PFC #22: Cute Cold Weather Shopping Clothes

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Hosted by Fashion Blawger, Petite Fashion Challenge #22: Cute Cold Weather Shopping Clothes has us styling an outfit when the weather outside is frightful, but indoor shopping is warm and delightful. Please keep in mind that you should prepare for the cold without looking like Joey from Friends when he wore all of Chandler's clothes.

I tackled this challenge from two sides. First, I wanted the outfit to be a reflection of the holiday season. Second, each item was also chosen for its practicality.

Part I: The Look

I first saw the green plaid with red turtleneck combination on Blair and loved how festive it looked. Then when Khatu wore it, I told myself that I must re-create it for this holiday season. Turns out, there's no better time than for this challenge.

I think this colorful combination would contrast nicely against white bottoms. White jeans were my first choice and a white wool mini skirt was a close second. Since I own neither, I made do with what I had and wore a white cotton skirt.

Part II: The Logistics

Turtleneck + tights: Friends who have gone to sales without dressing rooms (such as Barney's Warehouse sale or Running of the Brides @ Filene's Basement) have all shared stories that wearing a tank top with leggings is the way to go. Both pieces are form-fitting and act like a second layer of skin, so it's easy to slip on clothes to try on while still able to gauge fit. Although those were more extreme shopping conditions, I wouldn't hesitate to adopt the same philosophy when I'm out shopping regularly. The tank top with leggings equivalent for winter is a turtleneck and tights. Chances are, most clothes I try on won't require the removal of this base layer, so I can stay warm and be my usual lazy self (no need to constantly remove and put on layers in the dressing room).

Shirt: An extra layer for warmth that I could possibly do without, or swapped for a sweater.

Flats: Comfortable flat shoes are a must for walking and standing on my feet for extended periods of time.

Coat: To reduce the bulkiness a bit, I chose a short coat over a long coat. It's easier to maneuver around in and also not as heavy to carry if I decide to take it off indoors.

Bag:: Roomy enough to store potential cold weather accessories (ie: hat, scarves, gloves) and with long handles so it can be worn over the shoulder to free up both hands to better peruse items.
sunglasses: Walmart aviator (similar)
jacket: J.Crew Majesty peacoat (this season's sold here)
shirt: Gap fitted boyfriend flannel ruffle shirt (sold here)
turtleneck: J.Crew Factory tissue turtleneck tee (sold here)
skirt: Express (similar)
tights: J.Crew (sold here)

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14 comments

  1. That's a cute ensemble. I like your peacoat.

    Katattack 2000.WordPress.com

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  2. wow, i never knew that people put so much thought into their outfits! very pretty :)

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    1. In the spirit of the challenge, I put more thought than usual into the outfit, lol.

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  3. At first I was like bare legs in winter! Crazy!! But then at the bottom I noticed you are wearing tights! Now I'm inspired to get some nude tights to rock them skirts in the winter! Are those jcrew ones warm?

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    1. Perhaps it's the photos, but the tights are light camel colored. They're ok in terms of warmth, not overly so but not thin like the sheer ones either. Temps in DC don't drop below freezing for too long, so they're doable for me.

      One thing to note though... the bunching around the ankles annoy me! I'm wearing size S/M (not sure if J.Crew sells XS/S), or maybe it's the light color that draws attention to the bunching.

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  4. Love this look and great tip on the turtleneck + tights! I never thought of that and pretty much live in pants all winter long. I cheat on the "storage" aspect of shopping and just stash everything in the stroller or make my husband carry it. Hey, that's what family is for ;)

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    1. Hey, there's got to be some perks to having a husband/kids! I was at Trader Joe's today (for the first time ever) and I saw that they had KIDS SIZED SHOPPING CARTS. Ummm... that just makes me want to shop there more if I have kids so they can do some of the work. SIL said that's just mean, but it's win-win in my book, muahaha.

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  5. i really like the tips for shopping with base layers! the tartan and red look so pretty together! xox P

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  6. Love this outfit! I was confused when you said "tights" at first since I couldn't tell you were wearing them (from viewing the pic on my phone) but now that I'm at my computer I see that they ARE tights :)

    I hate shopping with button-ups because of the buttoning and unbuttoning, and turtlenecks even worse (what if I want to try on something form fitting????) so I usually wear a loose tee and boyfriend cardigan (something I can pull off over my head without messing up hair/makeup) and pants. But I do love this look on you, cee! :)

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    1. You're not the first one to have thought I was going bare-legged. Photography fail :( The tights are really light camel-colored in real life, lol.

      Maybe it's just my turtlenecks, but they're pretty form-fitting, so I don't bother taking it off when I try things on. And if I'm shopping for more turtlenecks, well, then I guess I won't be wearing one that day, haha. Buttoning and unbuttoning IS annoying, so I hear ya on that, BUT I'd rather do that than mess up my hair and/or little makeup I'd be wearing that day. To tell you the truth, by the end of the day, I'd probably only have the middle button buttoned, lol.

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  7. Oh you are so put together, perfectly styled and layered with excellence.
    *Molli-Dae
    MDVoutlet.com

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  8. Your outfit surprised me this time! Now I know on a rare occasion when you're actually wearing skirts in the winter (rather than jeans), you're out for shopping! Look forward to reading more winter skirts/dresses posts from you :)

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    1. You got me ;) I don't own many winter appropriate work skirts... so I end up wearing pants a lot over the course of the colder months.

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  9. I'm finally getting to check out the entries to my challenge. I'm sorry for my late comment!

    Anyway, I love your preppy clean look. You're so right about dressing with open fitting rooms in mind. Having tights on is also good for those places that lay off of the AC. Nothing worse than getting naked in the cold :D

    http://preponderance-of-fashion.blogspot.com/

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I'd love to hear from you. Constructive criticisms welcome!

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