Bundling Up

Expressing personal style in winter can be a challenge. It often gets buried under the season’s bulky shapes and heavy fabrics, rarely seeing the light of day. Crafting an outerwear signature style is key, starting with a coat that fits great in size, shape and scale. Then, accessorize! Winter accessories are where you can discover a signature look to play on repeat through the season. Here’s the best style playbook for bundling up:

1. Coats
   Outerwear can easily overwhelm any size and shape. The trick is to taper the waist, so shop belted wool coats or puffers with elastic corded waistbands for the most flattering lines. Also consider on-trend, floor-skimming maxi coats with minimal, slender silhouettes that naturally elongate any shape. To amp up the drama, try fur. Fur-trimmed coats not only add a touch of glamour, they also command the gaze up and toward the face as an outfit’s focal point — a great tactic to direct attention away from an otherwise blocky winter silhouette. A little fur goes a long way to elevate any look, making it instantly luxe and sophisticated. Shop detachable fur or faux fur collars to test drive the look before investing in a new winter coat.

2. Hats
   Hats tend to draw attention to a women, making them the ultimate outfit toppers for both style and attitude. A classic wool fedora is a winter mainstay, though consider something other than basic black like tobacco, hunter green, chocolate brown, camel hair or burgundy. Same with the timeless beret, which makes a splash in winter white, red or any other jewel tone. And a knit beanie is the perfect accessory for a weekend uniform, especially when matched to hair color for a lengthening effect.

3. Gloves
   Gloves are where your personal style can shine. They are cheap and cheerful, making it easy to stock up on bold hues and prints. Think pops of color with pairings like fuchsia gloves and charcoal, peacock blue and chocolate brown, or taxi cab yellow and camel hair. For those more daring, take a risk with exotic motifs — leopard, python, zebra — and see how it feels.

4. Scarves
   Scarves can be used to add accent colors, prints or patterns to a humdrum outerwear color column. Try one in your best, most versatile power color, or go bold with a plaid or fall floral. And don’t rule out neutral scarves, just as long as they’re textured and offer tone-one-tone visual interest when paired with other neutrals.

5. Craft a signature look
   Winter is the time to discover your signature look and make it yours. First consider your best colors, shapes and proportions, then experiment with different accessories and pairings to see what suits you best. Perhaps it’s a signature accent color, distinct hat or statement gloves that gets you noticed. Take note of what others say, using comments as a covert, informal focus group. Once you land on a look that feels uniquely “you”, wear it often to stamp it as your unique style. And always remember that, above all, consistency matters! Avoid over experimenting or reinventing your signature style often, as that communicates “identity crisis” in the end.

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