Layering for Winter: Tips for Professional Men and Women
Winter fashion is amazing for several reasons. You get to be more sophisticated in winter by compiling thoughtfully put-together outfits. With colder weather requiring more clothing, you might wonder how to keep a style-oriented look while incorporating different fabrics or various thicknesses into your outfit. Layering, the ultimate secret of staying warm and comfortable all winter, allows you to add more dimension to your outfits. But how do you go about it?
Embrace Layering
With colder weather, you wear more clothing and statement pieces that excite your daily professional life. When it comes to layering, there are a few loose rules that give guidance on how to construct your outfit. While these aren’t hard and fast rules (there are no actual fashion police), they can help put together outfits that make you feel up to the task while staying warm. We’ll first discuss some of the particularly helpful fabrics in winter and then get into how to combine them.
Favorite Winter Fabrics
A great part of winter is breaking out your stash of thick, warm fabrics that are too hot for the rest of the year. What fabrics will you be layering? We are talking about the stuff of legends; corduroy, wool, cashmere, puffers, silk, and more. These fabrics keep the winter chill out and your body heat close. They have our seal of approval for breathability, durability, and style.
Layering Fabrics
When it comes to layering, it can feel constricting and bulky if you don’t get the right order down. We’ll take the guesswork out by encouraging thinner layers to be put closer to the body and thicker layers further from the body. What does this mean? A thin insulating layer at the skin level, whether a thermal layer or a waffle shirt, is a great way to protect your core while minimizing the bulk closest to your body.
The next layer can be thicker, like a thermal women's fleece quarter-zip. And the top layer will be the thickest, whether womens wool coats or womens winter vests.
Color Layering
Now that we’ve discussed the proper layering of fabrics, it’s time to get detail-oriented with how you’ll plan the colors of your outfits. As we said before, these aren’t hard and fast rules, but they can give you some concepts to work with. Our next recommendation is to include lighter colors closer to the body and leave darker ones for the outer layers. This will add dimension to your outfit.
According to this color formula, cream-colored womens cotton turtlenecks would be a great bottom layer, followed by a medium-colored cashmere cardigan or vest like sage green or burgundy, and topped off by a navy-colored puffer coat.
Patterns
Winter is a subdued season, with plenty of muted colors and softened patterns. We like to follow nature’s trends with a similar fashion sense. When it comes to including patterns in your outfit, opt for wearing patterned fabrics closer to the body and keeping the exterior simple. Keeping the pattern as the inside layer creates dimension within the outfit by using a pattern as an accent rather than the main focus of the look. Of course, sometimes we fall in love with a bright patterned or ornate jacket and it’s fun to break the rules.
Example Outfit
Now that we’ve given our layering tricks a shoutout, it’s time to put them to the test with a sample outfit. We’ll envision a particularly cold day requiring a few different layers to keep you toasty warm.
The first layer closest to your body will be silk thermal shirts to keep insulated. This bottom layer will be super helpful for keeping you warm while wicking moisture away. This layer won’t show, so the color rule doesn’t matter, but the fabric is nice and thin, keeping to the fabric rule.
Next can be a light-colored patterned cashmere sweater, followed by a dark wool jacket. Pair with a corduroy jacket for a trendy but warm look that will have you comfortable all day. A long wool skirt with thermal underwear underneath is a great way to warm the legs. Wool women's socks and an elegant ankle boot will be super cute. Dress it up with a stylish handbag, thick scarf, hat, and gloves.
Stay Warm and Professional This Winter
For ultimate warmth, you’ll combine a few fabrics to keep the heat and winter wind out. Layering is a great way to maintain a professional look without sacrificing comfort, warmth, or style. Feel confident dressing professionally this winter by incorporating these layering tips and tricks into your winter looks.