Winter Threads 2024
I know I’m late to the party - it will be somewhat cold for a few more months so whatever.
Personally, I have some factors pinned against me in regards to participating in *winter fashion*.
I have a knee brace that is difficult to wear with pants, I’m limited to tight leggings underneath the brace or super baggy pants to cover it.
I live in Florida. Tallahassee can get down to the 20’s in December & January but I’m settled in South Florida for the holidays, the coldest it gets here is like.. 60’s.
Money & storage. Because of the warm climate in Florida, I don’t really need a huge assortment of warm clothes. Hence, I only buy select pieces and use them until further notice. College apartment closets are small, winter jackets are big…
Old but New
Whenever I visit my hometown, I dig through my drawers and bins to see if I magically like anything I’ve saved from my early years. Last year I rediscovered an ottoman full of my old winter hats - totally forgot I thought it was cool to wear hats with animal faces on them. My elementary & middle school required uniforms so a lot of the accessories I wore were bold. I brought one hat in particular back to college with me, it’s bright pink, furry, and has buttons for eyes with little ears. The best & most interesting part about this hat is that it’s actually a hat & scarf in one and the scarf part has pockets. I was slaying bangs last year so I did not wear this number as much as I wanted to because it messed up my hair. Come the cold months of 2024, I’m ready to rock it. Out of curiosity, I looked up hooded scarves with pockets. Sure enough they make tons of my special little hats, plain ones, colorful ones, fluffy ones, even ones that are similar to mine and look like bears. I haven’t seen anyone wearing this particular type of scarf yet as colorful knit scarves have dominated the winter market so far, but I’m hoping to see this functional, fun style make its way into the lineup in the next year or so. A combination of texture and style, a colorful, hooded, knit scarf would be phenomenal.
Styling
While on the topic of scarves, the colorful knit scarf that’s come into fashion over the last two years is a timeless accessory in my opinion. I’ve bought two so far, a plaid blue and a solid kelly green. These large, cozy scarves can be styled in so many different ways that it was worth it to buy two as a warm weather floridian. Every cold-weather outfit I put together includes one of my scarves. My personal favorite is to fashion the scarf into a hood itself with a big chunky hoodie or coat. I also love the classic look of draped over the shoulders. In my brief time in Thomasville this past week, I wore a B&W striped long sleeve with my kelly green scarf and a trench coat. Although I see other scarves coming into fashion soon, I will continue to exhaust my options with my beautiful, comfy, knit scarves.
Favorites
There’s a few pieces I’ve mentioned in this rambling about scarves that I also want to discuss.
Stripes. Love them, they are classic, timeless and can be extremely flattering if accessorized properly.
Hoodies. Specifically hoodies with large openings on the hood, more comfortable when layering them. Hoodies will always be in style, it’s just the “fit” that's constantly changing. I personally prefer a shorter, baggy, loose fitting hoodie with a big neck/hood opening.
Bright colors. It’s easy to gravitate towards neutrals and dark colors towards winter time but chunky, soft, bright colored pieces can elevate any outfit.
Trench coat. Again, maybe I’m biased but this is a timeless piece I’ll always opt for in the cold months. My family kinda yanked my chain about wanting a trench coat during graduation time last year, I admit, it is kind of funny looking wearing a trench coat around when everyone else is dressed in hoodies and sweats but I know this piece will grow with me and be a staple in my young professional life.
In addition,I love: ear muffs, huge furry boots, and knee high boots. I think ear muffs and knee high boots will never go out of style, they're a safe bet to elevate any outfit. The huge furry boots I am referencing will probably be only a phase but I can’t help but love it, it’s usually the bodycon outfits paired with these boots that set them off.
I’m a Hater
Forgive me for what I’m about to say, but I just can’t get behind platform Uggs. Maybe it’s because I can’t see myself being able to wear them for a year or two because I’m fresh off a knee surgery or maybe it’s because I wear a size 9 and they would make my feet look even bigger than they are. I will admit, I have seen some cute outfits that include platform Uggs but I prefer the classic medium rise Ugg boot. Now that it's season, I’ve been seeing the ads and Tik Toks about people & their platform Uggs and I thought I might come around on the trend this year but still nothing. Instead, I am opting for a cute pair of Bear Paw boots. I saw a woman wearing them in a store a year ago, they flared at the opening, were medium height and had a cute detailing on the back with textured fabric and buckles. I like that they look similar to the Ugg style but aren’t tight fitting and will work with all my different kinds of pants.
Thanks for listening to my thoughts about winter fashion even though I’m a Floridian that has never seen snow.