What to know
- Scandinavian layering is a strategic approach to dressing that uses multiple purposeful layers to trap heat, manage moisture, and stay warm without bulky outerwear.
- Natural materials like merino wool, cashmere, and sheep’s wool are essential because they regulate body temperature, stay warm when damp, and remain breathable in cold conditions.
- The method relies on five key layers—from a moisture-wicking base to a long outer coat—creating insulating air pockets that help Torontonians stay warm and stylish in winter.
Fashion over comfort? What if you can have both? Scandinavian layering techniques might be the best way to help Torontonians beat the cold, in style.
Toronto has a mix of fashion personalities, from preppy and stylish clothes that don’t offer enough heat to comfortable puffer jackets and grey roots sweatpants. Whichever the case, these Canadian trends alone don’t offer enough heat for the weather. That’s not to diss the current style, but to rather add to it – with Scandinavian layering techniques.
We asked some expert Toronto fashionistas for their comfort and styling tips to help you survive this brutal season – without looking like a snowman.
What is Scandinavian layering?
According to Swedish influencer Klaudia Lennerling, it’s a way to avoid “dying” from the cold, she jokingly told Now Toronto.
Jokes aside, Scandinavian layering with wool and garments strategically layered to avoid making you sweaty to stay warm – and everything starts at the feet.
“As soon as your feet get cold, everything else gets colder,” Lennerling said.
Wool is key
That’s why wool socks are essential. Canadian-turned-Swedish influencer Madeline Robson, who moved from Windsor, Ont. to Malmö, Sweden, agrees that, in her seven years of living in Sweden, this is “the biggest game changer,” as it helps regulate the temperature in your feet and transfer it to the rest of your body.
She tells Now Toronto that wool and cashmere are the big two must-haves in your closet this winter – especially for layering.
According to the Swedish Tourist Association, wool specifically is helpful to keep you warm when it’s damp, and has good breathability – meaning you most likely won’t smell bad.
“I always thought that wool was really itchy and uncomfortable… But it doesn’t have to be… Once I started finding ones that I actually really liked, it became a very typical thing for me to throw a wool shirt under whatever I’m wearing,” Robson says.
She admits that, even for knitwear, she just bought based on aesthetics and never paid attention to the materials. Since her seven years in Sweden, she has learned the value of quality materials versus many items made with synthetic fibers that might make you sweat a lot.
Steps to Scandinavian layering
But Scandinavian layering is composed of multiple layers.
Viktoria Loda, an image architect and fashion stylist with over 20 years of fashion experience in Ukraine, came to Toronto to share her European expertise and fascination with Scandinavian layering for its functional, sophisticated elegance that “never comes at the cost of comfort.”
She explained that “Scandinavian layering is more than just wearing ‘a lot of clothes,’ it is a thoughtful, functional system. It is the art of combining pieces so that every layer serves a purpose–providing warmth and breathability while maintaining a clean, sophisticated aesthetic.”
For all three fashion enthusiasts, a typical day in their lives implies applying the layer-on-layer principle.
Layer one: moisture-wicking garment
A moisture-wicking layer is supposed to keep you dry from the inside, even during your toughest workouts. Specifically, merino wool, regular sheep wool, and wool terry, all blended materials, help provide warmth even when damp. Synthetic base layers are also a good alternative. For Lennerling, she wears a synthetic tank top and long johns – a pair of warm, comfortable layers that don’t bunch up. Robson wears a wool tank top, and Loda recommends wearing a thin base layer of merino wool or silk.
Layer two: moisture absorption
This layer should absorb any moisture from your first layer of clothing. Wool is generally recommended, as pure synthetic materials cannot typically absorb it. Lennerling’s second layer is typically a long sleeve.
Layer three: the warmest
Layer three should provide the most warmth amongst them all. Commonly, this layer is made out of fleece or wool. For Lennerling, this layer is a knitted sweater and baggy jeans, both in style and convenient for staying warm. Robson uses a wool sweater, and Loda suggests a cashmere sweater or a well-cut blazer.
Lennerling adds that though it’s a lot of layers, no one sees beneath them, so “as long as my knitted sweater is stylish, then it doesn’t really matter.”
Layer four: protection against cold and wet air
This layer is designed to protect against tough weather conditions: wind, rainfall, and cold. A shell jacket or anything with a hood that fully closes at the front, collar, and around the wrists (so, no crop tops). Lennerling wears a scarf, hat, and gloves, but not typically an extra hoodie.
It should also be versatile, with drawstrings at the waist and the hem of the jacket allowing ventilation to reduce excess heat by simply loosening the closures.
Layer five: Outside
This fifth – and final layer is your winter jacket. Toronto has a thing for puffer jackets, but Lennerling shares that, “in terms of warmth, when it gets really, really cold, a short puffer jacket is not good enough, because then your legs are so exposed.”
Loda explains the logic behind all these layers: the “air pocket” principle, in which multiple loose, intentional layers trap body heat, creating a natural thermal barrier that allows the body to breathe while regulating temperature.
Now that you understand all five layers, look at an example from Robson’s Instagram page.
One thing all three experts agree and swear by: long wool coats – the final layer that keeps you warm and stylish.
Where to buy?
But it comes at a price. A thick wool coat can be very expensive, ranging from $100 to over $7,500, depending on where you buy it.
Stores like Zara, Simons, and RW&Co offer more affordable wool-blend options, going up in price based on quality, while Aritzia and Holt Renfrew offer more mid-range options, and Max Mara, a luxury brand, offers the most expensive 100 per cent cashmere or camel hair coats.
Lennerling and Robson both shop at stores in Sweden that don’t ship to Canada. However, for anyone wondering where they can get a Swedish wool coat, COS and other brands under H&M’s umbrella could be good options.
Eco-conscious fashion
Lennerling personally got her wool coat back when she was in Sweden. After all, to her, wool coats should last a while due to their cost, sustainability, and the belief in choosing a colour you know will fit your style and last you a few seasons.
Loda adds that Scandinavian layering is the “very essence” of slow fashion as it encourages investing in high-quality, versatile pieces.
“By focusing on natural materials and timeless designs, you create a ‘smart’ wardrobe where everything works together, reducing waste and promoting a more conscious way of consuming fashion.”
Should Torontonians adopt Scandinavian layering?
Robson specifically mentions that the Scandinavian layering technique is worth it for Torontonians.
Robson first discovered this layering technique in Copenhagen in 2017 and immediately experienced culture shock.
“I’m looking at the girls and thinking, ‘you have the most beautiful, well-curated outfits,’ and they’re wearing these, like, thin, flimsy wool coats, but it was freezing out, and I’m like, here in my big parka, and I’m like, ‘how do these girls staying warm and staying outside all day?’’
But two years later, she moved to Sweden and has since understood the science behind this fashion technique, focusing on natural fibers and high-quality materials, and has been “learning more about the ins and outs” of staying warm in cold weather.
By adopting the Scandinavian layer, you can go back to enjoying the city without fear of the cold.
“It doesn’t have to be -20 to have to dress this way. I remember when I was younger, sometimes feeling so warm and sweaty in outerwear because I wasn’t dressed properly. And actually, if anything, I noticed that merino wool, if you wear it properly, is actually really good in the summer too, because merino wool is also very breathable.”
She even adds that she believes you could apply this layering technique year-round, as she demonstrates in a summer outfit.
