Whether you live in sunny Los Angeles or in the cold depths of Ithaca, this guide is for you. I'll provide a formula for outfit building, with added tips to maintain aesthetics in more frigid weather. Stay tuned to learn how to stay pretty even on wet, dreary days!
A note: none of these links are affiliate links, so these are all brands that I use or wear on a daily basis and wanted to link them for others.
I spent a decent amount of time skiing and snowboarding when I was younger, so many of my tips come from what I've learned on the snowy winter slopes.
First things first: to make my outfits cohesive, I choose to incorporate most of my color through my jackets and accessories; everything underneath follows a dark/neutral color scheme, all of which match with each other. This way, everything can be worn with everything else.
I follow this formula when choosing an outfit:
Base layer(s) → Jacket → Pants → Shoes → Accessories (hats, scarves, gloves, bag, jewelry)
Aesthetic Inspiration for This Post:
Coats & Jackets
Puffer Coats
Leather Jackets
Sherpa/Leather Jackets
Fleece
Wool Coats
Faux Fur Coats
Longer coats are great for colder weather, and are also a useful option if you choose to wear a dress or a skirt.
Pants & Shoes
Pants
Slacks
Sweatpants
Jeans (straight leg, mom, dad, skinny)
Leather/Pleather Pants
Stockings/Tights
Shoes
Sneakers: white, black, or neutral colors to match with everything
Boots (Uggs, Leather, Ankle, Knee-High)
Heels/Heeled boots
Here are some of my favorite places to shop to grab both basics and pieces like the ones listed above:
Aritzia (I really love these sweatpants, but Aritzia has everything from long wool coats to basic tees)
Lichi (I LOVE their dresses, and they have great sweater/suiting options)
NA-KD (lots of accessories and staple pieces)
Jubilee (thick and luxurious sweatshirts and sweatpants!)
Zara
Express (my go-to for a more preppy/business casual look)
The North Face
Patagonia
Levi's (for jeans, of course)
White Fox (great for matching sweat sets)
Now for the tips to prevent you from shivering!
If done correctly, outfits like these can be worn whether it's 55°F (12.8°C) or 30°F (-1.1°C)!
How to Layer
This might be common sense, but the colder it is, the more layers you should wear. If it's 50°F outside, you can probably get away with just a sweater and a jacket. If it's 30°F, you're going to want to wear thermals and a shirt under your sweater, as well as a thicker wool coat or winter jacket. Adding a scarf and some lined gloves wouldn't be a bad idea either.
Base Layers
Thermals
My biggest tip for cold weather is to wear thin, but warm, thermal layers. This isn't anything new, but wearing the type of long underwear skiers and snowboarders wear will keep you cozy and warm. I tend to go for these when the weather gets below 40°F(4.4°C). Skin tight (but not uncomfortable!) long sleeve shirts and legging style pants are great because of how thin they are, so they shouldn't affect the shape or silhouette of your outfit. Costco carries a brand called 32 degrees that has some great options for both women and men, which is my personal favorite brand for thermals.
Fleece Tights
These give the illusion of a thin and delicate stocking, but are actually fleecy and warm on the inside! They're great options for when you want to wear a skirt or a dress.
Amazon has lots of great choices, so all you have to do is search for "fleece tights."
Thick Socks, Long Socks or More Than One Pair of Socks
If your feet frequently feel chilly, just... wear more than one pair of socks. This one is also fairly common sense, but many people don't even think of it. As a rule, the socks should get thicker as you go up. Put your thinnest socks first, then thicker ones, then finish with with tall and thick socks, but make sure not to put too many. If you do, your feet may not fit into your shoes
Outer Layers
If it's REALLY cold outside: choose two "outfits" to wear on top of your thermals. For example, I might put a long sleeve shirt and leggings on (outfit 1), and then on top of that I would put my sweater and jeans (outfit 2).
Otherwise, you can throw on your regular outfit on top of your thermals (what you would wear ordinarily if it wasn't so chilly outside). I typically put a turtleneck sweater and jeans, but it's up to you what to choose!
Last, you'll choose the outside layers— the ones that will be facing the cold for you. This is your sweatshirt, coat, puffer jacket, etc. One of my personal favorite things to do is layer a thick hoodie underneath a puffer coat (or any type of coat), which provides me with a hood if I need one.
Accessories
Accessories like scarves, gloves and hats (other tips below, if you don't like hats) will be your best friend when fighting the cold. There are so many different ways to wear a scarf, and I like to go for the thick, wool-esque ones:
Here's a quick tutorial by one of my favorite influencers @thanya:
As for gloves, you can't go wrong with a sleek pair of black gloves (as long as they actually keep your fingers warm). You can find some lined leather ones with touchscreen capabilities here, for an affordable price.
Other tips!
Ears
I always underestimate how cold my ears get when it's cold outside; I recently went out in 28°F(-2.2°C) weather, and my ears felt like they were going to fall off.
Here's the solution: scarves, head bands, hats and earmuffs!
If you feel like you can't pull off a beanie or winter style hat, scarves, head bands and earmuffs are great alternatives. This style of head band can be picked up at Target, and earmuffs can be found really easily on Amazon. Scarves can be wrapped as shown above to protect your head (this is called the balaclava trend on social media).
Here's another quick tutorial by @thanya:
Hand/Feet Warmers
My mom used to put these in my gloves and my ski boots, but I think they're great for everyday life, too. They come in both disposable and reusable forms, and some stick to the socks in your shoes for optimal placement.
These are my go-to disposable hand warmers, and this brand HotHands also makes toe warmers that stick to the bottom of your socks. I prefer these over the reusable hand warmers, because they're typically smaller. If you don't care either way, then reusable ones are a great way to go! Some require charging, but others are based in chemical reactions and don't require any.
Wet Weather
I don't love it, but "pouring rain that will ruin your outfit and your day" is unfortunately a reality. In this case, you want to choose waterproof shoes and a waterproof jacket, with a classy black umbrella to keep your head, hands, and bag dry. One with a button is preferable. I have this one, it's windproof!
Waterproof shoes are especially important if you're regularly trudging through snow, in which case snow boots are your best option. They have insulation meant for snow, and there are tons of stylish snow boots out there.
Just be sure not to wear Uggs— I've seen people wearing Uggs with jeans at the mountain before, and I just know they were freezing from all of the water stains on their clothes.
Last Notes
Of course, this post can't answer every question, so if you have any please leave them in the comments below. Or, if you'd like to solve your problem on your own and have no idea where to start, Pinterest is your best bet— I love to use Pinterest as a search engine whenever I need new ideas or inspiration.
If you like what you see, all of my socials are linked in the sidebar and at the bottom of the webpage, so feel free to follow for more :)
xoxo,
Emma
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