Girls and boys, the A/W season brings us two things: colder weather (at least in our hemisphere) and the accompanying, much needed layering. One thing no girl, no matter what her style or taste can live without is the sweater. But in that very fact lies the downfall of our beloved little sweater: we all need them, so we all probably already HAVE them and this makes it hard to get very passionate about our warm friends. Let me try to make you feel passionate about sweaters again!
One of the most fun things about changing seasons is a new wardrobe. Yes, we are consumers. Not everything needs to be replaced, but a new item can make a fresh wind blow through your stylish mind: you see every garment in a new light, and you are twice as motivated to get dressed in the morning. And lord knows we can use a bit of motivation to get out of bed when the bed is warm, the bedroom floor is cold and the sky is still dark outside.
But maybe you feel like you already own sweaters in any way, shape or form you need, and that might be the case. However, even if you don’t feel like buying new stuff, here are some ideas for you on how to reinterpret your beautiful basics.
Cream of the crop: if there is one trend I am passionate about for this A/W season, it is the longer hemline. Long skirts, they make my heart go aflutter. But when I finally got my hands on a few longer skirts and dresses, I was immediately confronted by some styling problems. When one wears a long skirt, one covers up a large part of her body. If on top of that you choose to pair that skirt with a long and/or baggy sweater, you might get lost in all the fabric. Cropped sweaters form a perfect sollution for that problem: by wearing a shorter sweater, you expose the entire skirt and, importantly, it allows people to see that HEY, YOU HAVE A WAIST! And waists are good things to have, so don’t hide them! Cropped sweaters also give a playful funkiness to the classic longer hemline, and they even out proportions when you are just not capable of wearing heels with your long skirts on a day to day basis: by wearing a top that hits you quite high, your legs seem longer without wearing heels! WIN
Take a hint from franco_fernandez, plastikneon and swingthedayaway and put an emphasis on that waist!
Belt it out: another tip that puts an emphasis on your waist is to belt your sweaters and cardigans! Maybe you don’t want to buy a new cropped sweater or you’ve lucked out on finding any that suit your taste, well, belting your old cardigans and sweaters is a perfect way to finish a look and update your pieces. And again, belting a cardigan evens out your proportions when you’ve chosen to try the longer hemline on for size. It looks great with shorter hemlines too though, belting a basic cardi lends a bit of retro cuteness to even the most basic pair of jeans. Choose a fine belt or even a ribbon, everyone has those lying around! I’m loving whitneywhitney’s mad men inspired ensemble, JennaStevie’s cute vintagey girly look, colormenana’s modern elegance and Stylepantry’s funky seventies ensemble. Belting a cardigan works for a multitude of styles, as you can see!
Novelty now: want your sweater to take the spotlight? Try a novelty print! After all, cold and dreary weather has a way of bringing even the happies, bubbliest boy or girl down. So putting on a sweater that keeps you warm AND makes you happy everytime you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror is, once again, WIN
There are so many prints, colors and fabrics to choose from, so every girl should be able to find something that makes her happy. Coconut’s floral sweaterdress reminds us of our grandmother’s couch – IN ALL THE RIGHT WAYS. You all know leopard tickles my fance, but blonderedhead’s huge leopard print is in another league. S_agapoxxx’ festive little sweater makes me feel all warm inside, and toutlamode’s huge dots are just adorable, and pose a great juxtaposition with her leather mini.
Supersize me: last but not least, oversized sweaters. Because nothing tastes as good as oversized feels. Baggy sweaters are like walking around with a huge cuddly blanket wrapped around your upper half, and oversized looks soooooo good with short or tight lower halfs. Golestaneh shows us how cute an oversized sweater you might borrow from your dad, brother or boyfriend (and never give back) can look with a super girly skirt and tights. Oversized sweaters and cardigans lend a relaxed, casual vibe to any outfit, as demonstrated by mayo_wo: heels, dotted OTK socks and a cutesy hat feel very “dressed up”, but her oversized baby pink cardi immediately pull all the pieces together in a “what, I just threw this on in a hurry to get to whatever dreamland I’m off to! No effort whatsoever!”. We believe you, mayo_wo. And we want to steal your cardi. Oversized cardigans also look amazing with your pretty S/S season dresses, so they are a must have transitional item! criscela has an a-mazing sweater too, when you are wearing a piece like this your outfit doesn’t need much else to be awesome.
What kind of sweater is your fave? Have any questions about how to pair a certain look with a warm extra layer? Fire away!
THE STYLING DUTCHMAN
