Keeping warm, staying chic with latest winter duds

By Molly Gore

The holidays are gone, and with them the excuse to dress unapologetically from head to toe in sequins and satin. Even if glitzed-out glamour and velvet isn't your style, toned-down versions of these looks for winter are universally appealing and easy to wear.

This winter provides looks for the bold and the conservative.

From overstated party dresses and bauble cocktail rings to everyday gray knit sweaters, the trends this season are friendly to both the cautious and the easily bored.

For the bolder, there's leather and retro colors. For a softer feel, think silk, lace and neutrals.

Adapting holiday wear for the daytime is simple; wear the satin as a tank top under a tunic-length cozy sweater, or put the velvet on ballet flats paired with straight-leg jeans.

In a place where the temperature rarely dips below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, winter fashion is less about functionality and more about style, and, thankfully, all the flattering looks from fall are here to stay.

Wide-leg trousers are wider, sweater dresses are still here and gray is still the color of the season (with brights mixed in as tights and scarves). Exaggerated layers are the way to go, and long, oversized sweaters are everywhere.

Putting together a look during any season has everything to do with proportion. If the proportion and fit is right, it's hard to go wrong anywhere else. Fashion is about silhouette, not the name on the tag or the brand on the T-shirt.

In the season of layering that is winter, it's easy to get creative and play around with pieces and proportion. Think high-waisted cigarette jeans with a tunic-tank or long tee and oversized sweater a la Mary-Kate Olsen. On that note, for those prone to channeling celebrity style icons, it's best to keep it less than exact.

To channel Mary-Kate Olsen would require sky-high leather oxfords, and a budget and taste for fur. Instead, buy flattering but comfortable cigarette jeans, one neutral-colored layering tank top, an enormous oversize sweater that will fit over everything you own, and an infinite number of fun bracelets and long chain necklaces.

Think unexpectedly oversized on top, and Audrey Hepburn-esque tailored on bottom. Resist Uggs. With two or three consistent staples, the rest is free for your mood to decide.

As for the shoes, flattering flats can go a long way. Ballet skimmers will never go out of style, and they're seasonally universal. They can be dressed all the way up, or as a grungy essential with a long plaid shirt.

How to wear the looks of winter (if you like them):

* Flat boots

Essential. Get yourself a pair of brown, black, gray or plum-colored that hit mid-calf or just below the knee. Wear them with anything.

* Tights, not leggings

Unless you are wearing them with boots, or you are a gymnast or jogger, it's time to ditch the leggings. Tights come in warm comfortable knits and every color of the rainbow. Unexpectedly bright colors are perfect with winter neutrals, too. Wear them with boots, a very long T-shirt or tank, and a very, very large sweater.

* Color

Looking toward spring, colors are bold and bright, and all mixed together. The European runways showed dresses and T-shirts as canvases. No pattern or regularity, just faux-impressionist prints in vivid brights.

* No spaghetti straps

Spaghetti straps reached their peak in the mid-1990s, and they've been petering out ever since, for good reason. Think three-quarter sleeves on dresses or shirts.

* Exaggerate

An oxford shirt with a collar and cuffs that are double the normal length and a hem hitting mid-thigh can be remarkably adaptable, and delightfully unusual. A borderline-costume look is fun to wear. Whatever happened to the dress-up box? Just try not to overdo it.

* Plaid

It can be chic -- tucked in or too big -- and casual with tailored pants or tights.

* Wide-leg trousers

If one piece should be popular this season, it's the wide-leg trouser. Widely underappreciated, the classic look is flattering in denim, tweed and wool, as long as the top is kept more fitted. Think the look is too dressy for everyday? The cut comes in cotton and as sweatpants.

* Safari

The theme hit runways in every city: jungle animal-inspired jewelry and belted light-brown jackets.

* Embellishment

From dresses to clutches to flats, embellishing details make the mundane party-worthy, as long as it's not overdone. Pick one bold piece with excellent detailing and maybe some shimmer.

* Raise the waistband

The high waistband is not dated, but super-tight, super-low skinny black jeans are. High trousers are flattering, easy to move in and fun to accessorize. They let you bend over, too. Just try them.

* Retro

Overstated pants, collars and rings lay testament to the staying power of the '70s retro-chic. It's fun to wear, too.

* Skip the pearls

Next to the sparkly baubles of this winter, pearls begin to seem matronly and uncreative.

* Pick your trends

What looks good and makes you feel better is always in fashion. Sacrificing personal taste for a current look defeats a designer's purpose -- to make what moves, surprises and excites you.

It seems lofty language for the emotional impact of a garment, but the aesthetic pleasure of a beautiful and functional piece provides timeless excitement for the senses, like looking at a painting you love.

Just remember -- find two staple pieces that fit the silhouette you like and fill in the rest with whatever fits your mood and taste. Have fun with crazy jewelry, overstated outer pieces and vivid colors no one would expect.

Contact Molly Gore at (408) 551-1918 or mgore@scu.edu.