Welcome to Maryland, where it can feel like we’re experiencing all four seasons in the course of a single day. With the temperature swings that come in late February and early March, it’s not unusual to find yourself making some difficult judgement calls when getting dressed in the morning. Do you dress for winter? Or for spring? Or is it going to be one of those rare days when it feels like summer by the middle of the afternoon?
Dressing in layers has practical purposes here—you’re able to add or remove a layer depending on the time of day or where you are. But layering also offers you a chance to experiment with different clothing elements and make bold fashion statements.
Don’t think that layering is too complicated to pull off. Even if you’re not someone with outstanding style sense, you can combine shirts, sweaters, vests, jackets, and scarves looks that are easily adjustable when the temps change.
Tips for Men
1. Aim for three visible layers, such as a Henley, a long-sleeve flannel shirt, and a denim jacket for a casual look, or a button-front dress shirt, a lightweight cardigan, and a blazer for a more professional or formal look. Remember that your inner layers should never be longer than your outer layers, so don’t let your shirt tail hang out under your sweater.
2. If you’re expecting significant temperature changes throughout the day, wearing a cardigan or vest under your blazer is a smart move because you can remove either layer and still make the outfit work. On days when you expect it to be consistently cold, opt to ditch the blazer and wear a bulkier sweater instead. You can still wear the sweater under your winter coat (or with a scarf), but don’t try to wear a bulky sweater under a blazer.
3. Remember to buy pieces that are meant to be layered. Although a well-tailored suit coat is great over a simple shirt-and-tie combo, you’re better off getting an unstructured blazer to wear over multiple layers of T-shirts, button-front shirts, and sweaters. Similarly, the trendy shacket—which is shaped like a button-front shirt but made of heavier material like a jacket—works especially well as a middle layer between a T-shirt and a heavier coat.
4. Save the bold colors and patterns for your shirts, sweaters, and blazers. Your outdoor-only layers and accessories, such as your winter coat, hats, and gloves, should be in neutral, solid colors so you can pair them with any outfit. The one exception to this is your scarf, which can serve as a nice statement piece. (Take the scarf off when you come inside. Although women can pull off scarves as indoor clothing, the only man who can do this is Johnny Depp.)
Tips for Women
1. Don’t worry about losing your figure by wearing too many layers. The secret is to keep your outfit balanced by wearing bulky or voluminous items on either your upper half or your lower half. If you’re wearing a heavy sweater or shawl, keep the lower half of your body trim with pencil skirt, skinny jeans, or slim trousers. If your lower half has a wide skirt, thick leggings or heavy boots, wear a well-fitted top. If you start to lose your waist under too much fabric, you can always cinch all your layers, including sweaters and jackets, with a wide belt.
2. Go ahead and leave your innermost layer, like your blouse or camisole, untucked for a more modern look, but when you do this, you need to make sure your outer layers aren’t too fitted. Otherwise, they’ll cause the fabric of your inner layer to bunch up. Wear sweaters or jackets that are relaxed in their fit or cropped higher. Remember that you can roll up the sleeves of outer layers to show off the sleeves of inner layers. This can also help with temperature balance by keeping your core warmer while your extremities stay a little cooler.
3. Dresses that you normally wouldn’t wear during the winter because the skirt or sleeves are too short can be kept in rotation during cold-weather months with the use of a little layering. In this case, tights and boots will keep the lower half of your body warm. Wear a cardigan or jacket (or both) on top, and simply take one off as the day starts to get warmer.
4. Don’t forget scarves and shawls add dimension to your outfit, are easily removable and can be worn in multiple ways. You also should not feel limited to wearing only one: On especially cold days, you can get away with wearing a thinner scarf around your neck and a heavier scarf draped over your shoulders.
