Every year we see foreigners flock to India to bathe in the warm sun. Blessed as a country that may not really pause to acknowledge and appreciate it as much, there is no denying that while we do get a lot of sunlight, global warming and other factors have led to us heading rather extreme weathers even in the winters in many parts of the country.

Around that time of the year where we can all get together and once again chant ‘Winter is Coming’, here’s a few things you can do to ensure you are stocked up well in advance for the season. After all, winters, and the variety of clothes made in the best fabric to keep warm in the winter, we see the world take on a whole new sense of fashion.

While some naturally find a way to layer up in the most suave and chic manner possible, there are others, that just end up looking like tiny little potatoes, wrapped in their many sweaters and jackets, especially on the cold streets of places like Delhi.

So if you’re out there looking for the best fabric for winter dress, you’ve come to the right place. After all, if you use the best cloth material for winter, you can easily do without the multiple layers of clothes. It is all about understanding the physics behind the material.

So let’s start with the obvious choice when it comes to the best fabric for cold weather:

Wool

A natural fabric, spun out of the hair of sheep (as we are sure you already know…), wool probably tops the list of warmest fabric for winter. Designed to keep the sheep warm in high altitudes, the properties of this material naturally provide that insulating effect to keep you feeling warm and dry in the cold.

There is however, one down side to this beautiful material – some people find it itchy. In that case, there are several options to choose from ranging from slightly more expensive types of wool to woolen blends with cotton and other material that give you a combination of the best of both.

FLEECE

The manmade version of the warmest fabric for winter, fleece is basically artificial wool made from polyester yarn. Yet, despite being an artificial fabric, it makes it to our list of best cloth material for winter because it imitates all the properties of wool, while being a little more lightweight makes it more portable and easy to move around with. In fact, for a good number of years now, fleece has begun to replace wool when it comes to people’s choice of the best fabric for cold weather especially while travelling.

Another thing that makes fleece one of the best fabric for winter clothes is its ability to dry quickly. So if you are one to go on winter walks or treks, this is a fabric you’d want to keep handy with you.

SILK

Unlike wool and fleece, while it may not have earned its identity as the warmest fabric for winter, silk is another great option to keep handy for the cold months of the month. If you are living in extremely cold weather and are looking for the best fabric to keep warm in the winter, however, you cannot rely entirely on silk.

Due to its properties of being a good insulator, being extremely thin, lightweight, and breathable, though, silk inners are great to be worn as innerwear matched with stylish jackets, scarves, or boots.

NYLON

Another synthetic fabric, nylon makes one of the best fabric for winter dresses and more. Like fleece has been built to match wool, nylon, has been designed to match the properties of silk. However, more than being one of the best fabrics for winter clothes, nylon is used in areas that are both cold and wet, because of its waterproof capability.

In other words, nylon, by itself, is not going to be enough to keep you warm, however, because it is used as the outer layering of several warm clothing items like jackets, it makes for the best cloth material for winter clothes and more.

DOWN

Not a very popular fabric in itself, let alone being known as one of the best cloth material for winter, down is the fabric that is made from the feathers of ducks and geese. More popularly used in areas that aren’t directly visible, most of us don’t end up knowing too much about this material despite it also being one of the best fabric for cold weather. Down, for instance, is used quite often as the stuffing of blankets, pillows, or the inner sides of jackets.

The more of this material, the warmer it makes you feel. And when designed in combination with a fabric like nylon, you know you have something that’s really going to keep you warm even in the coldest of places.

HEMP & COTTON

Natural fabrics that may not pop into mind while thinking of the warmest fabric for winter, cotton and hemp, both, are lightweight, breathable, and soft fabrics that feel great against the skin. Both, cotton and hemp make for great inner wear options, but hemp also makes for an excellent outer layer of clothing.

The only downside of cotton is that it absorbs any moisture it comes in contact with, so if you are one to look at strenuous activities like trekking in the snow, then cotton might not be the best fabric to choose as the one directly against your skin. You could, however, consider it for a middle layer between something like silk on the inside, and hemp on the outside.

The biggest advantage of choosing cotton is that it is one of the best fabrics for winter dress because it can be shaped and styled the way you like it, and then layered stylishly.

FLANNEL

Another variant of wool, flannel, much like wool itself, is one of the warmest winter fabrics out there. Used for a variety of things like bedsheets, shirts, trousers, skirts, and dresses, flannel is one of the best fabrics for a winter dress  because of properties that make it feel like cotton, but protect like wool.

OTHER POPULAR WINTER FABRICS

These include the obvious – cashmere. However, while it is also, much like wool, known to be one of the most popular winter fabrics, we place it so low down in the list because real cashmere, along with being soft, and warm, and just absolutely perfect, is also quite expensive and may not be affordable by everyone.

Apart from cashmere, we also have corduroy, the thick, textured fabric that is known to keep one warm on the cold winter days and nights. Yet, over the last few years, probably due to several reasons, this fabric has been seeing less of use in mainstream fashion, but our hunch is that it is going to make a comeback, and we’re going to be ready for it, when it does.

Until then, stay warm, and stay safe.