How to Stay Warm with Lean Layers for Fall

How to Stay Warm with Lean Layers for Fall

Come winter, I'm fine with bulkier layers. A girl's gotta stay warm, right? However, this time of year I'm still mourning the loss of warm weather, and I'm just not ready for wool. However, as previously mentioned, my office is freezing, and I need to be warm! So, I had a great idea: I'm focusing on lean layers that still pack on the heat. It's almost like taking lean meat and rubbing spice all over it before grilling it. Hmm...sorry. Maybe I need some more dinner! 

Wear a thick sweater over a long, lean dress and pants.

I went to the Leesburg outlets here in Northern Virginia the other day to put my plan into action. I was on a mission to add long, lean layers to my closet in place of the light shirts I typically layer with. This fall, I decided that they just aren't going to cut it. My office is too cold! My apologies in advance for the changing room selfies. Here's how I showed up (gotta love my unicorn nails still done from the party, right?)

This is an American Eagle cardigan, and I'm going to wash it by hand and as little as possible, frankly. I love the print but don't expect the quality to hold up for very long. It's fairly thick, but it flows away from my body so much that I could layer on a thicker, long top underneath. The bottom layer is this long dress/tunic thing from Target. With my high waisted Old Navy jeans, I felt nice and tucked in around the middle. When I got too hot shopping, I could still wear the whole outfit minus the sweater. And yes, those are my good-for-my-back Danskos.

Treat a Light Sweater Like a T-Shirt

At Banana Republic Outlet, I found several light sweaters that I've decided to wear in place of the cotton button downs and long-sleeved t-shirts that I typically pull out around this time of year.  These sweaters are warmer, but they're still light enough to layer up. I imagine wearing them under blazers for long, lean layers. I love the look of a sweater poking out on the arms, longer than the rolled-up arms of a blazer. I also liked these pants from Banana in a size down from here to avoid that bunching.

Match Similar Weights and Colors

Here, I put together a thicker sweater with a thicker jacket. However, the jacket is lined so it doesn't pull on the sweater, and the cut of the sweater is narrow enough that it works. Frankly, this sweater isn't typically one I'd wear to work since it was quite close to my body (ie my chest was too prominent), but with the idea of using it as a layering piece, it suddenly became the perfect thing.

And yes, I wanted the sweater to be longer below. You don't have to do that if it's not your style, but it's absolutely fine for the two not to "match up" in length.

Happy layering!