How to wear a maxi during winter

Dress - Asda

Dress - Topshop

Boots - Asos

Snood - Miss Selfridge

Jacket - River Island 

This morning, I had to scrape the ice from my car windscreen for the third time recently. Lets face it, winter is well and truly here. The temperatures have dropped and there are horror stories aplenty about how there’s going to be 3 months of non-stop snow. Gone are the floaty dresses and flip-flops, and out come the jeans, and thick wool jumpers. For years I lived in nothing other than this ensemble through winter, but icy cold temperatures really doesn’t need to mean 'no dresses.' You can still be feminine and wear skirts and dresses without freezing in the process!

One dress that many write off as a summer only garment is the maxi dress, but there are many ways you can wear this wonderful piece all year round. Here’s a few ways to wear a maxi this winter.

Choose wisely

Your choice in maxi dress is crucial to its success as a winter outfit. A strapless wispy thing isn’t going to cut in in December, so you need to make sure you’re looking at practicality as well as how pretty it is. There are some great maxi dress from George at ASDA that have capped sleeves and high necklines, making them a great basis for a winter outfit. Chose a more wintery pattern and deeper colour to avoid looking out of place, and a little more in season! Pastel flowers don’t say winter quite like a plain wine-coloured dress does.

Layer up

Obviously the best way to keep the cold out is to wear as many layers as possible. Don’t go too mad though, you don’t want to ruin the effect of the dress. Cropped jumpers and jackets work best with maxi skirts and dresses, as they elongate the lower half of your body pretty nicely. Scarves and knitwear will all work well with a cotton maxi, and add a bit of texture to an otherwise plain outfit. 

Under your dress

Jumpers and over-layers are important, yes - but what will keep you the cosiest isn’t what you wear on top of your dress, but what you wear beneath it. Depending on the cut you might be able to get away with a strappy top or vest for extra insulation. On your legs you can really go to town with the layers, as your dress will be covering these up. Thermal leggings, normal leggings, tights, anything you think you need to stay toasty is doable with a maxi. And if you haven't discovered super-cosy tights yet, you're seriously missing out. 

Footwear

You're probably used to wearing your maxi dress with flip-flops or strappy sandals. In the winter this is a bad idea, unless you want frost bitten toes! You could instead team your maxi dress with a pair of short ankle boots that go nicely with the colour of the dress. Alternatively a pair of heeled shoes or boots will work well too!

I guess the idea is not to avoid certain items of clothing because you assume they only work for one season. Get creative and mix and match items in your wardrobe to create a whole new look. Maxi dresses are pretty damn comfortable and effortlessly stylish, so why restrict them to the few months of summer each year? Plus, they're all on sale at the moment, win-win!

Is this something you'll be doing?

S xx

*Partnered post