Wilfred coat (similar)
H&M sweater (similar)
Zara jeans (similar)
Balenciaga mules
Looks Like Summer clutch (similar)
Zara sunglasses (similar)
Linjer ring (c/o) (similar)
Location: Winnipeg Art Gallery – Winnipeg, Manitoba
When I look at my closet, I tend to think that I am not a uniform dresser. There is endless variety in my wardrobe – that is, in every aspect except colour. I have jeans in every imaginable style; sky high heels and practical flats. My closet holds every cut of blouse and blazer you can imagine, not to mention all the dresses. All this despite the fact that I am relatively restrained in my shopping habits, except when we’re on vacation – when we’re travelling, all bets are off, and I will always buy something I love, knowing that I can’t say for sure when I’ll have the same opportunity again.
When I look at my closet, what I see isn’t reality. Yes, my wardrobe is wonderfully varied and I own clothes for every imaginable situation. But my daily life isn’t that varied. I work in Operations at a boutique Human Resources firm, which means when I’m in the office, I’m working with a corporate dress code. The same goes for when I travel to meet clients. When I work from home, I pretty much live in loungewear. Beyond that, I meet friends for dinner and wine and… that mostly sums up the scenarios that I have to dress for regularly. On top of that, there are really only two seasons in Winnipeg – summer and winter. Summer comes with a bit more wardrobe freedom, but winters are bitterly cold, slippery and snowy, which makes large part of my wardrobe totally impractical for the winter half of the year.
The reality is that in the winter, I pretty much wear some version of coat, sweater, jeans and heels every single day. This look has become my de facto winter uniform. And winter is six months long. As seasons go, it’s not a particularly sartorially interesting time. I won’t deny that get unbearably tired of alternating between the same two pairs of boots over and over, but I also hate the idea of snow and road salt ruining my best shoes, so I reserve them for days when I’m not walking – which is almost never. The result is that I live in my winter uniform from November to April. Which probably explains why I tend to go overboard shopping when spring arrives – as much as I love a great sweater, it’s pretty thrilling to think of all possibilities that suddenly become open to me when the weather improves.
Taken individually, outfits that meet my winter uniform criteria can look pretty great. In fact, when I look at these photos, I can’t help but recognise how well all of these pieces work together. This is a great look – it’s simple, but effective.
The problem is, I’ve been wearing it, or something that looks just like it, every day for more than eight weeks already. (See exhibits A, B and C.) The sense of novelty that comes with pulling my sweater collection out for a new season wore off approximately seven weeks ago at this point. Winter is a fact of life, and dressing for it doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice style. I have spent a lifetime refusing to, and I’m not about to give up now. I know I’m ticking all the boxes, style-wise. But I’m dying for a little variety. The idea of wearing a dress, even if I had to put a coat over it, is incredibly tempting right at this point. And the idea of bare legs…! I dream of going out with bare legs. (But I would get frost bite immediately if I actually did.)
Sadly, it’s going to take at least another two months before the weather catch up to my desire for sartorial diversity. Do you have a winter uniform?
The length and severity of winters in Alberta are pretty comparable to those in Manitoba so everything about this resonates with me. My winter uniform involves lots of lots of layered black pieces, fleece-lined leggings, and two pairs of boots that are starting to show a lot of wear and tear but which work in the snow and on ice.
Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines
Insert dark skinnies and white sneakers to your outfit, and you have my winter uniform. In fact, just wore it to the Fairmont!! 😉 Great fashion minds clearly!! Love your version so much too and that clutch is beyond fabulous – what a lovely addition!! As for cold weather and fashion choices?! My weapon of defence is to go from underground parking, to valet, and straight in for drinks & dinner. Basically I avoid going outside. Haha!!! 😉
My Curated Wardrobe
My winter uniform is very similar, jeans, sweater, heels if I can stand it, boots when I can’t. This is probably why I keep buying more coats, because if it’s all anyone sees, it should have variety. I’m also now in need of some snow boots that don’t scream ‘snow boot’ I can wear on my dog walks, because it’s far too cold and muddy for sneakers, but I feel silly in my snow boots when there is no snow. Pretty sure that is a silly problem…