How to stay warm & chic this winter. (44 classic minimalist outfits)

Winter is almost here, so today I would like to show you how to build a sustainable wardrobe that will help you stay warm, yet well put together. The most important things that you need to remember when building your winter wardrobe is to pay close attention to the fabrics and materials you choose. If you prioritize materials over brands, you will do just fine. That's because there are materials that can keep you warm, and there are the ones Let's see some examples and compare these different fabrics together. Cotton and pencil are both great materials in terms of durability and quality, but they don't hold heat well and can't keep you warm in winter. Silk, viscose rain, and polyester often look and feel similar, but they are actually very different fabrics. Silk is a natural fabric, which has the great ability to keep your body temperature comfortable and even. Viscose rain is not a natural material, but a semi-synthetic one. It's actually made out of wood mixed with toxic chemicals. Yeah, it doesn't sound great. Although it looks light and breezy, it's not breathable and also water repellent. That means it can keep you warm, but it will also allow sweat to build up. Polyester is a synthetic fabric made out of plastic. As we all know, plastic is not a breathable material, so the clothes that are made out of polyester can keep you warm in winter easily. The only problem is that it's also water repellent, which means that rather than absorbing sweat, it allows perspiration to build up inside the garment. Velvet and velour also look similar, but there are a few differences between the two. Velvet is a thick woven material that can be made either from natural fibers like silk and wool, super warm material, and from polyester, which is not that warm. Velour is kind of a thinner version of velvet. It's usually made from cotton or again polyester. Velvet is a little warmer than velour, but both fabrics are suitable for winter and will keep you pretty warm. Corduroy is a fabric that is made with fibers twisted together. Similar to velvet, it also can be made from natural materials like cotton or wool or mix of synthetics. Corduroy made from natural materials will obviously be the warmest and the most durable one. Wool and acrylic also look very similar, but have completely different properties. Wool is a natural fiber that is available in a variety of weights and textures and is probably the warmest fabric you could wear in winter. Just keep in mind that wool that is blended with synthetic fibers is not as warm as 100% wool. Any type of wool absorbs moisture and allows the body to regulate its temperature. That means it keeps you warm when you are cold and cools you down when you are hot. Acrylic is a synthetic material and it's not a very warm one. As any other fabric made from plastic, it doesn't breathe. It can make you sweat and it also doesn't keep the shape as well as wool. If winters are really cold where you live, you should consider buying a puffer jacket. A down feathers filled jacket is the warmest option. It's also much lighter than a synthetic one. Now let's talk a little about choosing shoes. Shoes that are made out of natural leather are usually warmer than the faux leather ones, although it all depends on the type and the quality of both. When choosing shoes for winter, it's better to get the ones that have a thick sole, especially if you get lots of snow in your area. Another thing that you can try to make your shoes warmer is to insert wool insoles in your boots and wear them with thick wool socks instead of cotton ones. As you can see, materials like silk, velvet, corduroy, wool and leather are the best choices for a winter wardrobe. They are all very warm, soft and cozy. Now you might think that the fabrics in your winter wardrobe maybe not warm enough or maybe they are mostly synthetics and that's okay. No need to panic and throw everything away. You still can make them work. For example, you can have multiple layers in an outfit. The more layers you have, the better the heat insulation is. I have a video dedicated to layering. You can check it out if you are interested. And another way to keep yourself warmer is to wear thermal underwear. You can find four types made from merino wool, silk, cotton and synthetics. The merino wool and the silk one will be the best options for everyday life because these materials are able to regulate your body temperature. Cotton thermal underwear is not really warm and performs in the same way as a cotton t-shirt. And synthetic thermal underwear is more suitable if you are doing some winter sports or spend more time outdoors. Today I would like to create a winter wardrobe with at least 40 interchangeable outfits using only 7 tops, 6 bottoms and 2 dresses. The style for today's wonder wardrobe will be classic with minimalist styling. Something that I haven't showed you yet. All right, now when the scope is clear I can start searching for clothes and I will, as always, use my ethical brand's guide to find beautiful and eco-friendly items. Here is the wonder wardrobe that I've just created. It includes 7 tops, 6 bottoms, 1 blazer, 1 cardigan, 2 dresses, 2 pairs of shoes, a bag and 2 winter jackets. When I mix all these items together I get 44 interchangeable outfits that don't involve any layering, 10 outfits that are styled with a blazer, 24 outfits that are layered with sweaters and 24 outfits that can be worn with a cardigan. That's right, these 17 items allow me to create 102 warm and beautiful outfit combinations. I was paying careful attention to the fabrics when selecting the clothes. I have items made from wool, cashmere, silk, denim and corduroy. As we discussed earlier, these are the warmest, natural and eco-friendly fabrics. Besides, there are so many options for layering that it will be almost impossible for you to get cold. I chose these 2 pairs of leather shoes. The ankle boots go well with all the pants. As you can see, the jeans and the green trousers are cropped so I had to find boots that are high enough to cover the ankle so no skin is exposed to the cold. The knee boots are perfect for outfits with skirts and dresses. For the top layer I've decided to go with down jackets. One is short and fitted to go well with the pants and the other one is longer and more spacious so you can wear it with the suit underneath or for outfits with skirts and dresses. To create this capsule I used 58 fashion principles and methods from the Wonder Wardrobe course. And although I didn't include that many items, this wardrobe came out to be fully interchangeable and very versatile. I hope you found this video useful and it helped you better understand what to choose for your wardrobe so you can stay warm and cozy during winter. If you have any questions or suggestions, let me know in the comments below and also tell me what do you wear during winter to stay warm and stylish. Let's chat and, you know, inspire each other. Thank you for watching and I'll see you next time.