Staple Winter Wardrobe

Kellylea

Hello!

I'm quite new to this forum often lurk on the oldstyle board.

Last winter I had just had my baby boy and weighed about 11 stone. Having lost all of the weight over the course of the year I'm now down to a happy 9 stone HOWEVER non of my winter clothes fit at all and I have very few from before I had my little boy.

Having turned over a new leaf to save money and spend less on clothes (my summer wardrobe is now huge as I went crazy and spent every spare penny on new items) I need a very staple all things matching and interchangable winter wardrobe.

What are your basics and can't live without items to help me know what to go out and buy. Maybe some outfit suggestions?

My current suitable items I already have are:

A black floral dress.
Black Ugg boots.
Brown suede Rocket Dog boots.
Grey chunky knit hat and scarf.
Grey belted winter coat.

Thanks so much look forward to your replies! Once I have my wardrobe I will post the list on here and all prices so anyone with similar issues can use it as a reference. Eat your heart out Gok Wan,

x x x

FelinePrincess

Here's a few suggestions..

A couple of pairs of jeans - 1 pair should be skinny so you can tuck them into your uggs!
Some warm tights or leggings to wear with that dress
Leather boots
A few jumpers and cardigans
Shirt/blouse - handy for layering!
Some plain jersey tops - asos are good for these.
Another coat or jacket

Can't really think what I wore last winter but I do know there was ugg boots involved! I always find I don't have much warm clothes in winter, I don't know why as I'm always looking for clothes to buy and I really feel the cold but each winter I always wish I had more suitable clothes to wear!

BitterAndTwisted

I don't see any trousers in your list Kellylea, I'd be lost without mine. I guess it all depends on your life-style: I'm a City office worker but you might be a stay-at-home mum. Also, I'm rarely without a decent jacket or two as I'm not over-fond of cardigans as I feel like I'm dressing like my mum

I_am_mad

Hello everyone,

I am loving this thread as I am trying to get a similar winter wardrobe.
Where did you get your dress from that you can wear with leggings and boots Kelly? The only one I have seen is in River Island but its not black?

Maybe think about addind a Leather/fake leather jacket to wear with your dress (Primark 17.00).

Thanks for inspiration
xx

GrammarGirl

Winter is my favourite season, I love cosy, wrapped up dressing. These are my wardrobe staples:

Ugg boots - I know they're not very cool and EVERYONE wears them, but they're so comfortable you can't refuse! I like to wear mine with knee length socks pushed down to just above the top of the boot. Good colours are plum, forest green and burgundy/dark red.
Coloured tights - M&S have a great range of high denier (think they're about 60?) coloured tights. I've got damson, racing green and cherry red and I wear them with dresses and skirts.
Floral tea dresses - I have a few of these, my Zara one is my favourite.
Long sleeved cardigans - I'm a real cardigan fiend, have about 20 in all shades and lengths. My favourites for winter are chunky knits with long sleeves or fine knits that are long in length with a waist tie (I tie this round the back).
Skinny jeans - perfect for tucking into boots.
Leather boots - see above! I have a brown pair and a black pair.
Slouchy knitted hat - perfect for windy days or bad hair days! Accessorize have good ones, H&M often do too and theirs are a bit cheaper.
Beige cotton mac - I got mine from Primark for £22. It's perfect for these in between days that are blustery and chilly but not freezing.
Thick winter coat - Need to buy one!
Long beads in various colours - great for dressing up an all-black outfit.
Cotton scarf - I like cotton scarves for early autumn, I have a few in different colours. Great to sling on with the mac!
Long wool scarf and gloves
Various long sleeved t-shirts in an array of colours - get a bit more wear from summer tops and t-shirts by layering a long sleeved tee underneath.

That's about it I think!

Katie-Kat-Kins

Do you work and if so what do you do as that would be a big influence.

Are you generally happy with your body? Do you want to look fashionable?

I think unless you work I'd invest in a couple of pairs of decent jeans.

I'd get a coat too, one that is warm and waterproof. Leather is good for winter and primark have great leather jackets.

Keep your eye out in primark/asda/tesco for their knitwear, primark have some real bargains, look out for cotton knits (warm when it is cold but cool and not sweaty when it is warmer), wool, merino, cashmere etc avoid acrylic like the plague, it isn't very warm and washes badly. I've had cashmere sweaters from all three that are great quality, look expensive and wash well. They also feel wonderful!

Primark are great for tights too, buy some nice thick opaque black ones and if you are brave some coloured/patterned ones too for mixing up fairly plain outfits. I got leggings from them too, in the underwear department. They also have decent long lasting cottonlycra long sleeved t-shirts.

Kellylea

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the helpfull replies so far.

My dress was from new look a couple of years ago I think.

To help with what would be suitable here's a little pick into my life:

I'm a part time chef so my workwear is just chef whites thankfully, don't own a single pair of trousers except a few pairs of tatty jeans that really need to go in the bin. I work two very long days a week and spend five days being a mommy.

I'm 22 and like to be quite fashionable, I'm getting pretty confident with my body now which is a big step for me. On the days I go out with my little boy I have to walk as I don't drive and I will normally go to the pub where I work once a week with another mom and I go for lunch with my sister once a week with or without baby. I go to the cinema and unfortunately shopping (which I am going to cut out as soon as I have my staples) regularly. Ooo and I often go to the library.

I have found an excellent denim dress in River Island which I'm going to invest in as a key item. I can put the big thick tights you say about with it along with boots or even over skinnyjeans and boots on really cold days.

So shopping list so far:
Thick tights
Denim dress
Leather boots
Long sleeve tshirts in multiple colours
One pair of good straight leg jeans
Cashmere/cotton knits

Will continue studying your ideas and compiling the list. Just off to move my summer outfits to the cupboard wardrobe in my little boys room.


xxxxx

GrammarGirl

Hi Kellylea, sounds like you've got it covered!

To save the pennies on basics like jeans and cardigans, have a look on eBay. I got some River Island jeans for £7 (usually £35-40), a Topshop cardigan for £8 (usually £16-25) and some Miss Sixty brown leather boots for £31 (originally bought for £125)! If you can go into the shops and try stuff on first, you'll know what size you are as well.

FelinePrincess

Perhaps you should get a couple more dresses, if your not really a trouser person I'd imagine you would need more then 2 dresses but you could get away with less tops.

This thread has really got me thinking about my winter wardrobe.. I feel a shopping trip coming on!

Kellylea

Well tomorrow is payday so im off to the shops with a strict list and a principle to walk away and think about each item. I am 100% sure on the denim dress and yes I think a couple more may be a really good idea.

I got two plain jersey tops from tesco last night which will be great for the basic day to day skinny jeans and boots plan.

My outfits i imagine will go as follows.

Dress, leggings/tights, boots/shoes and chunky cardie

Skinny jeans, boots, plain top, light cardie and grey coat

and for mommy mornings and casual days at the park i'm thinking my famous forever t-shitrs with a pair of baggy next jeans i've found and ugg boots. then a chunky jumper thrown over.

Will be on the browse for a couple of statement accesories tomorrow.

x x x

Tomd

Ugg boots - BIG mistake! These are not designed for heavy winter wear in the northern hemisphere. They're designed for Oz surfers to shove their toes into coming out of the water! The ones you want are Canterbury Boots from New Zealand, the style of which Ugg copied - but not the substance. Get them direct from New Zealand at nznature.com. Canterbury boots have a good solid rubber sole and proper footbed - and are cheaper than Ugg.

Also get some good merino baselayer - it's not cheap, but the good stuff will wash easily and last you for years. It's also enviornmentally-friendly. synthetics may be cheap, but you have to constantly replace them because they start to stink and look shabby quickly. A good baselayer should look good worn solo. Get something simple in design and you can wear it anwhere for anything. Try these people: chocolatefishmerino.co.uk