How to style for winter looks with scarves and layers

I’ll never forget my first visit to London when I was in my twenties. It was winter and I was fascinated by the clever layering for the outdoors in that vibrant city, as the indoor heating seemed extreme to me, coming from a warmer country back then.

Plaid scarves seemed the rage and I’m delighted those plaid, or checks, and tweed designs have not aged since the 80s! The scarves just got bigger and bolder.

The colours seemed mostly black and in shades of brown at the time, whilst the plaid scarves often had a touch of red to brighten the basic winter tones.

From there, I went on to Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France, and were thrilled with the European sophistication, in which each country seemed to have a preferred winter fashion colour. My colour picks on that trip? The deep olive greens mixed with shades of burgundy and cherry red in the soft, luxurious woollen garments I coveted in Vienna!

Travelling on a budget was murder, chuckles, but it taught me to focus on accessorising my basic items. I’m happy to declare I still have all those plaid scarves, of which some were purchased as gifts for my family and close friends, and when my parents passed years later, the scarves came home to me, a decision my older siblings agreed with.

The quality of the luxurious wool and cashmere-blends have withstood the passage of time. None of my woollen garments are ever thrown in a washing machine, the gentle handwashing and flat-drying process have resulted in those items, paired with precious memories of travels and special people I’ve been lucky enough to have in my life, becoming everlasting.

Call me a sentimental materialist but my dear folks were not wealthy and their mantra of purchasing quality that lasts a lifetime remains a part of my DNA.

I hope my sharing some ideas of mixing these timeless wardrobe staples with current trends as well as with your existing winter pieces will inspire you.

A sweet friend in the UK is obviously partial to tweed, for good reason, and he recently commented that my styling these winter essentials resulted in “style prose,” on social media. Well, I’ll take that compliment gladly as creating our own unique fashion style tells the story of our individual sartorial personalities, right?

I’m often found in monochrome outfits, simply because it’s easy and it elongates me as I’m petite. This is also a good idea if we have more rounded silhouettes as one colour certainly fits all as it creates a flowing form.

Adding a plaid scarf or tweed coat to the monochrome look lends sophistication and focus to any ensemble. Want to go bold and mix a monogrammed piece with plaid or tweed? I’d suggest adhering to the safety-first fashion rule by ensuring the colours are coordinated.

Often, subtle touches of colour are more comfortable. As for wearing our best outfits only for special occasions? Every day is special, so, wear your luxury pieces and always feel fabulous. Remember the story about the old lady and the bag of pears, when she did not want to eat the ripe ones first, starting with the overripe fruit. So, by the time she got to the firm pears of the previous days, they were rotten. Carpe diem, we are so worth it.

Dressing to enhance and not to hide is key. A little top heavy? Keep it simple to enhance. Hips too big? Wear flowing garments to draw attention to the body parts you know are your best features.

So, if we want to go bolder and bring a focal colour into the mix, I’d say own it, sisters. We dress for us and if we feel fabulous in a style, we wear it as our most powerful accessory remains our confidence. We don’t need validation from others to feel secure.

I recently wore a tweed suit and added cherry-red accessories and lipstick. I felt sensational. The following day, I preferred a nonchalant look, settling for understated chic in beige and simply added a deep green plaid scarf, which gave the outfit depth.

We choose our style and size does not matter. There is room for all of us if we are happy, as we make our own rules, and, we have a licence to thrill by breaking our own fashion rules too as we are older, never over. For daily updates on style ideas, see my Instagram fashion page @tilly_thegoodlife_style …