I can’t stand winter weather. You have to use tons of layers, huge coats, hats, gloves that won’t let you do anything with your hands, and you’ll still be cold or feel only a few degrees warmer. There’s just no easy way to get the perfect temperature. I still don’t know how I managed to survive six months in the cold weather of Scotland. If you live in a cold place, you might think I’m just a crybaby, but I’m used to warmer climates. Also, despite having heat inside our house and most places, going out to buy some groceries or even get a smoke meant going through a long routine to layer myself. To be honest, during those days fashion wasn’t my first priority. However, I never let the cold stop me from looking great when there was a party, especially because, as a foreign student, I didn’t want to miss any experience in this new country. Although the weather made me look terrible most of the time, I worked really hard to rock my night out looks at these parties. This is how I did it:
Thermal clothes
I used to think they were things only older people wore during winter, basically because my dad is such a huge fan of these items, but they actually became my best friends in this time of the year, and even today I still wear them during the cold season. I know most of them aren’t as fashionable as we would like them to be. However, there are tricks to adapt them to your look without wearing them under your outfit and feeling uncomfortable. For example, when I wanted to wear a short skirt or a dress, I’d wear some thermal leggings and a pair of stylish boots, or even a long sleeve shirt combined with a statement skirt. In that way, these are just worn as basic pieces that will keep you warmer.
Get a great coat
That’s the basic piece you’ll need during the season. It can be whatever color or shape you want. Just make sure you can combine it with most of your clothes and that it really keeps you warm. You might want to invest some money on a new one if you really want it to work well. I’m telling you this out of experience. I got a couple of coats in one of these famous fast fashion stores, thinking that I could combine them with many other pieces, and although they looked great, the fabrics weren’t the best, and I was freezing all the time, which meant I had to wear even more layers. Not cool, especially if you’re going out to a crowded place, which takes us to the next point.
Arrange your outfit with the venue or night plan in mind
Before arranging your night outfit, think of the plan and the place you’re going. If you’re going to a gathering at some friend’s place, you’ll have no problem in rocking a layered outfit, since you can just take all the different pieces and leave them on a couch or wherever you want. The problem comes if you’re going to a nightclub or a huge party. In this case, you don’t want to carry so many layers, your scarf, and your hat. While many of the clubs I visited had a cloakroom service, if you like going out for an occasional cigarette, it’s really annoying to take out your coat and then make a line to leave it back. For these situations, I would wear my thermal clothes in a simple attire with my warm coat, and that was it. If I happened to go outside, I would go out just like that, and the thermal clothes would do the job for a couple minutes.
Boots can be your best friends
We all know boots are the perfect footwear during fall and winter. I discovered thigh high boots at this time, and they became my party go-to’s. You can combine it with anything of short length, like dresses or skirts (consider wearing some stockings as well to be warmer), or skinny jeans. Besides being fashionable, they provide a second layer to protect you from the cold. You don’t have to wear this exclusively. Any type of boots will upgrade your look while keeping your feet cozy. You can also experiment with the textures of socks and the boots, which is also trendy, so just get creative.
Layering can work great if it’s well planned
Layering, when done with care and a sense of style, can look awesome, even with party outfits. The thing is that, as I mentioned, you have to really bear in mind what your plan is and what the temperature of the venue might be. This is to avoid the annoying need to keep an eye on the clothes you’ve taken off, as well as to choose the type of fabrics you’ll combine. For instance, one of the most fashionable looks of the year is wearing a tee underneath a dress. During this season you can actually change the t-shirt with a nice tight sweater, but if you’re going to a crowded club, I don’t think wearing a sweater might be the best idea ever. So plan your layers!
Use makeup as your statement piece
Finally, I realized that sometimes when the weather conditions of your night plan won’t help you wear difficult outfits or those looks that require more attention, I would just go for a safer plan: some nice pants with a basic top, boots, my coat, and a simple necklace or earrings. The trick here was making my makeup the statement piece of the whole look, and the way to achieve this is by making it even more produced than normal. I achieved this with some bold eyeshadows or glitter, or even a crazy color on my lips. In that way, all the attention was centered on my face while wearing a comfy and warm outfit. Honestly, this is my favorite tip, and I still rock it during this season.
Sometimes it’s hard to think of fashion and protect yourself from the inclemencies of the weather. Nowadays there are fashion designers creating quite amazing warm pieces that are really fashionable, but still sometimes you have to prioritize style without dying of hypothermia, so bearing these tricks in mind can come really in handy.
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Here are other fashion ideas you can follow for your holiday parties:
6 Reasons Why Velvet Is The Ultimate Holiday Outfit Centerpiece
Thigh High Boots 101 And How To Adapt Them Into Any Style
7 Layer Combinations That Will Make Your Style Stand Out
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