When you live in a four-season climate, or when it’s cold for a significant amount of the year, the outer layers of your outfit become especially important. First and foremost, they insulate you and protect you from the elements. Second, it’s the part of your outfit that people see when you’re out and about. This makes outerwear, footwear, handbags, and accessories like hats, scarves, gloves, key to your Winter look.
Right now many of my clients are refreshing their outerwear, boot and hat capsules for Fall and Winter. Their gorgeous sweaters, jeans, pants, skirts, blazers, and jewellery get a lot of viewing action at home by family members, friends, or work colleagues, but feeling and looking fab in outer layers is equally important to them.
Here in Seattle and the Pacific North West, we wear some type of outerwear for at least half of the year. And some type of head covering, because of the rain, wind, and cold. We need appropriate outerwear across a range of fabrics, lengths, and thicknesses to wear across a variety of weather conditions. Footwear that can stand up to the wet and cold is a very clever idea, and what you wear on your head requires some thought too. Hooded jackets and coats are extremely popular, as are beanies and caps.
Personally, I have quite a large capsule of casual and dressy, neutral and non-neutral outerwear. I have a good assortment of beanies and solid woolly scarves across many colours. I have three pairs of gloves, and many different handbags. Relatively speaking, I have fewer pairs of shoes, because I’m less passionate about footwear. All items are well worn because my climate and lifestyle demand it, and visually it’s important to me to look polished, current, interesting, and pulled together when I walk out the door. I remix the colours of my coats, jackets, beanies, scarves, and bags constantly, because I thoroughly enjoy the variation. With my colour-rich wardrobe, the possibilities seem endless, and I appreciate that.
Practicality aside, the outer layers of your outfit become all important from a visual point of view. Make sure you’re happy with them. A new coat, jacket, scarf, hat, pair of boots or gloves can make good additions as the cold weather persists.
