Layering (clothing)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Layer.

In fashion, layering is the addition of items of clothing over each other in order to create a unique outfit and to make best use of the aesthetic or functional properties of different garments. Wearing layers of clothes allows the wearer to shed or add layers according to changes in weather conditions, activity level and body temperature. Layering is mainly used in the winter months, where it is almost essential to layer, but layering can also be used in summer. Layering is often recommended for outdoor activities such as hiking.

1 Practical use
2 Adjusting a layering system
3 Alternatives to layering for outdoor clothing
4 Fashion use
5 References

[edit] Practical use

Participants in outdoor pursuits such as hiking, fishing, etc. often make use of layering to create a practical outfit that can protect against wind, rain and cold while regulating the wearer's body temperature. Practical layering is usually based around a system of three layers or more.

Inner layer or base layer - close-fitting garments designed to draw away sweat. Typically polyester, polypropylene, wool especially merino and other fibres with good wicking properties are used. Crucially the material must continue to insulate while wet, either from moisture that has leaked in from the outside, or from sweat. For this reason cotton, which does not have this property, must be avoided - a rule often summarized as "cotton kills" [1]

Mid layer or insulating layer - looser-fitting garments worn to trap air and aid in retaining body heat. Garments made from wool, fleece or other synthetic fibres are typically used; again cotton must be avoid and warm while wet materials used.

Wind layer - A thin breathable nylon windshirt blocks some wind and some rain. The windshirt is more breathable than the outer shell, and more rain resistant than the mid layer. For many combinations of mild weather, light wind, and light precipitation the base layer and the wind layer provide adequate protection.

Outer layer or outer shell - weatherproof jacket and pants to keep rain and wind out, while ideally remaining breatheable. Gore-Tex is a popular material for weatherproof outer clothing, though many other fabrics are suitable, although it is important to understand the role of sweat in hypothermia (see the "Adjusting a layer system") and that most of these fabrics, despite advertising claims, offer only imperfect breathability.

[edit] Adjusting a layering system

It is not always necessary to wear all layers, and the choice of how many to wear and what garments to use depends very much on the activity and the weather conditions likely to be encountered, and that more layers and insulation are not necessarily better. In fact, trapped dry air is the main insulator in clothing, and as long as the wind is effectively managed, a few millimetres of fabric often suffice to provide insulation.

On the other hand, sweat build up inside layers can be deadly, even if the fabrics worn maintain their insulating properties while wet rapid cooling can still result by the energy being leached from the body by the evaporation of trapped moisture, leading to the onset of hypothermia. Thus it is critical to adjust layers to maintain sweat transport during periods of heavy exertion and to over avoid overheating and the accumulation of moisture inside the layering system. Keeping an over-warm sweater or fleece on during a period of heavy exertion can lead directly to hypothermia later when trapped sweat re-condenses. [2]

[edit] Alternatives to layering for outdoor clothing

Conventional layering does have its disadvantages for outdoor clothing - in particular it can be crucial to adjust the amount of insulation worn to respond to conditions, but this can only be done by removing the outer shell layer. This can expose the insulating layers to rain, or be inconvenient or even dangerous to perform while rock climbing or adventure racing. Radical alternatives to layering seek to reduce the need to remove layers to adjust body temperature, and to improve the removal of sweat through having a single garment (possibly worn over a wicking baselayer) which provides warmth, wind proofing and possibly water proofing.

A typical design is a smock that allows sweat transport and body temperature to be adjusted through a series of vents at the neck and the armpit, made of a fabric that wicks sweat away from the skin. These systems can either be "warm while wet", by-passing the normal need for a waterproof layer in most conditions, or themselves be waterproof bust still breathable. Montane and Buffalo "pile and pertex" clothing are perhaps the most famous examples of the first type, while Paramo are of the second, fully waterproof variety, with the Paramo Velez smock made Nikwax Analogy fabric corresponding closely to the design discussed. [3][4]

[edit] Fashion use

Combining different garments in layers can be used to create a variety of outfits. This provides similar practical benefits to practical layering, in that the wearer can shed layers according to changes in temperature, and is also a way of making use of clothing to produce different looks and mix colours in various ways.