Layering is the key to curating a sustainable year-round wardrobe. It is also vital to maximising your warmth and comfort during the winter months.
It's not really possible to live in the UK in winter without layering up to keep warm and dry when you venture outside. However, it is possible to layer badly and to find yourself really regretting your outfit choices by the time lunchtime rolls around.
The biggest challenge is curating a single outfit that ensures you can be comfortable in a wide range of temperatures, from extended periods of outdoor activity in cold, wet weather, to hot conditions, such as crowded pubs and over-heated coffee shops.
Here are 5 insights into the art of layering, which will help you look great during these cooler months.
- Work on a Three Layer Principle
Layer 1 - A thin, comfortable, lightweight base garment that feels nice next to the skin and can help to wick away moisture should your body temperature rise because you go indoors or start walking briskly to catch the bus. This is the foundation for all additional layers, so choose it wisely! We suggest you start with an Audrey, Maya or Layla. You can even double or triple layer these styles for even more thermal protection.
Layer 2 - An insulating middle layer for extra warmth in cold weather. This is ideally nothing too bulky and recommend a long-sleeved heavyweight organic cotton top, or sweatshirt.
Layer 3 - A protective outer shell that guards against the chill of wind and/or rain and can easily be pulled on and off, depending on where you are and what you are doing.
Stick to this 3-layer principle and you shouldn't find yourself shivering in frigid temperatures or wishing you could strip off that heavy-weight base layer when you're inside.
In really cold winter temperatures, you can apply the Three Layer Principle to your bottom half, too. Thermal tights, under warm trousers, under weatherproof over-trousers also works a treat for those real winter adventures.
- Bring Your Own Sunshine
In our efforts to be more sustainable and create a wardrobe of garments that can be worn all year round, we love finding fun new ways to wear our summer clothes in winter. With this clever crop top hack, you can layer up summer dresses with a pair of tights, winter boots and a warm top layer. Not only does this make your summer dresses work harder for their space in your wardrobe, it also means you can welcome the sunny colours and prints associated with warmer seasons into days filled with gloomy winter weather. Win:Win!
- Be Excited About Winter Layering - Being Practical Doesn't Have to be Boring
It is a common misconception that dressing to retain body heat, protecting yourself against the elements and being prepared for all winter weather eventualities means you have to compromise style for comfort. You can still tackle cold weather in your favourite jeans and waterproof jackets don't need to be frumpy and standard issue army green.
We love having the opportunity to wear two tees at once, maybe layering a lightweight, short-sleeved Ivy tee under one of the heavyweight, long-sleeve tees or sweats in the range, then accessorising our outfit with a cute woolly hat, warm gloves and a favourite cosy scarf. Add in our favourite comfort blanket of a fleece coat and we're basically as happy as we are when we're on a sunny beach in July (honest).
- Have a Plan for the Layers you Remove
Whether you opt for the preppy styling of looping a long sleeve top around your shoulders or choose to carry a large tote with you to accommodate all your discarded extra layers and winter woollies, it's worth having a contingency plan for them when they aren't needed. There is nothing practical about staggering around under the weight of all the clothing layers you don't currently need.
- You've Read the Rules, Now Write Your Own
As Oscar Wilde once said 'The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never any use to oneself'. We love sharing tips, tricks and hacks with you, but we also love it when you do things differently and show us new ways of wearing Ivy tees that we may never have considered.
Tag @Ivy_thebrand in your Insta pics of you rocking one of our winter layering hacks or wearing your Ivy tee your way this season.
