Wearing Dresses in the Winter Is Easy (and Warm) With These 5 Outfit Ideas

4 Simple Ways to Always Look Chic

In a world where fashion options are endless, it can be easy to get overwhelmed when deciding what to wear. Most likely, your closet is a hodgepodge of patterns, colors, textures, and trends—which can be pretty daunting morning after morning when you're heading to work (or anywhere, for that matter).

But the truth is, there are a few secrets to looking great every day, while also building a cohesive and functional wardrobe that will stand the test of time (and trends). Here are four rules I’ve learned from one of my favorite bloggers—Geneva from A Pair and a Spare—that will make sure you always look chic.

1. Dress in Three Colors at a Time

Geneva got the tri-colored idea from spending time with her friend Sarah (of Harper and Harley), who uses this simple method when she gets dressed. The idea is—even if you're mixing textures, patterns, or prints—as long you keep everything to no more than three colors, the other mixing will look intentional (not like you got dressed in the dark). Not only does this tip help make you look effortlessly chic, it also helps narrow down your options when you’re picking out outfits in a rush. Not to mention, it makes packing a breeze!

There are a few pointers to remember when implementing this rule. First of all, white doesn't necessarily have to count as one of your colors. So, if you’re wearing black pants, a red blazer, and a white shirt you could potentially add one more color without ruining the overall aesthetic. Also, busy prints (with more than three colors) only count as one color. Just keep the rest of your outfit super simple and only incorporate colors that are in the print.

This tip may seem almost too easy, but once I started putting it into practice, I realized that it really does make all the difference. Read Geneva's post here, and check out Sarah’s blog as well to get some serious inspiration.

2. Invest in Timeless Pieces, Not Trendy Items

If you live in a city where H&M is readily available to you, you know how hard this rule can be. You go in to buy “just one t-shirt”—and the next thing you know, you’ve purchased a pile of clothes that will withstand exactly one season’s worth of trends. (I know, “But they were having a huge sale!”)

As fun as impulse buying can be, you could save that money you spent on eight neon statement necklaces (that everyone and their mom will be wearing) and put it towards a classic leather jacket or black sheath dress. And to get your neon necklace fix? Find a used necklace at a thrift store (or grab one of yours that you don’t wear anymore), spray paint it neon, and voilà: a cheap statement piece that is uniquely yours (and probably better quality). Geneva has amazing DIY projects on her blog that always look flawlessly ripped from the runway and not at all kitschy.

3. Learn How to Thrift Well

One of the greatest gifts my mother has ever given me was teaching me how to sift through racks of clothes at a thrift store or flea market efficiently. It takes time and practice, but it often pays off in a big way. Your eye becomes trained to pick out treasures among a lot of potential trash, and eventually you’re able to quickly sort out the silks from the synthetics.

As Geneva points out, older clothes—if they’re in good condition—are generally made with much better construction and quality than a lot of the cheaper clothes that are made today. You can also usually find some vintage designer gems if you get lucky and look hard: A few weeks ago a friends of mine found a red vintage Dior blazer for me—for $2.99!

And remember—the dry cleaner and tailor are your best friends. If you find a treasure with a salvageable stain or perhaps a hem that’s too long, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. And if you find something that’s way too big or too small but has a fabulous print or fabric, there’s always DIY to reclaim it!

4. Take Time to Go Through Wardrobe Rehab

Geneva has devised the perfect way to curate your closet so that everything you have in your wardrobe has purpose and is something you actually wear and love. It’s a six-step program: culling, re-organizing, defining your style, identifying wardrobe essentials, reviewing colors and trends, and focusing your shopping.

Read her guide immediately, then do yourself a favor and take an entire day to cull and re-organize. You won’t be sorry—clearing the clutter and only keeping what you need and love will only make you more stylish and less overwhelmed when you get dressed everyday.

Photos courtesy of apairandaspare.

[ 18 outfit tips in 2023! ]How to dress simple but stylish?

People always ask: How to dress simple but stylish? Well, simple IS stylish!

When it comes to looking put-together and chic, less is always more.

As the saying goes, “Always dress well keep it simple but significant”.

When it comes to stylish, it’s not about the designer brand names and Gucci belt.

But instead, looking stylish is the time when people wonder “Does this girl know she looks so stylish?

But she seems doesn’t pay any effort at all!” If you can achieve the “effortlessly chic”, you are doing this right!

So ladies, here are the 7 ways to dress simply but stylishly!

Enjoy!

1. Follow the rule of three when it comes to colors

When it comes to colors, the rule of three is important if you want to look stylish. Three in here means three different color tones.

If you are wearing a mustard yellow sweater, a pair of checked trousers, and a silver loafer with a grey faux fur coat on top, congrats, you are now looking like a Christmas tree!

If you don’t want to look tacky, stay away from having too many color tones on one outfit.

With the different color palette, they will unavoidably compete for attention and makes you look like a busy pattern eventually.

This will also make you visually look shorter and bigger because the color palette can’t achieve an elongated effect.

For the significant pieces like a jacket, top, and bottom, try to style them with complementary colors and you will be realized how polished you look! (e.g. A khaki trench coat with a cream sweater underneath)

So ladies, always limit the colors to only 3 main tones to achieve harmonization!

But of course, when it comes to accessories, it’s totally fine to wear a rose gold bracelet or silver earrings to add a nice touch of elegance to your outfit!

2. Embrace Monochrome wearing

If the rule of three is too easy for you, let’s step up your game by embracing tone-on-tone styling!

If you want to look high fashion on a budget, styling your outfit with one similar tone is a no-brainer.

Some ladies may worry that will look too plain, but let’s not forget we can have different shades of color tone!

For example, if you want to do the beige tone outfit, you can always wear a creamy sweater (which is a complementary color to beige) with a pair of Khaki pants to show different kinds of shades.

Another tip is to wear different types of fabric to add some texture to your outfit.

If you want to wear both a white top and a white dress, always choose a different fabric for them. For example, a cashmere top with a silk dress is an excellent choice.

With different fabrics and tones of color, monochrome is actually not as plain as you thought!

Plus, come on, this is the most time-saving way to look stylish even if you don’t have a fashion sense. How can you resist it?

3. Explore a wide range of fabrics

I know cotton is comfy, but there is a wide range of fabrics waiting for you out there!

Silk, satin, chiffon: Create a soft and feminine look.

Create a soft and feminine look. Faux leather: Easily achieve the cool look with a pair of combat boots

Easily achieve the cool look with a pair of combat boots Cashmere: Keep you warm during winter so you don’t have to wear bulky during the cold days

Keep you warm during winter so you don’t have to wear bulky during the cold days Tweed: Look expensive even if it’s not a designer brand

To me, it’s such a game-changer to wear less synthetic fiber and embrace natural fabric more.

Not only now I can look chic during the cold days, but the natural fabric is more durable and add more texture to my looks!

So yes, dressing simply doesn’t mean wearing cotton only!

4. Contour your body figure with your clothes

Everyone has body parts that are less satisfied with, some may be board shoulders while some are concerned about the thighs.

Despite the fact that we should embrace our flaws, we can also utilize our clothes to contour our body figures!

With that, we can look more confident and stylish and people can tell we are comfortable with our clothes. That’s right – people can really tell!

Here are some of the type of clothes that works well with certain figures.

Small face and long neck: Turtleneck / Anything high neck

Turtleneck / Anything high neck Big/ Chubby face: Off-shoulder and V-neck top to elongate the neckline

Off-shoulder and V-neck top to elongate the neckline Skinny girls who want to look thicker: Pleated dress/princess sleeve

Pleated dress/princess sleeve Girls that want to hide muffin top: Belt top/ Peplum Top / high waist dress/jeans

Belt top/ Peplum Top / high waist dress/jeans Look taller: Nude shoes that look the same as the skin color of leg / pointed shoes

Being stylish is not about following every trend, but it’s about knowing what flattering on you and creating your own style!

5. Don’t be lazy with hairstyles and accessories

Dressing simply doesn’t mean dressing lazy. Hairstyles and accessories are our gifts, utilise them!

As Michael Kors said, “I’ve always thought of accessories as the exclamation point of a woman’s outfit.”

Adding some simple and delicate earrings and necklaces can always make you look stylish even if you are just wearing a plain T-shirt and jeans.

Accessories are powerful enough to contour our face and body if you know what fits you the best.

As a girl with a chubby cheek, I always wear long-line earrings so it visually elongates my face a little bit.

Besides accessories, let’s not forget about the hairstyles. A simple low bun doesn’t cost you 5 minutes but it truly makes you look more put together!

Ladies, explore different hairstyles to complete your look – it is worth the time!

6. Change your blue jeans to white jeans

I adore white jeans so much. When you dress simple, you will need something to stand out in your outfit so you won’t look too layback and boring – White jeans are definitely the perfect choice!

In a world full of blue jeans, white jeans just look effortlessly stylish and draw people’s attention.

If you love simple styling, a pair of good quality (not see-through) white jeans is a must-have.

To me, the simplest way to make myself look more dressed up is by changing from common blue jeans to white jeans.

White is another versatile color that goes well with many hues and it never fails to add a sense of classiness and freshness to your look.

With a V-neck beige sweater and a pair of white jeans, it just looks chic!

Some ladies may be insecure about wearing white jeans, no worries, I got you! Below are the tips when you style them.

7. Explore the possibility of socks for a range of new looks

This tip is so underrated and I wish I knew this earlier.

While many people thought wearing heels with socks isn’t a brilliant idea as it can easily look tacky, I tend to disagree.

If you style it in the right way, it can look really flattering and versatile with different combinations.

For example, if you want to look more romantic and dreamy in your lace dress outfit, you can always add a pair of mesh socks to add texture to your outfit.

If you want to create a vintage look, you can simply wear a pair of white socks to your heels and you are good to go!

Looking stylish is all about details when it comes to dressing simply!

So ladies, please fully utilize the socks pairing and I am sure you will be surprised how many different looks you can make with the same pair of shoes!

This is so fun.

If you want some ideas, below are the 6 combinations of sock pairing with pictures!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

So ladies, here are the 7 ways when you wondering how to dress simple but stylish! Let’s have a quick recap first.

Follow the rule of three when it comes to colors

Embrace Monochrome wearing

Explore a wide range of fabrics

Contour your body figure with your clothes

Don’t be lazy on hairstyles and accessories

Change your blue jeans to white jeans

Explore the possibility of socks for a range of new looks

I hope these tips give you some inspiration when it comes to simple chic style!

Remember, looking stylish is more than the outfit we wear. Looking stylish is about attitude and confidence.

So ladies, keep your head up and back straight when you rock your OOTD!

If you are interested in more styling tips, see you in the articles below!

Wearing Dresses in the Winter Is Easy (and Warm) With These 5 Outfit Ideas

From Hanukkah to Christmas, New Year's Eve, and even Valentine's Day, it can be argued that the fanciest of holidays fall during the coldest months of the year. Freezing temperatures make getting dressed up even more of a struggle, and even if you aren't attending some special celebration, it can be tough to figure out how to wear dresses in the winter.

Colorful tights are one trending solution that might add a bit of warmth (especially if you find a pair that's fleece-lined!), but that's not the only way to make those minis, midis, and maxis work on days when you can see your breath. Ahead. we're rounding up our best winter dress outfit ideas, ensuring that no matter where you're headed, you'll feel comfortable while looking cute.

Swap Out Your Shoes

& Other Stories Sweater Dress, Tanya Taylor Coat, M. Gemi Boots. Louisa Wells

Rather than reaching for ballet flats or your favorite pair of sneakers, go with boots that hit just below or over your knee. It's a sneaky yet sleek way to shield your legs from harsh winds. Plus, if you opt for a longer-length dress or add a pair of tights, you'll have even more coverage.

Add a Vest

& Other Stories Vest, Tanya Taylor Dress, Dr. Martens Boots. Louisa Wells

Another way to wear dresses in the winter is by layering up. While blazers are always a smart move, a vest will also add some interest to your outfit. Sweater, puffer, structured — choose a style that speaks to you, then slip it on for a look that would likely get Kendall Jenner's stamp of approval.

Try a Statement Layer

Farm Rio Coat, Madewell Sweater Dress, Dr. Martens Boots. Louisa Wells

Neutral sweater dresses happen to be a classic winter staple, but if your look is feeling a little meh, spice things up with a bright printed jacket. A pair of chunky boots will also add some interest and make trekking through slush and snow a little bit easier.

Pull Double Duty

Farm Rio Sweater, Aritzia Slip Dress, Dr. Martens Boots. Louisa Wells

Sometimes, the best winter outfits come from thinking outside the box. For instance, a blazer or oversized shirt can double as a dress, while a dress can become a skirt with the help of a sweater. Simply layer a knitted or embellished option over your look for a warm ensemble that also makes the most of what's already in your closet.

Photographer: Louisa Wells, assisted by Ariana Rodriguez. Styling: Amanda Lauro. Hair: Madison Sullivan. Makeup: Hiro Yonemoto. Fashion Direction: Samantha Sutton. Retouching: Kevin Lee. Production: Kelly Chiello.