In the southern hemisphere winter is almost here. In fact here in Melbourne it has arrived early. What that has meant for me is jetting around updating women’s winter wardrobes ready for the cold months ahead. Hence why unfortunately it has been a long time between posts. Many apologies. Although I love collating these style articles, they do require hours and hours of  time due to carefully and lovingly sourcing each item from many sites and coming up with unique looks.  As many of you know, I don’t follow particular trends unless I feel they relate to a post. Instead my aim is to guide you on stepping out of your comfort zone to find your authentic style. To inject femininity, elegance and a little originality in your wardrobe whether it’s for work or leisure.
Going forward I will be post a small article each week which may feature a single item transformed to something great. I will title it ‘From this….to this….’. Just like my previous post, click here.  Or it may be a article giving some valuable style tips. I will mix it up a bit and have corporate wear, leisure wear, night wear to cater for all.
And then once (possibly twice) a month I will publish one of my ‘large more comprehensive’ style articles like this one. Given they are the most popular and I thankyou for your support, they will most certainly continue. In that way you will receive more articles more frequently and the big kahuna every 3 or 4 weeks will be a big bonus.
So finally here is my latest post, on winter ‘corporate’ wear. Â Most of us will associate winter with black and grey. Â It’s natural to wrap yourself in dark colours as a psychological symbol of warmth. Â In this post I will show you how other colours can make you feel warm too. How you put them together is what matters.
You will notice some reoccurring themes throughout this post such as wrap tops/cardigans, the use of blue and red, and the brooch which I consider one of the most stylish accessories that can transform a simple outfit into something fun and original. I still don’t see enough of them pinned on lapels or blouses. Experiment, step outside your comfort zone and have fun with winter wear.
So now for some winter inspiration…..enjoy!
Loving the mixed colourful patterns with Prada. Wonderful winter ensembles if you want to inject some spice into your work life. Cue has a mix of patterns similar: and much cheaper for the budget conscious.
Dresses:
The wrap dress (of course). Issa produce stunning wrap dresses at appropriate lengths in wonderful colours. This blue for winter is vibrant. Adding some red accessories, two toned shoes (Marni on net-a-porter) and  fun bag brightens up your winter day.  The bag, (the Dun Dun) is from my favourite bag lady of the moment Paula Cademartori found on net-a-porter.
Instead of a simple pencil black dress, go for some with patterns to add interest such as these from Ginger and Smart. Wrap a cardigan around the dresses instead of a jacket to break the monotony of a jacket. Again accessorise with statement jewellery. Love two toned shoes for winter.  The grey and blue are from the ever so popular Shoes of Prey. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the shops, you can design your own on this site. How fabulous!
The black wrap. This Elegant Max Mara dress is flattering and versatile. Here I add blue accessories to break the black up. A beautiful brooch, patterned handbag from Paula Cademartori found on farfetch and shoes from Shoes of Prey.
These retro style wool pastel coloured dresses from Goat are a wonderful alternative to the basic black dress.  Wear them quite simply or jazz them up as I’ve shown here. Maybe a silk scarf or a bib style necklace, patterned shoes and bags.
Pants/Trousers:
Simple straight leg pants worn with colourful cardigans or jumpers is refreshing and smart on a cold day.  Uniqlo is packed with cashmere jumpers/cardigans in all colours.
Here is  blue again. This outfit of straight legged blue pants from Goat, dynamic red and white silk blouse and vest both from Temperley says ‘I’m displaying some creative flair to my business side.’  As I’ve said before, the darker hues of blue is an alternative to black and more often than not, lift your complexion. Other labels that have some lovely silk blouses are Carla Zampatti, Rhodes & Beckett and Anna Thomas.
I go a step further here with showing your creative flair, yet still displaying your professional, powerful side.  Wide leg trousers in salmon colour from Milly on net-a-porter worn with red blazer (Balmain on Matches) is a fabulous winter combination. Add a lovely silk scarf and pattern handbag (Fendi).  Wide legged trousers are big this season, so you will find them quite easily on the racks  from budget to high-end. The same with blazers, I see many coloured blazers around.  Don’t hesitate to email me if you would like further information.
You can’t go wrong with black and white. Just inject some pizzazz to it such as a block coloured  jacket (Jean Paul Gaultier on Farfetch) with wonderful patterned shoes.  Add a statement brooch to finish it off nicely. This simple outfit looks smart and stylish.
Skirts:
Belted cardigans over rich coloured skirts and patterned accessories. Lovely!
Neutral Colours and Leather: Ladies, leather or faux leather for work in winter can look sensational if worn correctly. These outfits above demonstrate you can still look every bit professional , at the same time sexy,  chic and feminine.  The beige leather skirt is from Witchery . The asymmetrical faux white leather skirt from Seed.  I add some interest to the outfits with the accessories and shoes. Again check out the statement brooch. I do not see enough women wearing neutral tones to work, yet if you can step outside of your comfort zone, you will see how great it can be.
Continuing with the leather, this faux pleated midi skirt from chicwish  is a great length and style for work. Add an interesting wrap top such as this Ballantyne one found on Yoox  and some boots, you have a pretty edgy look.
Ohh la la add some red and lace and mix it all up.  As I have mentioned before, lace can be worn to work quite nicely. It demonstrates femininity. The combination of the black lace blouse ( Thurley) with the red pencil skirt is powerful. The belted Haider Ackermann black jacket from farfetch with the lazer cut blue skirt from Temperley is sophisticated. They can easily go from day wear to an after work function.
Tip: When wearing tights/opaques/pantyhose with dresses and skirts in winter, my advice is to wear nudes with lighter coloured shoes and the black/greys with darker shoes. This may seem like obvious advice, however I have often seen black opaques with nude shoes and this I find is generally not a flattering look. Sometimes it works, however it needs to be with the right outfit and style shoes. Of course nude pantyhose goes with all colours. Â P.S. the bright and patterned opaques I would save for the weekend! If you are unsure with any of these, please do not hesitate to email me with your query.
Evening:
I’ve added in one formal look. This is quite a unique look if you would like to stand out from the crowd at a work function. These sensational gold sequence culottes from Temperley are eye catching (part of their winter 2015 collection, out soon). Worn with this vibrant orange wool blend one shoulder top from Vika Gasinskaya found on net-a-porter  you would certainly be making a confident statement. If the orange and gold combination is a little too daring for you,  a black blouse or fitted jacket would work nicely instead. Again I have added red to compliment the orange. Those colour combinations also seem to be my thing in this post. Baguette bag from Fendi.  Shoes from Gianvito Rossi.
Coats:
This season I have a slight obsession with wrap cardigans, blazers and coats. These unstructured and often asymmetrical pieces portray a  less formal approach,  yet at the same time uber stylish.  And I might add, very flattering on most body shapes. Add a wrap jacket or coat to any of your outfits and you’ll be cosy plus stylish to and from work. The ones displayed here from left are Thurley, DVF red(top), Saba pink(bottom), Witchery grey.
That wraps up my winter corporate wear. Winter like other seasons doesn’t have to be all  dark colours, nor about the usual cosy styles.  As you have seen with these few examples,  you can quite happily make your winter wardrobe pretty spectacular and keep warm and upbeat at the same time. I am more than happy to offer further advice for winter styling. 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. Â
Most items mentioned (and not mentioned above) were sourced from:
Clothing: Net-a-porter, Matches, Farfetch, Thurley, Polyvore, Seed, Witchery, Temperley, Goat, Ginger and Smart
Shoes: Nine West, Shoes of Prey, Zalando,  Net-a-porter
Accessories and Handbags:  Polyvore, Matches, Net-a-porter, Paula Cademartori, SoniaM Designs
Love to hear from you with any questions, feedback on stylebygessica@gmail.com
Until next time, keep warm or cool(for those in the northern part of the world).
Love Gessica
