The festive season is well and truly over and we’re in the midst of a lengthy winter season. The excitement of pulling coats and knits from storage has also faded with most of us reaching for the same combination of jeans and jumpers every single morning. No matter how colourful or inventive your style personality is during the warmer months, it inevitably hibernates as the cold drags on. Bad news: the current cold is just the start of it with forecast promising that a proper chill is yet to come, and even snow is on the horizon.
So how to beat the frosty days without compromising style? We have a few ideas for you to try below. But first, why not try a style quiz to help solve
The winter palette tends to veer towards the black and the grey due to convenience, but it can get pretty dull, and fast, especially if your style in the warmer seasons is bursting with colour and patterns. It’s worth trying to inject some of this brightness into your winter outfits.
A fantastic way of embracing winter colour is through colour blocking. Pick bold shades and stack them together; a red coat will look great over a black or grey outfit while a bright blue will go with lighter ensembles. The colour blocking look is easy to achieve and very contemporary so there’s no danger of it looking too much on a dreary January morning.
Another colour technique that’s worth trying is monochromatic dressing, that’s the same colour head to toe. Black is of course the classic go-to for many already but neutral shades like tan and beige should be explored too. There’s something instantly luxurious about a head-to-toe beige outfit, adding an unexpected lightened to anyone’s winter wardrobe. If dressing head to toe in one shade feels too much to start, or you’d prefer to not spend additional money, then focus on matching the top and bottom and picking complimentary outwear and accessories.
Working in a formal office can dampen anyone’s sense of style but outside of incredibly corporate spaces, there’s at least some room to manoeuvre. Looking chic and professional in the office is possible without ignoring your personal style. Consider layering to add texture to outfits as work wear lends itself really well to this; contrasting textures like silky blouses and sharp tailoring are a match made in heaven. Bonmarche have a great selection of affordable work pieces that are worth experimenting with, without breaking the bank.
Accessories can instantly update any outfit and are much more cost-effective than buying new pieces of clothing. A black or great coat can be transformed with a simple change of scarf, think plaid prints for more casual outfits and leopard print for a little more impact. Similarly, a skirt and blouse can be updated with the help of a decorative belt. The high street is full stylish options, from detailed buckle styles to studded and animal print ones; it’s a subtle way to express a little bit of your personality.
Expressing your style isn’t easy when the temperatures keep travelling towards zero but bundling up doesn’t mean giving up on being chic. Next time you’re getting dressed play around with colour and pick a bold accessory that makes a statement about your style.
Image: Bonmarche
