As I type this article, I am wearing two sweaters and a pair of fingerless gloves. And I am still cold. And yet I am in my office and the heat is on. Winter weather really gets to me, and once the temperature drops below about 5 degrees (as it did last week), I don’t fully recover until roughly mid-July.I believe it was the humorist Gahan Wilson who did a cartoon many years ago with the caption, “Just because you’re paranoid, that doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.” In the same vein, just because I’m unnaturally cold that doesn’t mean it isn’t really chilly outside.Therefore, and because many readers of The Lakeville Journal work outdoors and/or enjoy outdoor activities in winter, I am going to share with you some tips from the United States government on how to stay warm in wintry weather.First and most obviously, it’s important to wear proper protective clothing. More specifically, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggests that you wear several layers of loose clothing; layering provides better insulation.The CDC further warns that “Tight clothing reduces blood circulation. Warm blood needs to be circulated to the extremities.”Mothers who are tempted to swaddle their youngsters (or a spouse) in suffocating snowsuits should keep in mind this CDC warning: “When choosing clothing, be aware that some clothing may restrict movement resulting in a hazardous situation.” (Help, I’ve fallen while sledding, and I can’t get up!)The second important thing to keep in mind when following all that advice is that nothing chills you faster than moisture. If you feel like all those layers are making you perspire, strip some layers away.This seems obvious and yet so many people ignore this bit of winter wisdom: “Boots should be waterproof and insulated.” I’m amazed at how many people don’t even wear boots in winter (although I confess that sometimes I wear winter boots in September). Anyone who has visited a high school campus in winter will know that teens are especially illogical on this front and prefer if they can to wear either rubber sandals or backless Birkenstocks. Hats are important. I personally feel that warmth is more important in this area than fashion but any hat is better than no hat. The CDC confirms what my mother used to say: “Hats reduce the amount of body heat that escapes from your head.”The CDC also offers these sartorial suggestions:• The outer layers you wear should be made of tightly woven (preferably wind resistant) fabric, so the wind chill doesn’t actually chill you. • For your inner layers, wear wool, silk or polypropylene, which the CDC says hold more body heat than cotton. Since the top brass at Cotton Inc., the cotton lobbying group, are no doubt firing off on their Blackberries indignant responses to that last line, let me provide this bit of winter warmth information from the Cotton Inc. website: “Smart layering is key for keeping your children warm,” says Linda DeFranco, director of Product Trend Analysis for Cotton Incorporated. “Cotton layers are both breathable and comfortable, and because cotton is a natural fiber, it’s perfect for children with sensitive skin.”“Cotton layers are ideal for keeping your children warm when the temperature drops, but also ensures that they don’t become overheated,” DeFranco said. The National Institutes of Health has these tips specifically for children:• They need to keep their ears covered at all times so they don’t get frostbite. • They should wear warm, waterproof boots that allow them to wiggle their toes around.• They should wear mittens instead of gloves. (The reason for this, according to the Mayo Clinic website, is that in mittens, your fingers touch each other and keep each other warm. Gloves separate the fingers from each other.)Those are all practical suggestions. If you, like me, really want to pamper yourself, you can do it somewhat inexpensively by tossing your clothes in the dryer for a couple minutes before getting dressed in the morning (especially nice if your dryer is upstairs near the bedroom). Or, join a gym such as NorthEast Fitness and Wellness in Millerton that has a sauna. You can warm yourself up, and then warm your clothing up before you step out into the chill air.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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