October 10, 2022
Last Friday, about lunch-time, the temperature started to drop. Just like that – we went from “well, it may warm up later” to “don’t forget your gloves…”
It could bounce back, but I have a hunch that autumn is really here!
Are your options for layering warm clothes ready for this sudden arrival?
Image – Han Wang
Some of us wear classic colors – there’s no combination more timeless than navy with red…
Rich red vest – Lands’ End; beret – Hannah Rose; navy hoodie – L.L.Bean; plaid shirt – L.L.Bean; mittens – Lands’ End
Just because your favorite neutral is grey doesn’t mean that you MUST buy a grey coat or vest…
Off-white vest – Uniqlo; beret – Hat Attack; charcoal hoodie – L.L.Bean; pink plaid shirt – J.Crew; mittens – Lululemon
Frost can be beautiful… it’s like a sugar glaze on everything.
Photo – pxhere
If the primary purpose of your casual outerwear is to attend sporting events, why not wear the team colors?
Island turquoise vest – Lands’ End; cashmere hat – At Last…; flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; gold quarter-zip fleece – Lands’ End; mittens – Universal Thread
I love the style of this next vest – it almost has a “waistcoat” sort of feeling. And these vests are light and thin enough that you can wear them under a coat in the bitterest cold – that can be handy!
Vest – Uniqlo; beret – H&M; sweatshirt – Stedman Classics; flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; mittens – Alpaca Loca
If you like a million shades of brown, this is the season for you!
Image – Baylor College of Medicine
Bright green and navy are classic too, and wearing something bright this time of year is a great way to stand out in the crowd…
Emerald green vest – Lands’ End; green headband – You by Tokarska; quarter-zip fleece top – Lands’ End; flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; navy leather gloves – Lands’ End
But you can also choose warm pieces in subtle neutrals – can a down vest be elegant?
Vest – Uniqlo; hat – Grave Cashmere Zurich; black fleece jacket – Lands’ End; limestone plaid shirt – Beachlunchlounge; taupe leather gloves – Lands’ End
Savor the colors while we have them!
Image – pxhere.com
I have (of course) a black down vest that I wear frequently, but I also have a lovely blossom pink vest, just to break up the routine!
Why not, right?
love,
Janice
p.s. Seven years ago, I was traveling, so I shared links to earlier posts that I love – all of them based on camel! I would live in camel if it didn’t make me look jaundiced…
Like this article? Save it to Pinterest!
Great post. Love the colors. Today the green especially speaks to me – maybe because I own that exact flannel shirt and wear it 3 – 4 times a week as a topper over something else at home. Probably my most worn piece of clothing next to my chambray shirt which I wear in the same way. I do also like the camel and the blue/yellow as that’s a color combo I wear frequently. Have a good Monday everyone!
What lovely colour combos for Fall! They’re slightly unexpected but not too far from the norm. The pink/cream/charcoal and emerald/white/navy combos are especially speaking to me.
Somehow, the vest is one of the most practical and functional of every day pieces from the earliest chill of of fall until the days warm thoroughly in late spring. They certainly can look smart-casual. I’d love to see some ways to style ve hardworking vests. Who says we can’t wear one with a silk scarf and pearls? Or a skirt? With a sweater dress?
I liked the styling a lot when clicking through to Uniqlo’s website.
Of course you can – I will have to give this some thought…
hugs,
Janice
That sounds like chic dressing to me. It’s the quintessential British country woman’s look!
I found myself rather in love with the costuming in the series The Crown. The women’s country outfits and the Queen’s twin sets hood a special appeal to me.
It’s not to everyone’s taste, but I wear quilted vests as an indoor top layer frequently throughout the (long) cold season with jeans, pants, and skirts. Sweater, (optional button up shirt underneath), skirt, quilted vest, scarf, tights/leggings, boots is one of my most stand-by outfit formulas for winter business casual.
I would also like to see various styling options with vests!
Perfect. And perfectly cozy.
Great post, Janice. Just yesterday I was looking at some of these flannel shirts on the drive home from hiking in the Smokies. The absolutely beautiful foliage definitely put me in the autumnal spirit. I think I just may have to purchase one of those shirts!
Lovely post to read on a bright and sunny morning. I’m all for wearing bright colours in autumn/winter. I particularly like the image by Han Wang – lilac/periwinkle blue, teal with a hint of burgundy and brown. Last year I wore orchid pink in winter which cheered me up no end. I’ll wear that again this year, particularly my orchid pink wool coat (£10 in a charity shop). Lilac and Periwinkle blue – yep, I could do that too for winter. I’m just about to do the seasonal switch. I shall keep back the items in periwinkle and lilac that are weighty and warm for winter or good for layers – short sleeved tees as under layers. I can wear those colours with ivory, grey and navy. Experimenting with teal will be fun. I know that lilac looks great with teal blue and purple looks great with teal green.
With the high cost of living and the rising domestic energy prices in the UK, conversations are dominated with how to keep warm without the heating on so much. Gilets and waistcoats and add that extra layer under or over a jumper.
I can’t wear camel either – I just stand next to my daughter and husband who can! I have a question based on the colourways in the look back. Is there a difference between the colours – burgundy and wine?
Just this weekend I read that energy scarcity and high energy prices in Europe are expected to be even worse next winter than this one, so those warm quilted or puffy vests/gilets are probably going to be in high rotation for quite a while!
Sales of cosy fleece hoodies and wraps are increasing! We are all trying to delay the day that we switch on the heating. It will be on for a lot less too. There could be regular power cuts. Conversations are dominated by how to shop economically using budget brands and discount stores, to cook cheaply without using an oven – slow cookers and air dryers – and how to dry clothes without using a tumble dryer – use a heated drying racks, though I have the advantage of a south-west facing rooms which are warm without heating. It’s going to be a challenging winter.
🥶
Cold Dew ~ that exactly describes these past two morning walks. I added an aubergine vest from Coldwater Creek to today’s office outfit, not so much because of the cool temperatures outside, but because my office is kept at 69 degrees year round.
A storm is moving in today, these frost pictures are so lovely. Fall has its own beauty.
Wine vs burgundy as colours. I think of wine as a colour as having a tiny bit of brown mixed into the clear red purple tones of a glass of wine to mute it a little. Burgundy as a colour is darker- it has more brown, and maybe a hint of rust. Moving towards cranberry tones- a little more rust without being rust.
But it’s very subjective. When I see the wine shades I look for the presence of brown and rust undertones and how muted they are to see what I can wear and what will turn me as yellow as Marge Simpson if I put it next to my face.
In my own closet, I have two sets of burgundy/wine colors, which I have defined for my own wardrobe as wine having some grey mixed in (cooler, softer) whereas burgundy has some brown mixed in (warmer, richer). But that’s idiosyncratic to me!
In the look back post, I didn’t see an obvious large difference between the two colors on my screen, though. And I think wine and burgundy are often used interchangeably.
Thanks Margery and Sallie. I agree with both your distillation of the differences between burgundy and wine.
Yes, I agree about wine and burgundy, and I wear both. They are versatile and go with nearly every neutral. Burgundy seems to be having a moment this year, so I have stocked up – at lightweight down jacket at Uniqlo and I picked up several accessories – gloves and hats – at Decathlon stores when we were in Spain last month. – nancyo
A day late to the conversation, but wanted to say how much I love that bright green. So pretty and cheerful. I agree that vests are helpful, but sadly, the puffy kind shown are just not a good idea for me. I gravitate instead to the sweater kind as they work so much better in terms of office wear and lack the poofy padding that adds pounds to my frame. I always see an overstuffed sausage bursting its casing when I try on a puff type vest. Why do they look so good on some women and dreadful on others? Anyway, lovely colours Janice!
I’m short waisted and plump, so puffy vests are not for me. I do better with princess-seamed fleece ones. But I’m not buying any more fleece because of microplastics. So here’s to the knitted wool sweater vest; I foresee a fair isle one in my future!
I love my vests. I have a silver one and a lighter navy blue one. My husband always remarks that he doesn’t see the point of them, but I wear them quite often.
Love the round-up here, especially the yellow and blue.