Sunday, January 9, 2011

Dressing well for the casual cold


It’s the beginning of January and it has been freezing!
It’s been hard to get out from under the warm covers in the morning let alone think about putting presentable clothes on!
I’ve found that most of my clients have a system for dressing for work in the winter (dark wool is usually a large portion of how they do this)
but dressing socially, especially at more casual events in the winter, and still looking good, often presents a problem.

My first helpful tip for this dilemma is
don’t be afraid to dress too formally,
very rarely is a person over dressed as awkward looking as someone under dressed. So if you’re not sure, go ahead and put on the cashmere blazer, the silk scarf or the wool sheath dress.

But seriously, the easiest way to dress warmly in a casual environment without looking dumpy is to keep the entire ensemble simple. The worst mistake is to keep adding layers that you don’t need. If it’s cold wear a silk undershirt for warmth, not three layers of sweaters. Wear one heavier top like a thick sweater or you can pair a thin top, silk or wool would be the warmest, with one top layer in the form of a vest or jacket.

warm leggings with boots are a perfect winter look; pair it with a slim turtle neck and warm vest.
A warm skinny cargo pant with booties paired with a belted sweater tunic is cute and cozy as well.
Boot cut trousers look sophisticated with a simple shirt and shrug.
Skirts with tights are great; keep the top simple without layers, like one chic warm sweater. (I love the figure eight sweaters that are out now)

Since you will most likely be wearing some layers,
don’t over accessorize.
A great scarf would be the warmest choice, so make it the showcase and everything else you wear should complement the scarf instead of distracting from it. If you are wearing a bunch of layers on top, adding the scarf may be too much,
opt for a hat or just a simple hair accessory if your warm enough instead.

No mater how casual the occation, any truly put together look is finished with a great coat, gloves and hat.

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