Glamorous Winter Nights

I hope you are enjoying the weekly style posts and finding them useful. As you know it has been some time since I have done a large post, so finally here is my latest one.

Many people have been asking how to dress ‘glamorously’ for winter nights when heading out. We are not talking formal or gala events: more so injecting some elegance and pizzazz  into your outfit when heading out to a dinner, cocktail event, a party, theatre etc.  It is a pretty natural instinct in winter to pull on the jeans or leggings and want to be comfortable. Black seems the obvious colour of choice.  I personally find winter romantic and hence a wonderful time to dress up as you can add an interesting mix of layers, or wear a fabulous maxi, furs, velvets, laces, jewels etc and make those lovely cold nights out a real glamour-fest.  You can balance elegance with fashionable edge in your winter night wear quite easily. Colour and texture can play a large part in this. The classic chic does not have to be boring hence there is no reason why you can’t glam up a little when it’s chilly out there.Below are examples of how you can jazz up your winter night-time look.  Many of the outfits can also work well through the other seasons.  All you need to do is wear a warm coat over your outfit that will take you from door to door and off you go for a fun night out.  Some of the outfits are also ideal for a more formal event.  You may notice a theme colour through out: gold.  There are accents of gold with the shoes, jewellery, handbags or certain garments. I prefer to wear more gold in the winter than in summer as it has the glow factor that stands out on black.

Enjoy.

Trousers:

The feature here is this stunning drape silk blouse from Willow which sits beautifully over a pair of bootleg trousers.  Adding a long multi-strand pearl necklace and a feather clutch gives this outfit a touch of vintage glam.

For a party or cocktail outing, dazzle in this sexy leather bustier from Flannel and Parisian style feather cape from SoniaM.  Tee it up with some flared black trousers, animal print shoes and clutch. Seriously hot!

For the classic chic outfit, try a  long tailored jacket ensemble such as these from Josh Goot.  Wearing a long jacket as opposed to the usual blazer is an interesting and sophisticated touch and can be quite flattering if worn correctly. High heels or lower kitten heels would work well here. Add  black accessories on the white for a dramatic contrast, and colour on black to soften the ‘all black’ look.

For the many of us who enjoy wearing their jeans, I say rather than skinny, go for flared leather or dark denim at night. Flares are flattering as they elongate the legs and also balance the rest of the outfit.  Add a statement blazer  such as this from Willow. The tassel feature on the blazer makes this outfit pop.  Wear patterned shoes such as these stunning Jean-Michel Cazabat snake-skin found on Farfetch and add some sparkle with this Valentino bag, also found on Farfetch.

 Skirts:

Lace, fur, gold…wonderful night time combination.

I can’t go past the Boho look for a night out of fun. Fur vest worn with a long lace skirt or a leather midi skirt is feminine and chic. Add some glitz with sparkly earrings and handbag.

I just love a red wool skirt in winter, such as this sexy midi length one from Carven, found on Net-a-porter. Worn with a lovely lace jacket or blouse (from Flannel) , this outfit has a slight Spanish and alluring touch to it.  A quality animal print skirt can be an exciting night-time number. This pencil skirt is Tamara Mellon found on net-a-porter.  Many animal prints can look quite nasty, hence why I say go for quality (not necessarily real fur) if purchasing animal print.  As you see I’ve teamed it up with this jeweled bib blouse from Karen Millen to give it some elegance.

Wearing a maxi skirt, especially a gold spectacular one such as this Barbara Casasola found on Matches is a stand out. Fitted black blazer and statement jewellery just says ritz, glitz and irresistible to me. This can be worn to a gala event or a fun night out.

Dresses:

Alberta Ferretti Fall 2015. Beautiful, romantic winter dresses for a night out.

I recommend adding a maxi dress to your winter wardrobe. This vibrant outfit: Burnt orange silk dress with a red fur stole, statement jewelery and animal print shoes has a touch of 1940’s glamour mixed with boho. Dress from Flannel . Fur stole found on Polyvore

Most of us wear black. If you are going to wear a black, I suggest to go for something interesting such as these drape style dresses. Both from Willow. The cut of these dresses are not only flattering, they are elegant and feminine. Adding a jewelled choker necklace to the dress on the right makes it more fascinating, given it is a longer length with soft draping all over.  Gold embellished shoes and a vibrant green bag oozes night-time glamour for both dresses.

It’s the maxi again! These striking gowns from Issa London are everything from sexy, feminine, flattering, classy and fun. Winter is not all about dark colours as I am showing you here, no matter what country you live in. Adding some vibrant hues brightens the mood, that is a fact. For some contrast to the plain fabric, add texture with embellished handbag, shoes and jewellery.

My final collage is yet again a maxi dress. This dazzling embroidered gown from Temperley is inspired by an antique Chinoiserie. An elegant gown that can be worn to a gala event or simply to a cocktail party.  You will notice I have added a choker necklace and patterned shoes to the already heavily patterned gown. This interesting mix of patterns works very well together .

As you’ve seen here with these examples, winter can be fun dressing up. You can have a glamorous night out just by tweeking your outfits a little. Even if you choose to buy one quality piece, start somewhere. I recommend you make the effort and add  interesting pieces in the wardrobe.  As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, these are simply looks to help you see how some diversity can be great. My mission is to also encourage you to experiment with colours, mix of patterns, styles etc.

Please Note: When I mention fur, I am not suggesting real fur. Quality faux fur can be found easily on-line and in boutiques. That is a personal choice of yours. In terms of shoes, all my collages have high-heels in them. However most of these outfits can be worn with lovely kitten heels or lower wedges and still look great. Again it is a personal choice.

If you have seen anything on here that you like and I haven’t mentioned where it is from, please do not hesitate to email me on stylebygessica@gmail.com and I can let you know.

I am more than happy to offer further styling advice. Please email me on stylebygessica@gmail.com if you would like a one on one styling session. This applies within Australia only. Online styling available in all other places.  

Most items were sourced from:

Clothing:  Farfetch, Net-a-porter, Willow, Temperley, Issa, Flannel, Karen Millen, Matches

Shoes: Nine West, Farfetch, The Outnet, Kurt Geiger

Handbags: Farfetch, Accessorize, Antik Batik

Accessories: SoniaM, Farfetch, Polyvore

I look forward to hearing from you with any comments and suggestions.  I hope to have the next big post out in four weeks.  My weekly style post will be out next week.

Until then, stay warm and have fun glamming up.

Gessica X