My favorite dress is billowy, light and has a delicate red and pink rose pattern on it, very romantic and reminiscent of warm weather and gentle breezes. I've lamented not being able to wear it for the last few months since the weather began to turn bitter. However, today I set out to find a way to make it more winter appropriate, both in terms of aesthetics and in terms of me not acquiring frostbite. With a long winter coat on top, I actually managed to make this wearable outdoors for as long as it takes to walk to class, or from the car to a store. I probably wouldn't suggest it for extended outside Winter fun time, but if you want to be able to wear your summer dresses to class or out shopping this should be a good method to go about making it suitably warm.
Dress: Macy's
Cardigan, Belt: Wet Seal
Tights, Boots: Target
Find a Top and Bottom Layer
I wanted to put an extra layer between the thin fabric and my skin, so I found a good layering cami in my closet that matched one of the colors of the print to wear underneath. It's spandex, so it doesn't add much bulk, but the lace peeking out of the collar looks lovely. Next, I tried to match the colors to an outer layer cardigan. I chose a long cardigan in a burgundy color because it went well with the pink and red scheme of the roses, but made the color scheme seem a bit "warmer" to me.
Wear Thick Tights
Knit tights are actually pretty warm, and they're an absolute necessity if you're going to be wearing a dress in the Winter. I chose a cream colored pair to wear with this dress, since the print of the dress contains some white and it also matched a belt I wanted to use, which comes to the next tip...
Wear a Belt
I don't think this is a necessity like tights, but I always feel a little bit warmer when I have a thick piece of elastic hugging my waist. I also just love to wear belts in general to emphasize my waist and to tie an outfit together.
Wear Boots
I suppose this depends on how cold your region is, but boots will help keep your legs warm and keep your feet safe from snow and slush.
Add Accessories
This is a good rule regardless of what you're wearing or what season it is, accessories are the little details that take an outfit from good to great. I went with a knit hat in a cream color to tie in with the belt and tights, a pearl bracelet, a gold and coral colored cameo necklace and pink and gold earrings. Look through your accessories and try to find colors that are present somewhere else in the outfit. Hold them next to your clothes until you find something that works.
How do you make warm-weather clothes appropriate for Winter?
