9 Outerwear Mistakes That Most of Us Make Without Even Realizing It

When the temperature outside is below zero, many of us just want to wrap up in a blanket and put on 10 hats. At the same time, every woman wants to look elegant and dashing. In fact, all one needs to do to stay stylish is to take into account the colors and designs of our outerwear when choosing the rest of the outfit. Also, there are several simple details that can update an ordinary look by just playing with new colors.

We, at Bright Side, decided to find out what mistakes girls make most often in their winter looks and how they can be avoided.

Not wearing a scarf with a winter jacket or tying it too tight

The combination of a coat or a down jacket with a bare neck oftentimes spoils the look because this gap shows all the layers of clothing underneath our outerwear and creates the impression of incompleteness. Fashion experts recommend complementing our outerwear with a matching scarf. It will add elegance and femininity to our look. It’s best to not tie the scarf too tight so you don’t visually separate the head from the body. This will give the look a certain lightness and freshness.

Creating an imbalanced look with faux fur coats

There are several details to take into consideration to look elegant in a faux fur coat. Chloée Ohayon-Crosby, a costume designer and wardrobe specialist, recommends:

• Take into account the length of a coat. A medium or maxi length coat tends to look more formal, while a short one is more casual. But if you want to wear a short coat in a formal context, just pair it with a mid-length dress or combine it with pants and heels.

• Wear minimal accessories to create an official look. Instead of donning massive accessories, it’s better to opt for several thin and minimalistic accessories or just one big piece of jewelry. For example, you can wear several small bracelets, a ring, and stud earrings.
  If you are not planning an everyday outfit, then wearing a massive wristwatch and hoop earrings will help you look stylish. For an even bolder look, you can complement the outfit with a dark hat and sunglasses.

• Wear neutral shades or one bold color with a monochrome coat. For example, if you plan to create an everyday look, you can put on a faux fur coat in a more muted color with a white sweater, dark jeans, and black and white shoes. If you want to create a bright look, you can opt for a bright-color coat and monochrome clothing or, on the contrary, complement a light-colored coat with a bright red dress and dark-brown boots with low heels.

Carrying an out of season bag

Puffy jackets are especially good in cold weather. However, it’s quite problematic to wear cross-body bags with thin straps with these jackets. Moreover, small bags against the background of a voluminous down jacket can visually make the silhouette huge. That’s why in these cases, Marianne Theodorsen, Vogue Scandinavia bag expert, recommends opting for a bulkier version of the classic padded tote bag.

Combining outerwear and a mini skirt incorrectly

Oftentimes, girls go for mini-skirts combined with a jacket or faux fur coat that shows off their slim legs in winter. It doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing because the skirt is not seen anyway and the overall look might create the impression that there is nothing under the outerwear. That’s why style coach Aloïs Guinut believes that the best complement to a mini skirt is longer outerwear — midi or maxi.

Bringing inconsistency to a look with unsuitable headwear

Not just any hat looks good with a winter jacket. According to experts, certain hats, like berets, look out of place with a down jacket. These accessories are best worn with a coat or a trench coat.

Wearing a short jacket with a long sweater

Stylist Sally McGraw outlines that the length of a winter jacket or coat should be enough to cover all the layers of clothing. Long sweaters or cardigans go best with knee-length down jackets. This is because a sweater peeking out from under a short jacket looks rather strange and visually cuts the body into several parts, which can make the silhouette look unharmonious: the legs will seem shorter and the body will seem wider than it really is.

Choosing an outdated belt for a down jacket

Down jackets shouldn’t be necessarily puffy. Fashion experts recommend creating a more elegant look with the help of a belt that gives the voluminous silhouette a more elegant look. But we are not talking about outdated versions of down jackets with a belt sewn on them. Tying the waist with a leather belt that has a buckle can be a cool stylish solution.

What other nuances to wearing outerwear and looking elegant can you share with us?