One the weather gets cold, style get really casual and, often, repetitive. Give the average woman some good sweaters, jeans, leggings, tunics and sweater dresses and she’s set. While these winter fashion essentials work well, and are definitely fuss-free, wearing these looks over and over again can get really dull. But, what are the alternatives? Between freezing temperatures, the need to bundle up and the lack of desire to dress beyond comfortable on the weekends, do we really want to wear anything else? Not really.
In today’s post, I am going to show you how you can keep a level of casual comfort that you enjoy on the weekends while also showing you how you can change up these widely embraced looks so you don’t feel like you are wearing the same looking outfits repeatedly.
How to Style Your Casual Winter Fashion Essentials
Below you will find three typical pieces that many of us casually wear on winter weekends. Each piece is styled three different ways to show you how to create variety in these outfits. What you will see if that not only is comfort not sacrificed in these look, but that I use most of the accessories multiple ways. You really can get a lot with less when you know how to mix-and-match your wardrobe.
Outfits #1- The Casual Sweater Dress
Whoever decided it was a smart idea to turn a sweater into a dress deserves an award. They’re comfortable, warm, stretchy, easy and can look dressed up while feeling fussy. If your weekend plans call for a bit more formality, but you don’t want to sacrifice comfort, a sweater dress is the way to go.
But what happens when your go-to sweater dresses start to feel repetitive? Too much of anything can start to get monotonous. In order to stave off the sweater-dress-blues, purchase styles that are basic and then use your accessories to make them look different. Not only will these reliable dresses continue to feel fresh, but you will probably save a lot more money. Think about why you often go out and buy more clothes. It’s usually because you’re sick of what you already own. However, by learning to change up what is already in your closet, you will probably want to shop less.
In these three sweater dress looks, all using the same casual dress from Athleta, not only did I style them three different ways, but I created a variety of looks that can go different places. In the first outfit I used these gray riding boots and popped the dress with some color using burgundy tights. I then added this multicolor scarf from Modcloth, which gave me a great opportunity to add even more color, and finished the outfit with a pair of turquoise earrings and yellow handbag from Frye.
The next outfit has more understated richness, using shades of brown, camel and cognac. In this look, I used this pair of Lucky Brand moto boots and brown tights. With the dress, I added a camel cashmere wrap scarf, statement earrings that pick up the richness of the color palette and this brown hobo handbag from Dooney Bourke.
In the last outfit, instead of going in a brown direction, I took this gray sweater dress in a black one with this pair of black booties, black opaque tights, a black and gray pendant necklace from Bauble Bar, silver Stella & Dot bracelet and then finished the look with this black and burgundy Nine West handbag.
Outfits #2- The casual winter sweater
You can’t get through winter without casual sweaters. How much easier does it get than a pair jeans and a sweater? If this is your staple look, I promise you, without some variety, these looks will get about as boring as watching grass grow. If you don’t want to give up the ease of this common winter outfit, change them up. Here are some suggestions.
Using this teal Madewell sweater and pair of basic skinny jeans from Guess, in the first outfit, I used all the same accessories that I used earlier, the multicolored Modcloth scarf, turquoise earrings, yellow Frye bag and cognac booties. Next, in the second outfit, I took the same Bauble Bar pendant, added a pair of Boden black leggings, grey classic UGGs (because most of us own them) and worked tonally by adding this green handbag. Lastly, for a slightly dressier look, the same sweater is paired with zippered skinny pants from J. Crew and all the accessorizing components I used previously, these winged statement earrings from Modcloth, the black and burgundy handbag from Nine West and grey riding boots from Born.
Outfits #3- The knit tunic
Lastly, the easy knit tunic top. It’s not as heavy as a sweater but it certainly is as easy to wear during the winter. When it gets cold all we want to be is comfortable and this terra cotta Modcloth knit tunic certainly works. Yet, again, in order to not get bored to tears, some change-ups are in order.
In the first outfit, I loved the way this orangey shade looked with camel, so I added the J. Crew cashmere wrap scarf to the outfit and styled it with the same Boden leggings I used earlier. Next I added a pair of cognac riding boots from Frye, the same green handbag used earlier and the same statement earrings. Instead of being boring, this outfit is rich and full of life. Next, with the same jeans, I, again, used the same Bauble Bar pendant, black booties from Coach, that I styled with the sweater dress previously, and, this time, added a grey tote bag. Compared to the first look that is warm and autumnal looking, this outfit has a sleeker look with black accents. In the last outfit, I used the same J. Crew skinny zipper pants, and brought in some color variety using the same multicolored scarf used many times before, turquoise earrings and yellow handbag. To finish this outfit, I used these burgundy flats instead of boots.
Depending on where you live, it could be many months before you see warm weather again. By starting to infuse some variety into your winter fashion essentials, it will be more likely that the cold, dark days of winter ahead will be far less burdensome. Now, if you can just get someone to shovel your walk you’ll be set.
