Ever since we booked our roundtrip tickets to Seoul(Promo flights from Cebupac @ 50% off, woohoo!), I have been researching (a LOT) about tourist spots, accomodations, as well as the weather conditions during our trip. We will be going there around the third week of January. And from what I have gathered, I now know that January is the coldest month and the peak of the winter season. I mean, woah, no biggie, negative degrees lang naman yan. Who am I kidding? For a Filipino, anything below 20°C is considered cold(mejo OA haha).
Since it'll be our first time visiting the country, we want to maximize the time that we have there. So in order for us to enjoy our trip, we have to prioritize keeping our bodies warm. And we all know winter clothes ain't cheap, especially here in the Philippines. What's more is that it's already hard to find affordable winter clothing here, but add to that the fact that we had to find plus sizes. Wag nalang kaya kami umalis, haha.
But fret not all ye out there, finding affordable plus size winter clothing in the Philippines is hard, but not impossible. I will be sharing to you my experience in plus size winter clothes shopping in the Philippines.
1. Hit the UK!
I'm sure most Filipinos know what "UK" mean. It's a haven for bargain hunters like me. From what I've read on other blogs, there are lots of UK's in Cubao. I haven't gone there yet but will probably do before our trip. The only UK that I've been to yet is the one in EDSA Crossing. There's only one UK shop in the second floor so you can't miss it. It's near the entrance/exit to the MRT station. They have an entire rack dedicated to jackets and coats. The ate there told us that everything is PHP450/piece but since my mom and I got 2 pieces each, they gave us a discount and we only paid PHP400/piece. I know it's still expensive compared to other UK's where others have bought bubble jackets worth 180-250, but we still bought it because it's hard to find jackets and coats in big sizes in UK.
Since it'll be our first time visiting the country, we want to maximize the time that we have there. So in order for us to enjoy our trip, we have to prioritize keeping our bodies warm. And we all know winter clothes ain't cheap, especially here in the Philippines. What's more is that it's already hard to find affordable winter clothing here, but add to that the fact that we had to find plus sizes. Wag nalang kaya kami umalis, haha.
But fret not all ye out there, finding affordable plus size winter clothing in the Philippines is hard, but not impossible. I will be sharing to you my experience in plus size winter clothes shopping in the Philippines.
1. Hit the UK!
I'm sure most Filipinos know what "UK" mean. It's a haven for bargain hunters like me. From what I've read on other blogs, there are lots of UK's in Cubao. I haven't gone there yet but will probably do before our trip. The only UK that I've been to yet is the one in EDSA Crossing. There's only one UK shop in the second floor so you can't miss it. It's near the entrance/exit to the MRT station. They have an entire rack dedicated to jackets and coats. The ate there told us that everything is PHP450/piece but since my mom and I got 2 pieces each, they gave us a discount and we only paid PHP400/piece. I know it's still expensive compared to other UK's where others have bought bubble jackets worth 180-250, but we still bought it because it's hard to find jackets and coats in big sizes in UK.
Black down coat with faux fur lined hood.
This was a snug fit but I still bought it 'cause I fell in love with the faux fur!!!
Grey wool(?) coat with hood (I'm not really sure if this is wool)
They also have an assortment of winter boots but I didn't buy one 'cause I already have two and I plan on buying one in Korea.
2. Surplus Stores
Another great place to buy winter clothing is in Surplus stores. It's not as cheap as UK but at least you'll have more choices when it comes to size and color. Surplus stores are also great for those with hygienic issues haha. There are lots of Surplus shops in Manila but the one we went to is in Megamall. They have two branches there, one is beside the supermarket in Building A and the other one is beside the Sumo Sam in Building B. We went to the one in Building A. We went inside and I immediately saw their assortment of winter clothes at the back. Sadly, there were no down jackets / bubble jackets for women, they only have those thin jackets in small sizes. So I went the the men's section. There were more options for winter wear in the men's section, those that are suitable for snowy weather. I bought this super light windbreaker / down jacket in XL. I found it funny but it has a built in speaker(in both sides of the collar), in-ear headphones, and an audio jack in one of the pockets. I immediately thought that it won't work and that the reason why it's being sold in Surplus is because it's deffective. I wasn't really interested in that feature so I bought it without testing. Then we got home and I decided to test if it was working, and to my surprise, it was! I'm not really sure if I'll be able to use this feature in Korea but I still love this jacket because it's so warm and fits just right.
Really not bad for PHP799.75
One down side to this jacket is that the stickers are really hard to remove. :(
Audio jack in one of the pockets
Buttons for controls
Speakers and In-Ear Headphones in both sides of the collar
I also bought this red beanie for PHP199.75 which has a fur lining inside.
Bonus:
There is a clothing section in SM Hypermarket Pasig. I chanced upon this Columbia fleece vest. It's only PHP 500 and there are lots of colors to choose from: White, Black, Gray, Violet, Sky Blue and Red. There are big sizes as well. I was planning to buy the Uniqlo Ultra Light Down vest which was PHP 1,990 but good thing I saw this first.
3. Daiso
I think Daiso is a heaven sent, not only for travellers but for anyone generally. You can find literally anything and everything in Daiso. There are lots of Daiso branches in Manila but those that I know of(and have visited) are in Robinsons Gallera, Market Market, and Greenbelt. The first being the biggest one that I've been to. These are the items I've bought so far:
Foot socks, Arm Warmers, and Mittens all for PHP 88 each
I also bought earmuffs that looks like this(forgot to take a picture hehe), also PHP 88
They also have vacuum sealed bags that are great for space saving, organizers, and lots more! (Not sponsored BTW)
4. Thermal Wear
I think when it comes to thermal wear, don't be too stingy. I haven't experienced it yet, but from what I've read, your choice of thermal wear can make or break your whole trip. This is why I bought mine from Uniqlo. I've read lots of great reviews about their Heattech line so I decided to give it a try. Their Heattech line consists of regular Heattech, Extra Warm and their newest product, Ultra Warm. Each has a better heat retention respectively. I bought these Ultra Warm Crew Neck Long Sleeve T-Shirt and Leggings for PHP1,290 each. The material is very soft which is nice because you have to wear it next to the skin for it to work. The sales lady said that the Ultra Warm can retain heat even in negative temperatures, I sure do hope she's right.
It comes in these cool boxes as compared to the other Heattech thermal wears that come in plastic pouches.
Bonus:
Keeping the hands and feet warm is also important because frostbite occurs to the parts of the body that are farthest to the heart. That is why I invested in these Uniqlo Heattech Leather Gloves and Heattech Socks.
Heattech Gloves, PHP 790
2 Pairs of Heattech Socks, PHP 590
I also got these cute earmuffs from Snow World in Star City years ago! I think it was PHP 150?
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I will be updating this whenever I find more affordable options and share my experiences as well after the trip.
Thanks for reading!
