With winter weather in full swing, bundling up is a must; but being bundled up at a party? Not so much. Here are a few event-specific tips to make sure you don’t freeze en route to your weekend activities this season, and don’t have excess layers to fuss with when you arrive at your destination:
The Frat Party Look:
Every college girl knows the classic frat party look- a tight skirt with a loosely tucked-in sheer blouse, or a thigh length, skin-tight dress. To make that either of those more appropriate for cold, wintery partying add black tights, patterned legwarmers, and tall boots. Make sure the legwarmers peek up a little bit over the boots. For the top of your body try a longline blazer that compliments the rest of your outfit, or, if its really chilly, a cutaway black leather jacket. Remember, it’s generally best to wear close-toed shoes with tights!
Fancy Night Out:
If you’re attending a formal party or just having a fancy night out with your friends, sophistication is key. Try a thigh length sweater dress with a thick belt around your waist, and tall boots with a little bit of heel. For accessories, add an infinity scarf and a cute beret to your look for the perfect winter effect (and, of course, to keep your ears and neck warm!). Remember, it’s easy to buy a knit sweater dress, knit scarf, and knit beret so make sure to mix and match with your fabrics so you don’t look like a ball of yarn.
Clubs or Dances:
The most important thing to remember about dances is that they get hot. Make sure whatever layers you’re wearing for the trip to the dance are easy to strip away when you get there, so avoid wearing tights, legwarmers, or very tall boots and keep yourself warm with pea coats, scarves, hats, and warm gloves. Also make sure your bag is big enough to fit all your warm articles of clothing because looking for all your miscellaneous accessories in a dark room stuff with bodies can be a pain.
Friend’s House Party:
For a more casual destination like a friend’s apartment, you don’t have to worry as much about keeping layers minimal. But even though you know the host of the party well enough to leave a coat in their room, you still might not want to risk some crazy party goers getting access to it. So instead, choose key pieces that will keep you warm during your walk from the T station without making you sweat in the midst of the crowd. Try pairing a short sleeved or quarter-sleeve cotton top with a polished pair of jeans and riding boots (make sure you weather-proof your boots first though!). If jeans aren’t your thing, you can also go for a quality pair of leggings — try fun variations like cable knit or corduroy — with a sleeveless or short sleeved tunic and some ankle boots.
ABC Party:
Dressing warm for a party that requires no clothing can be tricky, unless you know a few loopholes. Instead of going for the stereotypical trash bag look, try finding a Pashmina scarf to wear as a strapless dress. Just wrap the scarf around your body and secure it with a few safety pins to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. If you do go the trash bag route, you can put a unique and winter-friendly spin on it by buying a couple of wine bottle gift bags (or regular gift bags if you want a little more room) and cut out the bottom to create leg warmers.