This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s senior fall editorial intern Dalal Daher. Find her on Instagram at @dalalllldaher. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
With fall in full swing and winter on its heels, it can be hard to think of innovative, cute outfits that can still keep you warm. If you’re trying to hop on a romantic fall trend of dressing with flair while still keeping a trendy style, read on for some easy hacks.
Sandwiching
The TikTok-popular ‘sandwiching’ method of dressing includes coordinating the vibe, color, or texture of the top and bottom of your outfit and throwing in a contrasting article of clothing in-between. For example, if you’re wearing a black velvet turtleneck and black shoes, you could put on cream-colored jeans in between. The key to making sandwiching work in the winter and fall is ensuring that enough of your layers are visible and that you accessorize to round out the look. Articles of clothing such as turtlenecks, ankle boots, and patterned sweaters are great for layering in general as they’re versatile in terms of visual appeal and how much will be shown in your overall outfit.
Play with Textures
One of the easiest ways to spice up your fall layering outfits is by mixing up the textures of each layer. If you pair some of the trendiest fabrics of the season, like a lace, long sleeve top, with a leather jacket, you’ll have a sharp outfit that will be sure to make layering look easy. Of course the feasibility of each texture combination strongly depends on the temperatures in your area, but here are some general ideas.
Lace and leather gives an edgy look, but tends to be on the colder side- probably better for lots of warm accessories like gloves and scarves. Incorporating soft materials like suede, velvet, or corduroy with a shiny satin would be a nice holiday look. And pairing a staple like denim with either denim of a different wash or a sheer fabric is fun for a cool-girl edgy style. Also, making any of these looks monochromatic will really emphasize the texture difference and make your outfit have a lot of subtle, rich detail,- or stick to colors for a vibrant, eye-popping look.
Statement coats
One of the ways to add flair within five seconds to whatever outfit you have is with a statement coat. Especially if you tend to dress in low-contrast outfits (that tend to have the same hues or depth of color range), throwing on a statement coat such as an embossed leather jacket, fur-trimmed coat, bomber jacket, or trench coat will pull together your outfit. This hack is helpful especially if you live in a walkable city, where function over form is the key to layering and dressing and your outer layer is your most visible.
Keep it lightweight…
You don’t want to be sweating in your layers. One of the keys to staying warm with your outfit is to start with a base layer like a tank top, add a hoodie or sweater, and add a coat afterwards. A term coined by celebrity stylist Ariel Tunnell, this “rule of three” is bound to keep you warm and ensure that you can remove layers while still having a fashionable outfit.
Easy ways to make sure there’s cohesion amongst these layers is to look for a unifier such as monochromatic color (you can also choose to do a range, such as dark denim jeans, a pastel blue sweater, a cobalt blue coat), matching colors, or another common detail such as brand name or fabric. If you match your leather jacket to your leather boots, or the logo on your jacket to one on your sweater, it will add a sense of unity to your outfit.
But also keep it interesting!
Try to think of unconventional ways to play around with winter clothing. Messing around with length, such as having a long coat, suit shorts (part of this year’s ‘office siren’ trend), and boots will add a 90’s, Kate Moss-esque vibe to your look. Other proportions you can play with include skinnier pants with an oversized sweater or jacket or a satin maxi dress with a cropped fur coat for a night out.
Don’t forget the accessories! More than an afterthought, this will honestly add all the intentionality to your look. If you lean more monochromatic in your outfit, add a pop of color with a bright scarf. If your outfit feels a little bare, go for some subtly patterned tights like these with hearts or some statement sunglasses. Layering your necklaces outside of your sweater and wearing cute, versatile accessories like these fuzzy earmuffs and leg warmers that can go on top of your boots are also some good hacks.
Incorporate trends into your regular rotation
Lastly, if you’re struggling for inspiration, look into some fall or winter trends and try to find a low-consumption way to incorporate them into your outfit. I’m not saying to do a whole wardrobe overall, but rather see if you can repurpose your clothing for a trendy vibe, or buy maybe one or two statement pieces to spice up your fall collection.
For example, one of the trending colors of the season has been burgundy, and other similarly deep tones such as navy blue. If you find that your outfits tend to lean towards certain colors, you could challenge yourself to buy one burgundy coat and make several outfits out of it, or a burgundy plaid skirt that could be paired with boots, heels, long or short coats.
Textures such as animal print have been having a strong resurgence this year- perhaps a leopard print belt, top, or purse could add a bit of flair while not involving a whole wardrobe overhaul. There’s definitely no need to get rid of all your fall clothes, but challenging yourself to use your clothes in new ways with the addition of one or two new trends might invigorate your outfits!
Would you try any of the fall layering hacks? How do you balance cozy and chic couture in the fall and winter? Let us know in the comments below!
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