Stylish Winter Outerwear

Well, winter is in full swing. Even if we haven’t really gotten that much winter weather here in the South, but that is a conversation for another time. Regardless, these chilly {mornings} days find us savoring our hot morning coffee and planning our outfits around our outerwear. Why do we get so excited about coats, you might ask… BECAUSE, outerwear is like the icing on the cake, the finishing touch, the cherry on top of the sundae! Whether you are running around town in jeans and a tee, heading to an important work meeting, or hitting the town for date night, stylish winter outerwear is a most important finishing touch to your look!

We are going to break this topic down into two different posts. Today, let’s chat about casual stylish winter outerwear. Fun outerwear is such a great way to add color, texture, pattern, and dimension to your look -while of course staying warm and cozy doing it! Below are some examples of great casual outerwear and what we love about them!

The Puffer Coat

This winter white puffer coat that Emily is wearing made quite the splash with our followers last year when we debuted this photo series… and for good reason – it is, simply put, gorgeous (well and so is the model wearing it!). It is important to note that your casual coats don’t have to be black, brown, or grey. Though we love those colors for outerwear and recommend that our clients own at least one staple color like that. We also love the concept of having at least one coat in a different color, like this winter white. It is clean, crisp, and fresh for the gloomy winter days ahead of us. And let it be noted – puffer coats are one of the most versatile coats one can own. From workout clothes, to the ski slopes, to jeans and booties, the puffer coat has you covered {and super warm}!

The Teddy Coat

Teddy coats are one of the hot trends right now, and we couldn’t be more happy about it honestly! Versatile, cozy, and stylish, they come in just about every style, color, and pattern imaginable (more here about this particular subject). They can be dressed down with jeans and sneakers or dressed up with jeans and booties. And we sometimes even like them with slacks or a pencil skirt depending on your teddy coat! We love the teddy coat that Katey is wearing here (BONUS: it’s from TARGET!). Oversized, mid-length, and zippered, this coat is more on the casual side and would be perfect for your joggers and sneakers or denim and booties! And as a sidenote, though we said above we love for our client to have a coat or two in a color, our favorite color for a teddy coat would be in the natural, black, or brown family.

The Printed Coat

If you love coats like we do, you should consider having a “fun” coat in your closet. Think something not necessarily practical…. Maybe a coat with a print or in a bold color! Now is the perfect time to buy a coat in this category because most retailers are running fantastic sales as they clear the way for their Spring merchandise (Spring, say what?!). Buying a coat like this on sale makes good practical sense since this coat probably isn’t the only coat in your closet. That said, you will be surprised how often you reach for that patterned or boldly colored coat! Speaking of which, we love this animal print coat on Katie. Cut like a car coat, this piece catches the eye because it mixes a traditional style with a trendy animal print. Pair this beauty with your black denim and {red, orange, hunter green mustard, camel, black, white…} sweater…. Or your denim and white blouse…. Or a skirt, top, and booties…. And you have just elevated your {dressy} casual look to statement status!

The Topcoat

On the dressier side of casual coats is the topcoat. The traditional, classic coat concept is perfect for your more casual daytime activities. Think running errands and meeting a girlfriend for lunch. This coat is also the perfect finishing touch to a pencil skirt and heels for work or a dress and pumps for church, and everything in between. If you own one coat, this is it! The topcoat that Katie is wearing here is practical, versatile, and beautifully made. Light grey is a fabulous choice for this piece since it goes with everything in your closet, making it super easy to grab and go on your way out the door.

Another fantastic option for a topcoat is a double breasted blazer coat like the one Katie is wearing here, especially with a subtle pattern like a houndstooth, windowpane, check, or plaid. We love how Katie has paired this beautiful patterned coat with all black and heels. But this coat would work equally well with your favorite jeans, sweater and flats as well! As a sidenote, one of our favorite places to purchase topcoats for our clients is J. Crew – and this time of year, they have some fabulous deals on coats if you keep a close watch out!

Images by Lindsay Cottrill of LTL Photography