Winter Wardrobe Staples

For the past year or so, I feel like I’ve been doing an overhaul of my wardrobe and really trying to build it back up with the basics. Of course that doesn’t mean I don’t buy fun pieces to add to my closet, but I just wanted to share with you today some essentials for the winter wardrobe that I personally think are essential.

Tops

• White t-shirt: as many of you may know, I think a plain white t-shirt is a must-have in any closet. Although this isn’t strictly a winter staple, I can’t stress enough how classic this is. I like the v-neck option from Madewell, but I’m also liking this one from Nordstrom and this one from H&M.
• Black turtleneck: I feel like I wear my black turtleneck on repeat when it starts getting colder. I bought a cute version from Topshop last year and it is probably the best purchase I made. They can be styled so many different ways. I usually just tuck mine into a pair of highwaisted jeans or a button down skirt, but I’m really liking the black turtleneck worn under a dress look (watch out for that on the blog soon).
• Neutral sweater: the easiest thing to throw on in the winter is an understated, neutral sweater. I’ve been building up my neutral sweater collection with a white version, a black one, and a gray one (also a blush colored one if you count that as neutral). Next up on my list is a camel colored sweater like this.

Bottoms

• Dark wash jeans: if there’s one pair of jeans I can’t live without, it would be dark wash skinny jeans (I also prefer them highwaisted, but that’s just me). They’re great because you can dress them down, but the dark color let’s you dress them up too.
• Black leggings: if you read last week’s post, you heard me rave about my new Zella leggings. And again, I can’t get enough of them! Leggings are the perfect winter option, especially when worn with cozy sweaters. They look so chic, but they’re so comfy; it doesn’t get better than that.
• Faux leather leggings: I also recently talked about my love for faux leather leggings. These are for the days when regular leggings aren’t cutting it and you want to amp up your look. They can be dressed down with a simple sweater, but they’re also perfect for going out.

Dresses

• LBD: Little black dresses have been a staple since the 1920s with Coco Chanel. Fast forward close to 100 years, they haven’t gone away. With that said, if you don’t own and LBD, BUY ONE NOW! I’ve actually had my any occasion LBD since I was a freshman in high school (I’m now a sophomore in college). And truthfully, it was pretty cheap, I bought it at Forever21. The reason it’s lasted so long is because I had it tailored to fit me. If there’s one thing you should tailor, I recommend a dress that you know will get a lot of use. Another key part of buying an LBD is to pick a timeless shape. An LBD really is the all-purpose staple that I can rely on. And with holiday parties around the corner, you can’t go wrong with a chic little black dress.
• Sweater Dress: I personally love sweater dresses. It’s basically just an oversized sweater and that right there is a win for me. I just bought a new one at Express (40% off!) and I’m completely in love! I wore mine for Thanksgiving, and I have a feeling it’s going to get a lot more use this winter.

Shoes

• Booties: I wear booties practically every day. They literally go with almost anything I put on. I mostly wear my black booties since a lot of my wardrobe is black, but I also think my brown booties are just as essential. And for when I want to switch it up, I have a cute pair of gray wedged booties too.
• Over the knee boots: a few years ago, I probably would have used this section for mid-calf height boots, but now I feel like they’re a lot less necessary. I do have them, but I always reach for my OTK boots instead. I currently have a pair in black, but I’m hoping to add a brown pair soon!
• Heels: winter is usually the time for dressing up, especially with holiday functions. To add the perfect pair of heels to your wardrobe, I would stick with either black or nude. Since we’re building up the basics, a black or nude heel will go with almost anything.

Coats

• Pea coat: the one coat I couldn’t live without is a pea coat, specifically a camel colored one. This coat will keep you warm, but is still sophisticated enough for almost any event.
• Puffer coat: this is for the days when it’s absolutely freezing. I never really though I needed one until last winter as I was walking across campus in the freezing cold (it wasn’t that cold, I go to college in North Carolina). Anyway, for those of you who have to do a little more walking then from the house to the car in the winter, I highly recommend you add this to your closet.

Anyway, these are the basics of my winter wardrobe. I tried to show options at a variety of price points, but like I said these are basics, so you can find most of them pretty much anywhere! Hope you liked this post and please come back again next Monday!

xo,

Carey