On Getting Dressed

As my host mom and I passed each other in the hallway at about 7 this morning, both cheerfully bleary-eyed, she turned and said emphatically, "Es soll heute Minus 16 Grad sein- noch kalter als gestern. Do solltest dich heute warmer anziehen." [Translation: It's supposed to be -16 degrees (Celsius) today- colder than yesterday (it was -12). You should dress warmer today.] Sigh. I have already developed a new fundamental doctrine for the Christian faith: negative degree weather is the direct result of sin. God never would have sent Adam and Eve into an Eden with weather like Berlin's!

For the record, -16 C is 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit (or so Google tells me). The larger problem this morning, though, was that I wasn't sure what else I could put on to dress warmer! Then again... for the past few days of my Praktikum, I'd sacrificed being able to feel my own limbs on the altar of cuteness. -12 degrees not withstanding, I was going to wear my black pencil skirts to court if it killed me. Compromising with myself, I wore thick wool socks and boots to work, then slipped on heels once I got inside the Justiz Zentrum. This behavior fascinated the German women. As I was about to leave after my first day, I pulled back on my boots; a Referandarin [female law student] saw me and exclaimed, "THAT's how you did that... I've been wondering how you got here in those shoes all day." Which immediately started a stream of conversation about my attire:
Referedarin: " And she's wearing a skirt- how nice..."
Female Judge: " Yes, all American women wear skirts to court." [to the law student]
" German women usually wear pants." [to me]
" Europeans dress nicer in general, though. That's probably why there's not such a difference between what we wear at work and outside. Americans wear track suits everywhere, and then dress up for work."

This exchange is nearly a verbatim translation from the German. It was a very sincere conversation on their part- no slight to me or American fashion intended at all- just the honest fascination that most women have with the dressing habits of another culture. I nearly died laughing inside. To my knowledge, wearing skirts is no more dominant in American culture than in German culture (I've seen a few German judges wear skirts, too. And I only brought a nicer pair of shoes to work with me because I saw a German lady do it when she came to my host mother's birthday party!

But this brings me back to the subject of dressing appropriately for Berlin weather. First of all, the appearance of Berliner women my age is a deception. They go outside in short fashion coats, thinly knit hats, and fitted jeans, and one thinks that one can also survive in such attire. The fact is, you'd get frostbite waiting 10 minutes on an S-bahn platform if that was really all the provision you had against the cold.

Go into a German apartment sometime, and you will learn the secret to the lack of frostbitten Berliner women on train station platforms: On the drying racks (which the Germans insist on using to dry their clothes even in the ides of January), you will see a plethora of long underwear. Underneath the cute jeans and the short jacket, those women are wearing approximately three layers of thermal underwear. No one ever tells you this, though. You just have to learn to add a layer every time you're cold. It also requires creativity to find clothing items in your wardrobe that will layer well without making the topmost layer look funny.

For example, getting dressed requires me to find the following items and put them on in the appropriate order:
1 pair thick tights
1 pair running leggings
2nd pair running pants

camisole
long sleeve shirt
thermal running shirt
North Face fleece

thermal ski socks
thick wool socks

thickly knit hat
scarf

I am now reasonably prepared to be warm while inside the house.
(You think I'm kidding, but I wrote, edited, and submitted approximately 10 law school applications in this exact outfit.)

If I actually intend to go outside, still more forethought is required- beyond the obvious addition of a wool coat, two pairs of fleece-lined mittens, and boots. I cannot appear in running pants, a pink North Face fleece, and a striped scarf in a German court. Neither may the under layers peak out from underneath a buttoned blouse. I must also have an optional topmost layer available if it gets cold in the courtroom, and I must be able to survive life indoors without the help of woolen socks (they don't fit in the high heels).

The challenge grows even greater when you wake up the next morning and must manage the same feat with a different outfit.

My conclusion: German customs officials should issue long underwear and ski suits to all visitors entering the country between October and March. For the time being, I've started wearing pants to court.