Today’s topic is winter pastels, a great way to lighten your look as we head towards spring.

Happy February! As we head down the winter homestretch, upgrading winter closet essentials is a great way to avoid the wardrobe rut that can happen this time of year.

This week, we share three tips on how to mix and match winter whites into your wardrobe at this time of year.

The days of packing all your whites away after Labor Day are long gone. When mixed into your cool weather wardrobe with thought, white is not only bright but also modern and unexpected. White boots have been trending for a while, white jeans look winter-made when paired with appropriate winter footwear and tops, and there truly is a warm white coat for everyone – promise!

When dressing during the darkest days of the year, I tend to reach for my black pants first. It’s a uniform mentality that gets me out the door quickly and ready for both business and days that are my own. With denim everything trending right now, I find I am opting for my black denim jeans the most.

Every new decade brings the promise of fashion trends that become part of the fabric of our times, impacting how generations are defined and years are marked. The roaring 20s brought us flappers, the 60s flower power and boho chic, the 80s power suiting (including very big shoulder pads!) and the 90s the beginning of business casual dress codes that are now standard throughout every imaginable industry.

Not too long ago, short pants were a seasonal wardrobe choice worn mostly in warm weather. Today, they are literally "cropping" up in all seasons giving the trend a much wider range of style interpretations for both men and women. They can be preppy and very casual when worn with sneakers and other flat footwear and quite fashion-forward and sophisticated when dressed up with heels and a variety of hosiery.

For many of our clients, vests are only thought of for very casual activities and are often regulated to the back of coat closet where they rarely see the light of day after fall yard work is said and done. Yet rethinking how vests can add a layer of warmth and style in the winter months is a great way to add a unique touch to your wardrobe for work and play.

2018 is off to a great start here at Dressing Well. Our stylist team is busy helping our private clientele navigate January sales racks while also providing closet sessions that combat cabin fever and tidy up indoor spaces that are hard to turn your back on this time of year.

During the winter months, it takes a variety of coats to get you out the door feeling stylish and pulled together while protecting yourself from the elements. At this point in the season, you know which ones you love (and which ones you are missing!)

In this week’s blog, we share a sample of the coat checklist we use with our private clients to help them part with coats that are no longer serving them while priming them to take good advantage of coat sales that are raging right now.