Tuesday, February 14, 2012

How to Dress for Winter Without Looking Like the Michelin Man (January Reader Challenge Winner Post!)

Thanks to Kelly Z., who challenged us this month to teach all of you how to dress for winter without looking like the Michelin Man!

Since most of us don't feel our slimmest self in the winter anyway, it's really easy to feel huge under all of those bulky winter clothes. With this topic in mind, Princess and I thought about how we dress for winter to look cute but keep warm.

What we found most of all is that it's all about the layering...and how you layer. Thin layers under something thicker will make you warm, cozy and svelte!

As you all know, Princess LOVES a warm, cozy sweater in the winter. But, with anything warm and cozy, you run the risk of looking too bulky. So, Princess' solution? Wear slim fitting pants with a cozy sweater. Wear tights under your pants--they don't add any bulk to the outfit, but they do keep the warmth in! Under your sweater, you can wear a tank, camisole or t-shirt--again, doesn't add bulk, but does add warmth. In order to keep your skin safe from the damaging winter weather, tuck your pants into tall boots--with a pair of nice warm socks!

Here is Princess' outfit:






In case you guys forgot, I'm a HUGE fan of tights. I love how they can add a pop of color to an outfit (super important in the dreary winter months) and how they keep your legs warm! For me, a great "keep-warm-look-sleek" outfit is a fitted sweater dress, tights and tall boots. Under the dress, you can wear a long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, tank top or camisole to help keep you warm. The tights will keep your legs warm, and the boots will keep your legs even warmer. I prefer to wear boots that come almost up to the knee or over the knee--that way most of your legs are covered by the dress and by the boots--keeping you as warm as can be! You can also wear a pair of socks under your boots, which will keep your toes nice and toasty (or toes-ty...ok, that was lame!).

Here's my outfit:





On top of the outfit, to keep warm while outside...and still retain your girlish figure, we both suggested a warm winter coat--but one that is shaped, like a belted coat or a nice peacoat, a soft knit scarf, a pair of great gloves or mittens, and a hat. (Princess has a super cool pair of mittens--the top flips down leaving your fingers free for texting, then flips back up to keep your hands warm!) This combo will be sure to keep you warm!

Us in our outerwear:




Since everything we are wearing is from our actual closets, we put together some great options to help you recreate these outfits. If you click on the words next to the photo, they will take you to the actual item so you can add it to your wardrobe!





1) Sweater - Mod Cloth










2) Sweater - Gap









3) Pants - Gap










4) Pants - New York & Company










5) Coat - Jane Norman









6) Coat - Kenneth Cole










7) Boots - DSW









8) Boots - DSW












1) Sweater dress - Victoria's Secret (actually the same one I'm wearing in the photo!)












2) Sweater dress - The Limited












3) Boots - DSW













4) Boots - Target












5) Coat - Victoria's Secret













6) Coat - Kohl's 

















What do you wear in the winter to keep warm? Do you have suggestions for how to look sleek while staying cozy? Email us at theaccessorizedlife@gmail.com--we look forward to hearing from you!

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