by Sara Caspi
I know that wherever you are reading from, the weather is most likely starting to give you sneak previews of winter (unless of course you're below the equator and enjoying a lovely spring while the rest of us are getting the chills). The dreaded short days, crisp temperatures and our natural inclination to hibernate on our couches with movies, hot tea and sweets is beginning to set in. But we still have lives to live, places to be, jobs, dates, social outings you name it. The natural want of basically, walking around in a comforter/duvet really isn't very practical, but how do people stay warm & gorgeous you ask?
Well, England is an awesome place to be during this time of year, because the fashion doesn't stop, it gets more clever and creative, and I've broken it down into this season's must have's:
1. Tights - these are an amazing invention, and people wear them under shorts, skirts, trousers (pants mean something else here :) ) and basically anything you could think of. You can get them in wool, silk, sexy stocking patterns and there's a fabulous brand : Pretty Polly (House of Holland) that carries these cute ones that look like you're wearing a garter belt/suspender belt. You can buy tights in different weights too, can do the traditional solid colors, as well as buy footless ones. But, covering your legs are a great place to begin.
2. Layers & Accessories- these are some of my favorites, and I'm only now really getting the hang of it after two years of living here. I think coming from sunny California meant I didn't really, truely understand/accept how to properly dress in winter time. But I've adopted it now and am having a lot more fun with my fashion. Layering is KEY when the weather gets cold or else you'll end up as I described above: (see hobo in blanket). It all starts with your under layers, then your clothes, sweater, jacket, add some cute gloves, a sexy scarf (faux fur is hot on the trends right now), a warm hat (I favor my knitted wool beret but there are lots of great choices). If you're not sure about the hat, you can opt for ear warmers (it's important to keep your ears covered at the least, hands and feet warm, and however you choose to do that is up to you. These face framing accents means you can play a lot more with your makeup, wearing richer lipstick tones too, since you're going to be having a bit of extra rosiness in your cheeks.
I've picked up my new color: Russian Red, from MAC which complements the porcelain tones my skin seems to go towards in winter here. I must say, on a dreary gray day, the intensity of the color makes me feel more glam and awake. Do you have any colors you've recently picked up that are perfect for this time of year?
3. Undersilks - these are amazing. They are also known as thermals (for those skiiers/snowboarders out there) but they have them in light weight materials that are easier to wear under your clothes. I have some that look like tank tops, and some with long sleeves, (the long pants aren't needed until it gets really cold outside) but they are very versatile and help keep your core warm when you want to be wearing sleevless tops and dresses, or even under long sleeved shirts and blouses. It's all about the insulation 
4. Fur-lined shoes. Now, you can go about this however you wish, going faux fur or real fur, but here, there's a lot of sheeps lined booties I see about, and all sorts of boots (Over the knee, to the knee, Ugg-style, high heeled, low heeled, ankle height) but shoes make a huge difference, as your little tootsies need to keep warm. I know people who wear 2 layers of socks, but I would probably opt out and wear my wool socks (thin ones) that help add a little more insulation.
Using these 4 techniques: Tights, Layers, Thermals and Fur-lined shoes you can make just about any outfit fabulous in winter. Let me know what you've tried that works for you!
xx
Sara