Personally I love wearing dresses and skirts. In the summer they’re easy staples. People think you’re dressed fancy, but dresses and skirts can actually be far more comfortable than something with a waistband! Dresses are also brainless, pick one and you’re done. No outfit coordinating, instant glamour. Skirts are also gloriously comfortable. In fact after I had stomach surgery earlier this year, I wore two basic maxi skirts to get me through recovery because they weren’t restricting on my healing scars. Pick fabrics that go with a handful of your existing shirts, and you’ll never have a problem coordinating them.
But what happens when Fall and Winter come around, when the wind starts to blow, snow starts to fall, and it gets all around uncomfortable to go outside? I have a few solutions for you!
My first “go to” for warmth (sometimes also to make a dress work appropriate) is always a cardigan. I have cardigans in all sorts of colors, and I get more colors when I need them. Personally I think they look best belted over a dress since they ensure the waist is still defined. It’s also just adorable. Belts give structure to an open front, drapey cardigan. I like to wear colorful cardigans because color makes everything more fun. I’ve also started a colored skinny belt collection!
My next warm secrets are fleece lined tights and leggings. Did you know these existed?! Easy to pick up at your local big box retailer (my preferred: Target Boutique [Ed- you can also get awesome ones at Marks & Spencer!]), and they really do keep your legs warm and cozy! I’m in love with mine and have a small collection that I rotate through.
My last tip is something that I feel is pure genius, and I guarantee that you’re going to want to make one for yourself if you live a cold weather area.
Flannel backed satin slip.
Genius. How have more people not thought of this? I just made a simple, basic slip, two pieces front and back with a channel at the top for elastic. Except I used flannel backed satin. Flannel. Flannel side against the legs keeps it cozy, satin against the skirt keeps things slippery. You get the added benefit of your dress not sticking to your tights! Nobody talks about how knits stick to tights, yet we all talk about how cute knit dresses look with tights. You guys. I wear this slip all the time. I should probably make about 80 more because I’ll be wearing it until Summer comes back. I meant to make my slip with a pretty lace hem, but I got lazy and just pinked it. I included side vents for flexibility
I tend to wear my fleece lined tights, with my flannel backed slip, sometimes with a wool blend skirt or sweater dress and I’m always nice and cozy. I don’t overheat when I get inside either, which can happen when you’ve bundled yourself up with all the warm clothing you can get your hands on. I live in Minnesota, and I have to walk outside every day. You learn how to keep yourself warm! So far this year I’ve kept cozy when it was a blustery 13 degrees outside without looking like this:
Do you have any other cold weather tips for staying warm?
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To help everyone in the northern hemisphere cope with the impending winter (and get over the envy of our southern hemisphere sisters!), we have a great giveaway! Deepika at PatternReview has kindly given a copy of the knit Winter Dress pattern – which goes up to a 4XL – to a lucky reader of the Curvy Sewing Collective. To enter the giveaway, tell us how you adapt your sewing and homemade garments to keep cosy in the winter. Enter before Dec 13th 11.59pm EST for the chance to win!
I try to layer my wardrobe because I don’t like to feel trapped under a thick coat. But usually use knits and long sleeves. Thanks! Happy New Year!
Thank you for lots of great suggestions! My grad-school daughter mentioned lined tights to me, but I had never thought of using flannel-backed satin for slips — brilliant! In the office I always have a blazer year round. Even in summer there’s usually a cold spot in some conference room where you need one!
So, here’s a somewhat bizarre idea from me near snowy Boston, MA to all of you. When it’s really frigid (around here, below 20 degrees) and I must be outdoors — like when shoveling snow — I put plastic baggies (aka “alligator bags” — NOT the Ziploc kind) over my 2 pairs of socks before I put on my boots. The slippery plastic makes the boots slide on easily, and the plastic keeps my toes toasty.
Leggings and lots of sweaters!! x3
Cardigans and tights for me too!
I wear fleece lined tights or leggings under dresses. I also have a ton of cardigans.
I have just started making sweater dresses. I bought some thermal material to make slips out of, but don’t want it to be staticy with my dresses. I will look into the satin and maybe have a double layered thin slip for the winter time.
I wear lined trousers. Such luxury! I managed to pick up some very reasonably priced wool in a recent sale ($6/m!!) and bought LOADS. Lined with bemberg, they keep my legs very snug! I am also a knitter, so I knit my own socks and always have toasty toes – an absolute must in Alberta, Canada where temperatures drop to -30c on a far too regular basis!
Cardigans. Leggings beneath skirts/dresses. I prefer thinner material in pants and have been known to wear tights beneath jeans just to provide that extra heat retaining ability when needed. If I lived somewhere really cold I could totally see myself investing in wool tights! Oh, and scarves and good socks. If I can retain the heat around my neck without feeling like I’m being strangled and keep my feet from freezing then I’m good (at least for a while!) no matter how cold the rest of my body is.
Thermal spencers -not the thick, stripy ones you wear skiing, but the fine knit silky merino ones with the scoop neck and elbow length sleeves. I wear them under every thing – they don’t show through (unless you want them to). Also super cute on their own with skirts and long boots ( if you don’t mind a little cleavage).
And scarves – big rectangular ones in thin fabrics are so versatile – scrunched up with winter coats or just flung around your shoulders and so easy to make – just hem!
I am living in Texas right now, so it is not super cold in the winter. But I have a good collection of cardigans, because anywhere I go, the air conditioning tends to be cranked up. No matter how cold it is outside. So I wear cardigans to church, to the movies, to restaurants, etc.
I lengthen my dresses so they cover my knee and go to the top of my boots. Then I can wear tights, socks, or whatever layers underneath. I am warm and cozy!
I have some old slips but will be looking for flannel backed satin. Thanks.
Although we live in FL, it does get down into the teens in the winter. At o’dark thirty when we’re out feeding the horses, I layer fleece leggings under sweat pants and a silk shirt under my sweatshirt for warmth. Silk is such a good fabric to retain body heat.
Love your slip idea. I’m going to make a couple for my daughter who lives up north. She’ll be so much happier going to work with that extra layer of warmth.