How to Wear Dresses in Winter | Petite-Friendly

I wear dresses year round. Even when temperatures drop to 30 degrees Fahrenheit here in New England, you’ll still find me in a dress more often than not. As a petite woman, it’s just so much easier to find dresses and skirts that fit than pants. Today, I wanted to share some tips on how to wear dresses in the winter.

Look for Midi/Maxi Dresses

I wouldn’t last two seconds bare legged in a knee length dress in 30 degree weather, but this midi/maxi length helps to block the breeze.

Invest in a Long Coat

My sister bought me this coat from Boohoo for Christmas, and it’s been my best friend ever since. Just as the length of the dress blocks the breeze, so does the length of the coat. In addition to that, I have other winter coats (short puffers, long puffers, knee length peacoats, etc.) that don’t look as flattering with long dresses as this coat does.

Pair A Midi/Maxi Dress with Ankle Boots

I’m more than happy to expose a little bit of ankle and wear flats. If the thought of the bitter cold nipping at your ankles makes you cringe, you can always pair your midi/maxi dress with a pair of ankle boots to keep yourself completely covered. My sister wore a midi dress with taller, mid-calf sock boots and it looked fabulous as well.

Embrace the Pantyhose! And Tights.

I know, I know, there’s a lot of back and forth over whether pantyhose are old lady or chic because Kate Middleton wears pantyhose.

Half of my sock drawer is stuffed full of black tights in 80 denier. When I do wear knee length dresses and skirts, I usually pair them with a pair of black tights and knee high boots or flats. Tights are thicker than pantyhose, and keep my legs a little warmer when wearing shorter skirts. I like buying them in black because it’s a good neutral, formal color for work. I also prefer a higher denier for more coverage for work.

To be honest, I only have two nude pantyhose, and I never used to think about wearing them. Recently, I started to wonder why that was, considering they’re just a thinner version of the tights that are my workhorses during the winter. Although I will still go bare legged when wearing longer dresses and skirts, on occasion if I want some extra warmth, I will slip a pair of nude pantyhose underneath.

I hope you found these tips on how to wear dresses in the winter useful! Do you have any tips and tricks to wearing skirts and dresses in the colder season? If so, share in the comments down below!

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Thanks for reading!