HOW TO
Wear Dresses in Winter
With colder days and darker nights ahead, it can be tempting to reach for your favourite sweats and resign yourself to nights on the couch from now until spring. But you don’t have to let your style go into hibernation this season.
From winter weddings to birthdays, anniversaries and long-awaited catch ups with friends, our calendars feel as busy as ever right now. And even though summer is typically reserved for celebration style, there are ways you can stay warm and still wow the crowd with your looks.
Five ways to wear dresses this winter
1. Layer with knitwear
Learning to layer is the key to mastering cold-weather style. And using knitwear as part of your outfit, rather than just a tool for staying warm, will help elevate your looks. Try adding a slim-fit turtleneck underneath strappy dresses. The Cool Snap Turtle and Secret Society Jumper are lightweight enough to wear under slip silhouettes, like the Material Girls mini dress and Future Vision slip dress.
A chunky oversized knit can add cosy-casual appeal to pieces that feel more formal. Play with proportions and choose longer
hemlines to balance top-heavy outfits, creating a skirt-and-top look in the process. We love how the Culture Clash jumper and Love Bites knit bring a pop of colour to the moodier hues that we usually favour in winter.
2. Wear with knee-high boots
Boots are a winter wardrobe saviour. And when they go to the knee (or even above), it can help with staying warm as much as staying stylish. The High Stakes boots add instant polish to pieces thanks to their demi-matte finish and sleek pointed toe. Wear with everything from the Push & Pull Knit Dress, Editor's Pick Dress and Love Match knit dress to styles with short hemlines, like the Savoir Faire Mini Dress or the Neo Classic Mini Dress.
3. Invest in outerwear
Adding timeless coats and jackets to your wardrobe each season is the best way to build a capsule collection. A classic trench or biker-chic leather jacket make the perfect layer during transeasonal months. When the temperatures really start to dip, reach for your favourite wool coats with longline silhouettes to help keep you warm. The Moon Child maxi coat is our pick for instant evening glamour; but the Editor’s Pick longline blazer and Unstoppable Biker Leather Jacket promise to carry you from day-to-night in style.
4. Choose woven silhouettes
Dressing in pieces made from warmer fibres is an easy fix to cold-weather style woes. Knitted dresses range from easy-wearing pieces
like the Power Base knit dress (which can be styled for night or day) to more show-stopping silhouettes, such as the Don’t Wait knit dress. We also love the Subtle Luxury knit dress and Push and Pull knit dress, which are made with Australian merino wool.
5. Stick to stockings
Popping a pair of tights under your dress is the best way to ensure maximum cosiness. If you’re wearing a mini skirt, you might want to opt for statement stockings in a trending colour or with subtle pattern details. Depending on how cold the forecast predicts, fleece-lined pairs will add optimum warmth. Lean into the preppy-chic trend and wear your tights with Mary Janes, closed-toe pumps or statement boots, like the Word on the Street .
Our favourite winter dresses
Each season there are styles that we can’t stop thinking about. And this winter our favourite dresses come in chocolatey wool finishes, feature bold prints to elevate dark colour palettes and even feature shimmering touches. Choosing styles that can be dressed up or down for different occasions is the best way to get the most out of your wardrobe. Take our advice and try styling these cold-weather favourites for your next
occasion.
When it comes to winter dressing, don’t get stuck in a jeans-and-a-nice top rut this season. Lean into elegant dresses and styles you can layer, using accessories to dial up the drama in your outfits. Trust MANNING CARTELL to keep you cool, while staying warm.
