With wintry weather fast approaching in Australia, working mothers should prepare their seasonal wardrobe swap over now. This means learning the art of layering dresses by integrating jumpers, knits, and outerwear into their daily rotation.
It can be all too easy to accidentally wear your flowing summer clothes in increasingly chillier weather around this time of year. Yet, if there’s one major benefit of autumn weather, it’s that now is actually the perfect time to transition from your warm-weather wear to a cosier look. The best way to navigate this transition is to embrace the art of layering dresses for autumn-winter weather.
To help you optimise your wardrobe for this summer-to-winter transition, we’ll be sharing our favourite tips and tricks for layering plus-size dresses for winter. Read on to learn how you can get the best cold-weather looks from your trans-seasonal wardrobe.
Pop on a T-shirt or a bodysuit for easy layering
Let’s start with one of our favourite tips: adding t-shirts, long sleeves, and perhaps even bodysuits under a flowy dress. This fashion hack has been gaining popularity in recent years for all the right reasons. Melding skin-tight garments with a looser, flowing dress balances your proportions. It also ensures that you can keep the goosebumps at bay on a particularly windier or brisker day.
Just make sure you’re wearing an inner layer that suits your lifestyle. For instance, fiddling with clasps on the bottom of a bodysuit can cause much annoyance at the worst of times. So feel free to swap the bodysuit out for a long-sleeved tee.
Similarly, if you’re currently breastfeeding, you could swap the tee and the bodysuit out for a well-fitting button-down. Allowing for easy access to your maternity bra. Or you could invest in a breastfeeding jumper instead. Then add an outer upper layer to your dressed-up winter look rather than an inner layer.
Swap out the pantyhose for fleece leggings
Another timeless tip: pulling on a pair of stockings is an effortless way of transforming a summer outfit into a trans-seasonal look. The extra level of warmth and coverage provided by nylon stockings makes them a staple in every woman’s wardrobe.
But if the winter winds prove to be far too biting for your stockings alone, then you’ll definitely want to invest in a pair of fleece-lined leggings. Nowadays, you can find fleece leggings available in a range of colours, including navy and black like nylon stockings. You can even invest in fleece leggings that have a stocking look. These possess a black outer layer and a lighter underlayer to provide the illusion that you’re actually wearing skin-tight pantyhose. Yet they are warm enough that you could comfortably go camping in them.
These fleece leggings aren’t as bulky as you think they are, either. In fact, when paired with a flowing dress, they will help you maintain a flattering profile without sacrificing comfort when out and about.
Slip on a longline coat for verticality
We can all agree that some cosy coats are an absolute must-have for any winter capsule wardrobe. Coats in neutral colourways are guaranteed to pair perfectly with virtually any outfit and in any colour scheme. So long as you accessorise accordingly. But for us curvy women who love a flowy, dressy look in the winter months, longline coats can do something else. They can complement the verticality of our fit.
The flow of fabric between the base of a well-structured coat and the base of a dress is different, to say the very least. For flowy dresses, the winter winds can pick up your dress hem and send the whole thing billowing. But if you layer a longline coat over your dress, you get a more structured and controlled billow that’s universally flattering. Plus comes at no expense to your coverage when out in colder weather.
You can achieve the same effect with a big, slouchy jumper, a chunky knit cardigan, and other winter knitwear. As long as your outer layer is heavier than your flowy dress, the contrast will elevate your cold-weather look significantly.
Accessorise with some scarves and winter headwear
We briefly mentioned accessorising, but truth be told, we absolutely cannot skim over this detail. When it comes to the art of layering in fashion, accessorising transforms your cold-weather outfit into a winter seasonal look straight off a runway.
Thankfully, it can be argued that winter is the easiest season to accessorise. You just have so many options to select from. Spanning from scarves and cardigans to beanies, berets, gloves, ponchos, pashminas, oversized handbags, and so much more. All you really need to do is find the accessories that work best for you and your sense of style.
Most of us, however, cannot go wrong with some chunky knit scarves and matching beanies and berets. Not only will these accessories keep you warm, but their fabric and construction will naturally also complement flowy dresses. Just picture the end of your scarf trailing in the wind alongside the hem of your dress. That symmetry between your upper and lower design elements is guaranteed to help you maintain a striking street look and romantic silhouette all season long.
Go monochromatic for a luxe look
Finally, for any ladies looking to make a high-fashion statement with their curvy frames this winter season, you really can never go wrong with opting for the monochromatic look. This involves pairing your solid-coloured winter dress with jackets, jumpers, coats, scarves, and winter headwear made using the same colour or even the same fabric in the same colour for a truly cohesive look.
Monochromatic outfits are “in” virtually year-round. Yet, with wintry backdrops, these pops of colour really do appear at their most vibrant. So, see what monochromatic looks you can cobble together in your current winter capsule wardrobe.
If you’re still transitioning between your warm weather and cool weather wardrobes, you may also try pairing contrasting colours for a similar dynamic effect. For instance, pairing reds and greens or oranges and blues will also help create a vibrant look that really comes to life with a winter backdrop.
~
Are you keen to try any of these cold-weather layering hacks the next time you step out in your favourite dress? Then, be sure to mix and match between all the tips and tricks we’ve outlined today. With a little experimentation, you’ll be sure to find the right layering hacks. Perfectly suited for your unique, curvy frame.
