’ll keep them forever.



Or why not trade in your old stacked-tires down jacket for this chic shawl-collared version that’s elegant enough to throw over a ballgown if need be:

   

But don’t limit yourself to online sales—sure, you can stay nice and toasty staying home and letting your mouse do the walking, but there are some great deals in the stores right now, too.  (We’re still tempted to grab the Juicy Couture faux fur 3/4 sleeve jacket we tried on at Saks that makes us feel like Grace Kelly every time we put it on…) 

[BTW: If you’re a size six, first of all, we hate you because you (and the size tens) score all the best sale shoes, but it would be just mean not to show you this gladiator sandal that’s on sale on J.Crew’s website.  This style was super-hot last summer (with simple little shift dresses and shorts) and will still be strong this year.  These are a fabulous investment at a fabulous price—so get ‘em while they last…]