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When the temperature drops below the comfort level, people start to get confused on how to dress for work. The goal is to look stylish and warm, while still maintaining a professional appearance.
How can you maintain a professional look while not freezing ?
Read on to discover our top tips and examples of how you can give your winter wardrobe an upgrade.
Winter Office Outfits: 3 Tips (with examples)
Start with the style building blocks. Dressing for winter and cold weather professionally means:
- Basics
- Lighten your layers
- Protect Your Ankles
Let’s look at each tip in more detail.
Stock up on basics
Our style team has over 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. Overbuying is one of the most common problems we see with clients.
This happens all year round. Many people don’t have the right clothes in their closet, so they buy too many.
Overbuying is more common when the seasons change , and when it gets cold.
You want to bundle up? That’s the first excuse to buy more clothing.
Sales and holidays? You have a second reason to go shopping.
You can save time and money by keeping the essentials on hand.
The following are good staples:
- Dark wash jeans. (For a more modern look, avoid distressing. Instead, choose a straight-leg, slim-leg, or wide leg silhouette.)
- Trousers with core colors (black grey navy blue and white).
- A white tee
- Long sleeves basic knits in core colors
- White or Neutral Sneakers
- Brown boots or black boots
- A soft-knit cardigan
- A wool (or wool-like) winter coat
You can certainly add to it and customize it according to your needs and lifestyle. These are essentials that will go with anything. These will make your winter casual outfits a success.
Lighten Up Your Layers
Women often do not know how to layer properly. This is the second most common problem with winter work attire.
Many people believe that to dress warmly, they must look large and bulky.
Wrong.
Start with a thin coat and gradually increase the thickness.
The tuck in is very important! The outfit will look sloppy without it. The shirt tucked in makes your outfit look more stylish.
On top of all that, you can add a Cashmere Cardigan.
Cashmere is a material that’s loved by stylists because it’s so soft and warm. Cashmere is extremely warm and soft, but also durable and lightweight. You can snuggle up in comfort without looking like an abominable, snowman-like figure.
The thickest layer is a durable coat. Cassandra chose a woolen coat in this photo. It’s a great material for layering and keeping warm.
She chose a clean, simple style to keep the polished look.
To refresh yourself:
Base layer = lightweight knit
Mid layer = mediumweight sweater
Outer layer = thick or heavyweight coat
So simple!
Protect your ankles
What is one of the biggest winter pet hates? When an icy wind hits your ankles.
Why leave your ankles in the cold when you’ve wrapped up the rest?
Cropped pants for women are very popular. Once winter arrives, many people are unsure of how to wear them. They either choose to avoid them or accept the discomfort.
Simple: socks.
Follow this rule if you are worried that they will look funny peeking through your clothing.
Match your socks to the color of your pants or shoes. Grey pants? Grey socks Black socks? Black socks? You don’t need to match exactly, but something that is in the same family of colors will keep your look cohesive.
Do not limit yourself to heels, flats or sneakers, especially if your area is prone to constant rain and/or snow.
Chelsea boots are an elegant, classic choice that will not cause you to slip on ice or freeze your ankles.
Some of our favorite women’s winter work outfits (and where to wear them)
Now that you have your building blocks in hand, let’s get to work! We love these five winter outfits that are perfect for women.
Why these work and how to wear them will be explained.
Belt it Out
Why it works?
It’s fun to personalize your business attire by pairing a skirt or dress with a jacket. It balances structure with softness.
The belt is what makes this look so special. The belt gives the ensemble shape and ties everything together. It’s easy to make this look a mess without the belt.
Add tall leather boots for a chic look that protects your legs and ankles. Winter office attire should also be practical.
Wear it where:
Formal events, such as a holiday party or a night out.
Get cozy in a skirt
Why does it work?
It’s possible to get the same cozy feeling as a sweater, without having to wear sweats. You can do this with a knitted skirt.
Wear this skirt with a matching blouse as shown in the image above or choose a tucked in blouse to add a bit more definition.
Wear it where:
Casual business attire or informal occasions
Chill out in chocolate
Why it works?
Monochrome outfits are a great option for any season. Finding separates that are matched is easy when you wear the same color from head to toe.
You can also add depth to the color by mixing different textures and shades of it.
This look is also modernized by the addition of rich chocolates and tans.
This look is both practical and stylish. The turtleneck is under the button down for extra warmth.
This look could be easily transformed into a spring outfit by removing your turtleneck at a later date in the year.
Wear it where:
Dress code for formal or business casual.
Make a power play pattern
Why it works?
Winter office attire is not all about monochromes and neutrals. Fashion is all about patterns and prints!
To pull them off, pair them with the core colors as shown in the image above. This allows the pattern to shine instead of clashing.
What is another detail that makes this outfit a success? The pants have a subtle texture. Textures such as corduroy and velvet add a wintry warmth to an outfit.
Wear it where:
You can wear your shoes anywhere. Sneakers are casual, leather boots or loafers are business casual and heels or boots make it formal.
Brighten up with winter whites
Why it works?
We love mixing a soft sweater with tailored trousers. The ultimate casual moment.
What’s the main reason this look is so good for the season?
The color
Dark colors are popular in winter, and we all love them.
This look is a great example of how a versatile wardrobe can be.
White in the winter will instantly refresh your look. It will make you stand out and give you a more confident look.
Wear it where:
You can wear power casual or business casual attire for any occasion. It can be made more formal by switching the cardigan with a blazer.
Want to take your winter work attire up a notch? We offers women’s styling. Our stylists will give you more than what you see on Instagram and in magazines. They’ll actually change the way you dress.
You’ll be able to work one-on-one with them to develop a plan that is tailored for you and change the way you shop forever.
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