In this article, I will share with you my winter essentials wardrobe list and help you build yours. I love my fall wardrobe but I need fewer blouses and more knit sweaters in my closet to stay cozy the whole winter.
Dressing stylish in winter can be a huge challenge but I’m here to help you to look your best. Get ready because I won’t let you stay all winter bundled up in your pajamas.
In this article you’ll learn how to:
- Create a style mood board for your winter essentials
- Build a cohesive color palette if you are aiming for a capsule wardrobe
- Plan winter clothing purchases that go with your year-round closet
Ready?
This post contains affiliate links. Disclosure here.
Winter trends and how to create a winter mood board
Yes, yes, and yes. Cardigans and overalls are back. Together with some trends that come straight out of the ’70s, 90s, and 2000s. I will adopt two or three trends – that speak to my personal style – as accent pieces.
As a slow fashion devotee, I’m very careful when it comes to investing in trends. Most of them last only a few weeks. I advise you to choose more classic and timeless designs for your wardrobe essentials and add trends as accent seasonal pieces. That way you can spice up your winter outfits while buying smart.
How to create a mood board
Check my Pinterest boards to get some inspiration to create your own mood board. Repin or save looks that you like and match your personal style. See them here. After you’ve saved quite a few pins, start creating your own mood board.
Winter Style Mood Board
What’s a mood board? It’s an arrangement of images, materials, pieces of text, etc, intended to evoke or project a particular style or concept.
A style mood board it’s a big visual help to help you find your voice. It’s a chance to get all the info you’ve been gathering in one place.
Gather information from Pinterest, Instagram, blogs, and, magazines.
First, collect inspiration and after create the mood board. Keep in mind your lifestyle needs, that way you can properly adapt inspiration to your outfits. Observe the looks you gather and deconstruct them. What do you like about it? The vibe? the color? A specific piece? Be specific. The last step is adding your favorite images to the final mood board.
How to execute it: You can choose to keep your final images on a Pinterest board (and use this as your mood board) or you can add the images to the next page so you can have the best inspiration in one place. You can print a page with the images or you can print the images and put them together in this blank pdf mood board I did for you.
Head to the next vintage shop or your favorite clothing store and try those styles you chose and see how you feel about them before you buy. I also like to play with closet and outfit planning apps like Smart Closet, Cladwell, and Stylebook App to create looks with the pieces I’m planning to purchase and the ones that are already in my wardrobe.
Note: In case you have too many statement pieces in your closet and what you’re lacking are essentials, save this article to read afterward. I have also more minimal and basic style pin ideas for your capsule wardrobe here.
Tip: Etsy, Beyond Retro e Depop are great to find vintage clothing.
My winter capsule wardrobe color palette
For my winter capsule closet, I’m choosing colors that will enhance my natural beauty.
Here’s my example. I’m a Soft Autumn so I chose warm and soft colors for my fall closet. As usual, the base of my wardrobe is in neutral tones and I chose my favorite colors to mix with them. I’m in love with soft oranges and greens and added lavender as an accent color to play with some complementary color schemes in my winter outfits.
Note: If you’re building a capsule wardrobe from scratch click here to read the full article. Now, if you’re in the process of selecting items for winter, grab a pen and paper and write down the items you want to keep in your closet. Also, add the ones you’d like to include in your outfits – based on your lifestyle – for a cozy and stylish winter.
My Winter essentials list
Down below, I will list my Winter essentials items with links in case you’d like to get to know more ethical, sustainable and slow fashion brands. I buy a lot of second-hand clothing, therefore, I couldn’t link all clothing pieces, but I made sure to find identical alternatives from brands like Everlane, Organic Basics, and Reformation that have ethical standards and worldwide shipping.
Some of these links are affiliate links and some are not. If you decide to purchase through the affiliate links you’ll be supporting my work at no extra cost for you.
Tops
- White T-shirt
- Black T-shirt
- Bodysuit (or a chic black top is also a good essential)
- Graphic tee
- White Blouse
- Turtleneck sweater in Black
- White statement blouse
- Cream Sweatshirt
- Orange sweater
- Green sweater
- Hoodie
- Cardigan
Bottoms
Pants
- Wide Leg Chinos
- Blue jeans high waist
- Vintage Levi’s 501’s jeans
- Corduroy pants
- “Mom” jeans in black
- Lavender trousers
- Green pants
- White jeans
- Plaid trousers
- Leggings
- Grey pants
Skirts
- Leather skirt
- Miniskirt
One piece clothing
- cashmere dress
- Mockneck black dress
- Gathered dress
- Hoodie lounge dress
- Vest
Winter Outerwear
Shoes
- White sneakers
- High tops
- Loafers
- Black sport sneakers
- Knee high boots
- Black ankle booties
- Ecru ankle booties
- Platform boots
- Colorful block heel
Accessories
- Black everyday bag
- Backpack
- White cotton tote
- Big tote bag
- Crossbody bag
- Orange bag
- Lila bag
- Scarfs
- Beanie
- Beret
- Belt
If there’s an item on the graphics that I didn’t link it’s because it’s old or vintage and I haven’t found a conscious alternative to show you. Some of the pants (lavender, green and plaid) I ordered from a second-hand online shop called Beyond Retro.
Conclusion
For this winter essentials, I chose an effortless, practical, and colorful theme for my looks. You can use this list as a starting point and give your own personal touch.
Read this article to choose the right essentials for your wardrobe all year around.
Share with me in the comments. What essential pieces will you choose for your winter wardrobe?
Related articles:
–> How To Choose Wardrobe Essentials: 34 Timeless Clothing Pieces
–>Seasonal Color Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide to Help You Find Your Season & Your Best Colors
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