‘Layering is where the fun begins’: how to style a summer dress for winter

Stuart Walford, Rosalind Seehusen and Karinda Mutabazi demonstrate how to build a winter outfit around a summer dress using scarves, tops, hats, pants, tights, coats and boots Composite: Karinda Mutabazi / Rosalind Seehusen / Stuart Walford

A great dress (obviously one that has pockets) can be effortless in the truest sense of the word. Flattering, comfortable and a self-contained outfit, especially during summer when it’s warm enough to leave the house without a jacket. Now, as the temperature drops in the southern hemisphere, it might seem like the time to relegate summer dresses to the back of your wardrobe. But, with the return of Y2K fashion and the trend towards layering and dresses being worn over pants, that doesn’t have to be the case. Here four stylists explain how to build a winter outfit around a summer dress.

‘Scarves are a fun way to make a dress more wintery’

“A dress is just a dress but becomes a whole look when you layer with other pieces,” says the Melbourne-based stylist Rosalind Seehusen. “Personally, I think summer is quite boring in terms of styling, so for me layering in winter is where the fun begins.”

For underneath a dress she suggests turtlenecks, tops with a high neckline or a long-sleeved shirt. She’ll often add warmth by layering a dress over pants such as a wide-leg jean. “I’m wearing a cotton maxi dress gifted from a friend with wide-leg jeans, biker boots and a menswear blazer,” Seehusen says of her look above. When throwing a coat over the top she advises picking one that is either the same length or longer than the dress.

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Accessories are also a great way to add warmth, including heavy boots or ballet flats with wool socks. “I always pair with a cap or a beret,” she says. “Scarves are also a fun way to make a dress more wintery.”

‘Tights are an easy way to add warmth and colour’

When the Melbourne stylist and creative director Karinda Mutabazi wears dresses in winter, she starts by playing with texture, including layering fuzzy knits over sheer lightweight fabrics. She opts for warm and breathable natural fibres, such as wool and cashmere, for layering garments.

When styling a dress under a knit or jacket she first considers the volume of the dress. She’ll play up oversized proportions by layering chunky knitwear on top of voluminous dresses, or create pared-back silhouettes by using a slip dress and layering simple styles that don’t add bulk over the top. When deciding what style of pants to wear under a dress, she takes into account the dress’s length and silhouette.

An outfit that features two worlds colliding is always much more intriguing

Stuart Walford

“For a baggier pant I would be looking at those baby doll or empire line minidresses,” Mutabazi says. “These have some volume in the skirt and cinch you in under the bust, which is perfect for defining your shape while balancing out the wider-leg pant.”

Or she’ll style a long shirt dress over a column or palazzo pant. “Wear it like a ‘shirt jacket’ with the lower button undone to show off your warmest knit and pants layered underneath,” Mutabazi says.

Perhaps the most straightforward way to make a summer dress fit for winter is by wearing it over tights. “[They are] an easy way to add warmth and a hint of colour and texture to your look,” she says. “Red tights are everywhere, but I thought they were too bright to pair with this fit [above] so I layered them with blue fishnets.”

‘Style feminine silhouettes with masculine layers’

For the Melbourne stylist and creative consultant Stuart Walford, styling a summer dress so it’s warm enough for winter is an opportunity to play with the unexpected.

“An outfit that features two worlds colliding is always much more intriguing; hard and soft, fem and masc, or prints clashing,” he says. “The intersection of masculine and feminine energy really interests me, so I often look at ways I can style feminine silhouettes with more masculine layers.”

When building a winter outfit around of a summer dress, he suggests layering a loose T-shirt under something strappy. “This could be an oversized band T-shirt worn under a delicate dress, or a well-tailored blazer over any dress is always a really great look,” he says.

Walford says getting creative with accessories can help balance out an outfit’s layers and proportions. “If your dress falls shorter than your coat, perhaps you need to look at balancing the proportion with tall boots, or adding socks to your sneakers,” he says.

‘Be practical first and go from there’

Charlotte Agnew’s first piece of advice when styling a summer dress for colder weather is to make sure you’re warm. “Don’t think too hard,” says the Paris-based stylist. “Be practical first and then go from there.”

When building an outfit, she says to “keep it in the same world” to avoid looking messy. Instead of adding an item such as a blazer to a summer dress, she suggests layering coats or jackets made from similar fabrics – think a trench over a cotton dress, or a cashmere coat over a woollen one. Then add depth by playing with accessories such as shoes and bags.

“Understand what works for you and then have fun with versions of that,” Agnew says. “You’ll always be received well when you’re comfortable.”