Amazon Winter Work Outfits for Women
TL;DR Winter work outfits get tricky because of layers, unpredictable office temperatures, and the commute. If you insist on a formula, try a monochrome base (kick crop pants and matching shoes), a merino sweater in your best neckline, a third piece, and your weather layer. Accessories after that to show who you are. The best formula though? Use the calendar in Adjust my Crown to log your outfits for one week and your own formula shows up. Log today’s outfit in Adjust My Crown: iPhone · Android This post contains some, not all, affiliate links. See the full disclosure at the bottom. Here’s how a winter work morning goes for a lot of us. We check the weather. We pull on the tights. We find the run in them. We grab our favorite jeans (trousers? Maybe you work in an office so they’re “trousers”?) instead, and they’re in the wash, because nobody looked the night before. So we change again. Now it’s 7:42, we’re late, and we’re in a mood before we’ve even left the house. I’ve gotten dressed for winter work in a Merrill Lynch office, at Smith Barney, in a public school system, and in an interior designer’s office. I’ve also spent years in clients’ homes, cleaning out closets and putting outfits together. Every one of those places had the same winter problem. We never really know what temperature we’re walking into, even when we know what it is outside. Is the house/office 82 or 65? So here’s how I make winter work outfits for women a lot easier. No pile of rules. Why Winter Work Outfits for Women Are So Tricky Winter dressing is a guessing game. Is the heat cranked, or is the AC still running for some reason? When I started at Merrill Lynch, we actually had to wear hosiery. (Tights, hose, whatever the kids are calling them these days.) In winter the hose were fine, but in summer it was brutal. It was the layers that got us in winter. Sweaters, blouses, jackets. Every layer is one more thing that can go wrong at 7:42. Something feels off, we change, we’re late. And once we’re late and irritated, nothing feels good on. So the fix has to happen before the morning rush. The Commute: Boots for the Sidewalk, Flats for the Desk Then there’s the shoe problem. The heels that look right at the office are miserable on an icy sidewalk. The boots that can handle the sidewalk don’t always look right at the desk. I’ve done it two ways. One is a boot that does both, something rainproof that still looks polished. The other is boots for the commute, with heels or flats in a plastic shoe bag inside a tote. We switch when we get there, whatever kind of office it is. If it’s really cold where you live, the walk in is the hardest part of the day. Plan the shoe first. Blondo makes great weatherproof boots, like this Ramon boot, and they’re a great value. At a higher price point, so do Aquatalia and La Canadienne. Occasionally you can find a great weatherproof boot within brands. Take Margaux. Their City Chelsea and West Chelsea boots are both water resistant. Freda Salvador offers this Brooke Rain Resistant boot. Work From Home Winter Outfits: Comfortable, but Ready to Work When the office is the kitchen table, winter gets tricky a different way. We want comfy. Machine washable is a real perk. But comfy alone can make the workday feel like it never started. There’s actually a name for this: enclothed cognition. It means what we wear changes how we think and act. It started with a 2012 study where people in a lab coat they were told was a doctor’s coat did better on attention tasks. Fair warning, a 2019 study tried to repeat it and couldn’t. But a later review of 40 studies found the newer research, after 2015, still backs up the main idea. So for work from home winter outfits, I want comfy clothes that still tell my mind and body, “We’re here to work.” Dress for what you want to get done that day. Or, as a good Southern grandma would put it, “Honey, dress for the day you mean to have.” It’s like wearing exercise clothes to exercise. I don’t think it’s just for the spandex involved. Maybe something as simple as this set gets you in the mindset to work. Add these shoes and you’re ready to work. Switch to slippers when you’re off duty. Love stripes? Throw on this set and use it to mix and match also. I’m partial to the green but know most people might gravitate to a more neutral option? These shoes are comfortable enough around the house for you to not revolt, but still get work done while you wait to put this on and be done with your work day. Love a peplum? Consider this your work from home “business suit”. Paired with these flats, your polished, and mentally ready to work until it’s time to switch to slippers and tell your brain it’s done with work mode. Do you think mindset matters as far as what you get done? Enclothed Cognition at 18, 35, and 50+ The research is still being worked out, so treat this like an experiment. Wear what matches the mood you want, then notice what happens. At 18 Study in real clothes instead of pajamas. It’s a free way to tell your brain it’s time to focus. For a first job interview or a class presentation, wear whatever makes you stand up straighter, not whatever’s trending. And start noticing which outfits make you feel capable. That list turns into your style before you can even name it. At 35 Get dressed even when nobody’s going to see you. On a home day with kids or a laptop, real shoes and one nice piece can mark the start of work time. Keep a hard-conversation