The Perfect Winter Basics

It’s the start of the true winter season here in the Uk and the weather is turning much colder this week. It’s a good time to go through your wardrobe and evaluate your basics for winter.

Having good basics to hand for the season gives you more outfit variations and outfit options. They are the building blocks that allow you to put together more outfits which means you get more wear out of more of your wardrobe.

In this blog I am going to take you through the key basics that I think you should have in your wardrobe for the winter season.

When I start working with a new client I will always ask about their basics and if they feel they have that area covered, its important to get the frame work right so you can easily layer up.

I have incuded a few retailers in this blog but by far my go to is marks and spencers, they have such a range and I feel there is good quality at an affordable price.

My essential winter basics include

• Your bras and underwear
• Thermals
• Tops that you can layer easily / wear under other tops / outfits to add warmth
• Leggings and tights to wear under dresses and skirts

This blog does contain some affilate links.

Bra’s

Wearing the right size bra will 100% make your clothes look better, therefore you will look better and feel more comfortable and confident.

So many of us are wearing the wrong size bra, very easily done as we know our bodies change shape and with it our chests do naturally fluctuate in size.

I recently went to have a bra fitting at my local M&S, since lockdown I have been living in Sloggi’s non wired bralets and I wanted to invest in some more structred bra’s and before doing so check what size I actually was. M&S like many retailers have seen a huge drop in sales for under wired bras as the majority of us have moved over to more comfortable styles. They have since brought out a range of zero feel bratlets and they also sell branded ones such as Sloggi and Fantasia.

Since discovering them I have been living in their non wired zero feel crop tops, they have loads of support, give and have moulded soft cups so are great for wearing like a t-shirt bra. So comfortable they are my new daily wear bra. I loved the Sloggi ones and the M&S do the same job but are much more affordable.

Thermal tops & base layers

These are really good for layering underneath your tops so that you have an extra layer of warmth. I would recommend buying base layers that you can also wear as tops in their own right. This gives you more options in terms of outifts and also allows you to be able to remove your jumper etc if you do become too hot without being embarrased about your top hiding underneath.

This year my local M&S in Bluewater have a huge range of thermal tops, I am sure winter lockdown last year and everyone having to be outside so much prompted a huge rise in sales in this area.

I have several of these long sleeve thermal tops and the pointelle ones ( shown below) especially are easy to wear just as as a normal long sleeve top and are also perfect for wearing under your jumpers, dresses and sweatshirts to keep you warmer.

Polo necks

One of my favourite winter items as they can be worn in so many different ways, dressed up or down and are the perfect winter layering item too.

Now a black polo neck jumper is a wardrobe essential for winter , also if you like this style it’s good to have in a few in other classic neural colours, such as cream/ winter white, grey and camel.

Layering a thinner polo neck jumper under your thicker jumpers, tops and dresses is a great way of keeping warm and dressing practically for the temperatures. At the same time being stylish and getting more wear out of your wardrobe.

There are loads out there on the high street but here are a few of my favourites

I have a couple of black polo’s in different thickness to allow me to layer in different ways. I also have a few variations on colour and an animal print one too. They are great worn just with jeans or trousers and perfect for your work wardrobe.

Secret leggings

One way to get more wear out of your dresses and skirts over the colder months is to wear what we call ”secret leggins” these are just normal leggings but you make sure that they are cut off before the hem of your dress/ skirt so that they can’t be seen. Keeping you warm but also looking stylish at the same time.

Tips

• Buy a cheap pair of leggings and trim off to make them the right length
• Or buy slightly shorter or cropped leg length leggings so they don’t show under your midi dresses / skirts.
• Thermal tights are also really useful, during winter lockdown last year I would wear a pair of thermal tights under my jeans for extra warmth, great for mums who feel the cold and have to be stood outside watching their children play sport.

Even better thermal leggings are a wardrobe essential if you are spending lots of time outside this winter, either for walks, running, stood watching your child play sport or chasing your little ones round the park. I’ve selected a few of my favourites below. I wore my M&S thermal leggings loads last winter for weekend walks and trips to the park with my little boy. This year I really want to invest in some sweaty Betty ones.

Hope you found that useful! Stay warm and stylish this winter .

Thanks for reading !

Caroline x