It’s barely March, which usually means another few weeks of cold winter-like weather here in Northern Virginia. But it’s been a mild winter for us, and we even saw some blooming daffodils the other day, which leads us to hope, although cautiously, that spring might be just around the corner.
So, we want to share two tips for styling your winter dresses as the weather turns warmer. Not only does this help the wallet because you’re not buying as many new clothes, but it’s also a fun challenge. Plus, it’s more sustainable.
When we think about winter clothes verses spring clothes, the first thing that comes to mind is difference in colors. In spring, we tend to wear lighter-colored items with pastel, beige, white, and cream. Whereas the dresses we wear through winter are often deeper toned: emerald, burgundy, black, rust, and brown.
- Pair a darker-toned dress with a lighter-colored layer or lighter accessories.
Look at Jamie in our Amelia dress. It’s what we would consider to be a more traditional “winter” dress, and she’s styled it that way in the first photo with black wool jacket. But in the second photo she’s lightened the accessories with a heather gray jacket and white sneakers. By styling the Amelia with these brighter accessories, she’s extended the dress’s wear further into spring.
Another example of this is the difference in how Rebekah and Abegail have styled our burgundy Emma (another more traditionally fall or winter dress). In the first photo, Rebekah is wearing dark tights and black boots, but in the second, Abegail has paired it with beige sandals and earrings that lends a lightness to the whole outfit (and even flipped up the sleeve to make it a bit shorter).
They’re little details, but they make a big difference. Don’t be afraid to add bright colors to liven up a darker outfit either. One of the lessons we learned during our color consultation was to embrace our brighter colors a little bit more!
2. Our second tip is to take advantage of different fabrics
In the cooler months we wear more wool, velvet, fleece, corduroy, leather, and maybe even fur. But clothes can often be transitioned into another season by adding a lighter fabric. Swap out your wool pea coat for a light trench, your leather jacket for a loose knit cardigan, and your cozy scarf for an airy one.
Below, Hanna has added a wool blazer to our Emma, but notice how different it looks when Rebekah adds a cropped linen jacket. (She’s also holding an iced coffee, which we think is the perfect warm weather accessory.)
Hanna has also used hats made of three different fabrics to style our Audrey (a more traditional summer and fall dress) for cooler weather, and our Samantha for spring.
We hope this has been helpful for you, and we’d love to hear if you have any other ways you stretch your more traditional winter dresses into spring!