LOVELY LAYERS

I have been asked a lot about "layering" and how to do it successfully. I am no expert and this blog will never be about telling women 'how to' but I am happy to share some things that I have found work for me.

There are a number of reasons why the concept of layering appeals and works for me.

• Where I live, we have four distinct seasons. I don't particularly want four separate wardrobes for each season so items that can work alone in the heat or layered in the cooler weather work well for me.

• A small to moderate sized wardrobe is what I aspire to, so items that can be layered and work across most seasons help to keep my wardrobe at a manageable size.
• In keeping with maintaining the size of my wardrobe, layering items provides opportunities for endless combinations which helps keep my wardrobe feeling fresh.
• And finally, the use of layering is one way in which I feel I can explore my creativity and make my outfits uniquely my own.

Photos found on Pinterest

The truth is basic layering is simply a part of getting dressed most days.  It's what I have heard some people refer to as 'advanced' layering that I find so interesting.  The layering of unexpected items, creating unconventional silhouettes, volume over volume, volume over skinny, asymmetric hemlines and different textures.  Originally the domain of the more avant garde designers, much of this has now trickled down into the mainstream, but it's not for everyone and some of us do struggle with what might be loosely termed "the art of layering".

I find that the key thing is proportion.  It's getting the proportions right that make our layering look intentional. But the tricky thing is that you can't be too prescriptive, as body type tends to impact on the success of layering also.  At not quite 5ft2, I am generally looking to create a nice long line and give myself some height.  If I don't get my proportions right, I can end up looking squat, heavier than I am, and short legged.

For the most part, for me, it's just playing around with layers and seeing what works.  I take photos and review those photos as sometimes I find the mirror doesn't quite tell the truth!

Photos found on Pinterest

I have been a fan of layering for many years.  My first efforts were layering dresses over pants.  But of course, I discovered that you can't just layer any dress over any pair of pants. Playing with dresses or tunics and pants can be a fun way to start discovering what shapes, lengths and volume works for you when layering.  A slim pant worn with a more voluminous, or cocoon shaped dress is often a great pairing.  

One of my current favourite layered ensembles is pant, long tunic and jacket.  This is a reliable work uniform for me.

I have included some layered outfits I have found on Pinterest that I would love to recreate.
My Pinterest boards contain a lot of layered outfits if you would like some inspiration.

More on layering in future posts, but for now, I would love to know how you feel about layered looks and does layering factor in your own outfits?

xxx Deborah