A foolproof winter outfit formula

I’m all for effortless outfit formulas that require minimal effort in the mornings, and this is one of the easiest pairings that never fails me! Start with your coat of choice then pick a sweater in the same color family. Once you have the top two pieces down, the bottom combos are plentiful. Finish by layering on a patterned scarf or keep it monochromatic with the coat. Depending on the occasion, I usually do one of these bottom combos:

• Casual: favorite everyday leggings with sneakers or combat boots
• Feminine: Wool mini skirt with fleece lined tights
• Edgy: Leather leggings with sneakers, mules, or booties
• Everyday: Skinny jeans with ankle or tall boots
• Chic: Straight jeans with sock booties or sneakers

Express sock booties (3 colors)

I first mentioned these on IG a couple months back as perfect for wearing under straight or tapered leg jeans due to the sock style shaft (surprisingly hard to find in smaller shoe sizes!). These fit my narrow ankles well and have a little stretch at the shaft, plus a zipper for easy on / easy off. The squared toe and angular block heel give these a modern look, and feel surprisingly stable and walkable for the heel height. These are such a good price right now with the 50% off, and actually stocked in size 5 (very rare for Express)!

Quince Alpaca crewneck sweater

If you are eyeing the Everlane sweater that I wear very frequently, this is a similar option that I had been wanting to give a try! It has a very similar cut, but the Quince size XS actually fits a bit smaller (about 1″ smaller all around) than the Everlane XXS. The quince one is also slightly lighter in weight, and has more of a balloon sleeve cut when directly compared to the Everlane sweater. This Quince sweater also has lower wool content and less of an itch factor than the Everlane, though I will say that my Everlane sweater started off pretty itchy but softened up with just a few wears! 

Zara Coatigan

I popped into Zara to grab winter gear for the kids and there was a whole rack of this coat in all my favorite neutrals. It’s super affordable at under $50, and in addition to this light grey I also spotted a dark camel, black, and taupe (“sand”).

It only comes in sizes S, M, L, and XL so note this is an oversized fit on someone who typically buys xxs, and the sleeves are long on someone petite (I have them folded under). It is also completely unlined, so I would call this more of a “coatigan” good for layering rather than a heavy duty winter coat. Despite all this, I went back and tried it on about 3 times before bringing it home! I like that the overall cut is tailored with clean lines, and once the sleeves are shortened it looks pretty good and has been something I’ve reached for several times already!

My lazy self has just been folding the sleeves underneath (you can also secure them folded with a piece of fashion tape), but because it is unlined, I think it’ll actually be pretty easy to shorten at home via hand sewing!