Dressing for the races in Autumn/Winter (A/W) is harder than Summer.
Not only do you want to look your stylish best, you also need to keep yourself warm.
In order to beat the Winter chills, I’ve compiled a list of suggestions to keep you looking demure and feeling snug in this season’s warm tones and classic silhouettes.
Contents
Materials and Fabrics for Winter Races
Firstly, consider your fabric options. A wool blend/tweed has a warm, wintery feel.
Thicker fabrics are fine too, and work beautifully in a structured tailored style.
Leather trims can look great. Alternatively, be brave and wear a whole leather garment, like a pencil skirt.
Faux fur trims bring a cozy, yet stylish, touch to an outfit.
Shapes and Silhouettes
Depending on where you are in the world, in the cooler months, you can be flexible with sleeve length because you can always cover up with a jacket or shawl.
Sleeves are great to play around with different shapes like a full sleeve, draped sleeve, ruffles, bell sleeve etc.
For extra warmth, wear a midi length dress or skirt.
If you are wearing a dress on a cold day, wear a thin singlet underneath that won’t show through.
Winter Colours
Rich jewel tones are favourites in winter time.
Colours such as navy, maroon, deep purple, copper, emerald green, mustard, oranges, tan and the classic black, white and grey are popular choices. Metallic accessories are fun to play around with too.
For more colour inspiration check out my post about how to choose your perfect colours.
If you decide on wearing a bright colour, it can still be acceptable for Autumn/Winter racing depending on the fabric and structure of the garment.
Capes and Jackets
A fun addition to an outfit is to wear a cape over the top. You can purchase capes in many different colours and patterns and look very on trend.
Fortunately, the days of the dull black suit jacket are gone and there is a wide variety of prints and colours and lengths to play with.
Gloves
People love to wear gloves in winter time.
They can be made of leather, suede or wool and come in a variety of different colours and lengths ranging from half palm to full length.
I love wearing gloves with an outfit, as it gives you a chance to add in an extra colour and feature.
If you don’t want to wear gloves, you can always carry them in one hand over your bag- extending your outfit with another feature.
Click here for my guide to choosing gloves and where to buy them online.
Millinery
Millinery of the season is often made of felt, wool, leather and silks. They can be adorned in a variety of trims such as feathers, leather flowers, lace and veiling, all great choices for winter time.
Metal crowns and headpieces are still trending around race courses and can be a great alternative to heavy winter fabrics.
Below are some examples of great Autumn/Winter headpieces by Jack and Jill Millinery.
and some more from Meredith McMaster Millinery.
If you haven’t discovered Millinery Market yet, I encourage you to check it out. It’s an online marketplace for buying and renting hats and it lets you filter the listings by hat shape, colour, fabric, features, price, etc. Makes millinery shopping a whole lot easier!
Accessories
Metallic accessories are popular this time of year and can be a great way to vamp up a dull dress.
Think gold, silver, bronze and chrome, as well as stones and jewels.
If you’re wearing winter tones then your accessories should match your outfit.
Shoes
Put away your strappy summer heels and snuggle into enclosed shoes.
Shoes with a slight peep toe have been spotted around FOTF recently too- a great opportunity to show off a matching pedicure.
Stockings
Stocking are a fun addition to an outfit.
Of course you can still wear your opaque stockings for added warmth, or you can make your stockings a feature of your outfit too.
These days there are a variety of fishnet and patterned stockings available.
Handbags and Clutches
Your clutch at this time of the year should also adhere to winter fabrics so opt for leather, plastic or a thick fabric. Steer clear of straw bags and anything with a summery feel.
And don’t forget to take a backup race day handbag with all the essentials.
Hair and Makeup
For Winter time makeup, aim for a darker bold lip such as reds, burgundy, maroons etc and a soft smoky eye.
And choose one of these popular race day hairstyles to complement your winter millinery.
Are you just getting started in the exciting world of racing fashion? If you found this post helpful, be sure to sign up to my newsletter below to receive one helpful tip delivered to your inbox each week.