Posts Tagged: winter

Fab Fridays outfit set: Pops of blue

By IN More Fabulous Fridays, Personal Style

Turtlenecks

I love image collage site Polyvore as a tool for discovering your personal style–and also finding outfit ideas. Today’s More Fabulous Friday features a look to try from Polyvore.

More Fabulous Fridays: Wrap up your work week with a working mom style treatLast Friday’s Polyvore idea was a mix of winter neutrals. This week’s Casual Friday look breaks up the gray and black with pops of blue.

You can do the same thing with any bright color in your accessories, or even two complementary colors.

Don’t have any brightly colored scarves? Now you have an excuse for a little shopping that’s both fun and budget friendly. (Try places like JCPenney, Old Navy and even Claire’s for inexpensive accessories.)

  • Fab mamas: How do you add color to otherwise colorless winter outfits?

This is your year to be more fabulous and less frantic! Sign up for the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: 7 Days to Better Shopping, a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

Working mom outfit of the week: Weekend casual cold weather uniform

By IN Personal Style, Work It Wednesdays

Working mom outfit of the week: Weekend casual winter uniform.

Most of my outfit “uniforms” are more like templates: repeating sets of go-to things I wear together in slight variations, either to save time or because they’re flattering favorites.

Wear It Wednesdays: Working mom outfit photosAnd then there’s this outfit.

Forget variation. Whenever it’s been cold + wet this winter, I’ve put on this exact look.

The Sporto boots are warm (faux fur lined!) and waterproof, and they’re easiest to wear with skinny jeans tucked in. The sweater is thick without being too bulky, and the turtleneck sweater over turtleneck top ensures I am weather-proofed from chin to toe.

We spent a few days at the beach over winter break and though I packed a couple of options, I never bothered to put anything else on.

Sometimes you just gotta go with what works!

  • Fab mamas: What’s your winter uniform?

Sweater: LOFT (similar).
Turtleneck: Mossimo (similar).
Jeans: Uniqlo (similar).
Boots: Sporto Winnie.
Working Mom Outfit Level: 1/Weekend Casual

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Ease into spring: How to brighten your winter wardrobe with color

By IN Advice, How-To Tuesdays, Style

How to add color to your winter wardrobe

Last week we were talking about how to incorporate a specific color–Emerald, the 2013 Pantone Color of the Year–into your wardrobe.

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsAnd what better time to add color than the tail end of winter, when we’re longing for spring but it isn’t quite here, no matter what the groundhog says?

Adding some new color will also freshen up the cold weather clothes you’re growing weary of wearing.

Here’s how to brighten your winter wardrobe with color

  • Accessorize brightly. If your scarves and mittens and hats are all in shades of grey and black and tan, trade them in for brights! Bonus: red gloves are easier to spot when you drop them in the snow.
  • Make a statement. Ditto for inside accessories, like necklaces and belts. Find a color that makes you happy and find a way to wear it, whether it’s a chunky bead necklace or a shirt under your cardigan.
  • Sneak in spring. Who says your scarves have to be wool? When temperatures moderate in late winter, ease into your spring things: a cotton scarf in pastels, a lighter weight shirt worn as a layer, something in florals.

Just think of it as wearing your own sunshine!

If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find many winter items on deep discount. If the mall shops have cleared the coats away to make room for swimsuits, look online. Seasonal sales tend to last longer there.

  • Fab mamas: How do you wear color in winter? What are your tips for getting through the late-season doldrums?

This is your year to be more fabulous and less frantic! Join the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: “7 Days to Better Shopping,” a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

Fab Fridays outfit set: Warm winter neutrals

By IN More Fabulous Fridays, Personal Style

So We Treat Our Love Like a Firefly . . .

I love image collage site Polyvore as a tool for discovering your personal style–and also finding outfit ideas. Today’s More Fabulous Friday features a look to try from Polyvore.

More Fabulous Fridays: Wrap up your work week with a working mom style treatAre you tired of winter yet, mamas? I know how you feel.

But until the cold leaves us, we have to keep finding ways to wear our winter wardrobe.

I like the way this weekend casual look mixes up items in different neutrals: gray, black and brown. Chances are you have pieces in most of these colors (if not all of them).

If you’re not a leggings-as-pants kind of gal, swap them for skinny jeans or even tights under a skirt.

  • Fab mamas: How do you mix up your winter wardrobe?

This is your year to be more fabulous and less frantic! Sign up for the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: 7 Days to Better Shopping, a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

How to take care of clothes in the winter

By IN Advice, How-To Tuesdays

How to care for winter clothes

You know how winter’s harsh weather and dry indoor climates can wreak havoc on your skin. It’s no picnic for your clothes, either.

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsTake care of them, however, and you can keep your winter clothes around season after season.

Here are a few quick tips:

  • Air dry knit things, like mittens and scarves, that have gotten damp then give them a quick tumble in the dryer to fluff them up.
  • Hand wash those woolens, or take them to a dry cleaner. Ditto for other fine items, like silk long underwear.
  • Give coats a good cleaning at the end of the season (and ideally at the beginning, too). Check the label for care instructions.

Don’t forget about your footwear, either. Periodically remove grime and mud from your winter boots, then take your leather ones to the cobbler for a thorough post-season shine and, if needed, repair.

Learn more about caring for winter clothes and fabrics at Canadian Living. (And nobody knows from winter like Canadians!)

This is your year to be more fabulous and less frantic! Sign up for the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: 7 Days to Better Shopping, a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

How to choose a flattering winter coat

By IN How-To Tuesdays

How to choose a winter coat that flatters your shape

Usually when we shop for winter coats, we’re looking for some combination of function and price: is it warm (or waterproof) enough and does it fit in the budget?

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsLess often do we consider form: Does it flatter my body?

But with so many options for coats in silhouette, length, color, texture and weight, there’s no reason you can’t have a winter coat that keeps you warm and looks good on you.

Here’s how to choose a flattering winter coat

  • Know thy body. It’s the first step of choosing any flattering garment, outerwear or otherwise. What’s your body silhouette? What features are you trying to enhance? And do you want to lengthen your legs or torso? Take some cues from shopping for a blazer.
  • Think streamlined. You want to avoid looking like your coat is swallowing you alive. Look for more compact down filled linings, for example. Seek out coats that are shaped like a body, with darts, seaming or other narrowing at the waist, rather than a tall rectangle.
  • Try a belt. If you really want to break out of the box shape, try a belted design. It adds a little visual flair to your outward look, too.
  • Don’t forget color. You’re not restricted to black and grey and brown, either. Sometimes a colorful option can make winter days feel less gloomy and add instant impact. You’d be surprised at how versatile a coat in red or burgundy or mustard yellow can be.

When you budget for your winter coat shopping, plan to spend enough to get good quality. The right coat will last you for years–and when you’re outside, it’s the primary item in your outfit.

It’s better to wear your old coat for another season and save up to buy a better one next year. You’ll be happier every cold day you put it on.

[Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links.]

Want to learn more about how to build outfits–and how to find the garments for them that flatter your body and personal style? You can with No More Yoga Pants: How to Dress Better, Shop Smarter and Reclaim Your Style, a system that teaches you just that–and more. Sign up for my email list to be the first to find out when it’s available (and get a special insiders’ launch offer).

How to wear your summer clothes in winter

By IN How-To Tuesdays

How to wear summer clothes in winter
Modcloth sundress / Romwe cardigan / J.Crew tissue turtleneck / A|X Armani Exchange opaque tight / Avenue riding boots / J.Crew patent leather belt

This week we’re talking about re-use in your wardrobe and how to get more wear out of what you already own.

One way to do that is to extend the season in which you wear an item. Now you might not be able to wear that down coat in July, but if you do it right, you can wear your warm weather clothes nearly year ‘round.

How to winterize your summer clothes

Since the goal is to add warmth to otherwise not-so-warm garments, most of these tips involve a variation on layering. The more you pile on, the warmer you get!

  • Switch your footwear. If you’re easing from summer into fall, the temperature difference isn’t as great. Sometimes all you need to do is add tights and boots to an otherwise summery cotton dress to make it weather (and season) appropriate.
  • Layer on top. Wear your lightweight garment as the top layer over several warmer pieces. Think of a sundress over a turtleneck on the top half of your outfit–and maybe even skinny jeans or leggings on the bottom half. A cotton top you used to wear with shorts can be paired with warm cords and a long-sleeve T-shirt or even a thermal tee.
  • Layer underneath. Take the opposite approach; put the summer wear under the winter. Your dress becomes a skirt with a jacket or sweater over the top of it. Worn as a layering piece, a hot weather tank top becomes an innerwear item.

Here’s a bonus tip: All of these ways of layering are also really useful when you’re traveling; the more you can create outfits by layering, the fewer individual items you have to pack.

  • Fab mamas: Do you have any favorite warm weather items you wear into the winter? What are your winterizing tips?

Want to learn more about how to build outfits–and how to find the garments for them that flatter your body and personal style? I’ve created a new self-guided course that teaches you just that–and more. Sign up for my email list to be the first to find out when it’s available (and get a special insiders’ launch offer).