20+ Winter Outfits for Women That Look Warm and Chic
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There’s that first morning when you can see your breath on the way out, and your fall jacket suddenly feels thin. From then on, good winter outfits have two jobs. They keep you warm on the walk, and they still look good when you sit down somewhere warm and the coat comes off.
Both are easier than they sound, because it all comes down to one idea. You build the outfit from the inside out, one layer at a time. I went through a few hundred winter photos on Pinterest and kept only the 20+ where you can really tell it’s cold.
What Makes Winter Outfits Different From Fall Outfits?
In November, a knit and a light jacket still get you through most days. Then one week the wind picks up. If you’ve ever been cold before you reached the corner, you know that week.
That’s because winter outfits are really two outfits. There’s the one people see outside, which is mostly your coat, your scarf and your shoes. Then there’s the one that’s left when you hang the coat over a chair.
The other thing that changes is the wind.
The National Weather Service calculates how cold it feels on your skin with its wind chill chart, and at 30°F with a 15 mph wind, it feels like 19°F. That’s 11 degrees colder. So when you get dressed, the “feels like” number in your weather app is the one to trust.
If the weeks you’re dressing for are still more fall than winter, our fall to winter outfits cover that stretch. For real cold, the outfit starts where nobody looks, right on your skin.
Get The Look: Winter Outfits
How Do You Stay Warm Without Looking Bulky?
Bulk usually happens when one huge sweater has to do everything. If you’ve ever peeled off a sweater on a hot train, you know how that ends. You’re too warm inside and cold again outside.
Several thin layers keep you warmer than one thick one, because the air between them holds your body heat. The CDC’s cold weather advice says the same thing: wear several layers of loose clothing for better insulation.
Closest to your skin goes a thin base layer, like a merino or thermal top. Next comes the warm middle, your knit. Last, the coat blocks the wind.
The material matters most in that first layer. Wool stays warm even when it gets a little damp, while cotton soaks up sweat and then cools you down. That’s why a cotton tee under a big coat can leave you chilly after a hot subway ride.
Your legs work the same way. Of the 19 outfits I picked where you can see the legs, 14 wear jeans or trousers, half cut wide and half straight. Both leave room for thermal leggings underneath, and nobody will know they’re there.
Under a skirt, the warm layer is your tights. Opaque tights at 80 to 100 denier are much warmer than sheer ones, and fleece-lined versions are warmer still.
Of course, nobody sees any of this. What people do see indoors is the next layer, so that’s where the style starts.
What Should You Wear Under Your Winter Coat?
You probably know the moment the coat comes off. You sit down in a café or at your desk, and now the sweater is the outfit.
That’s why the piece under your coat should look good on its own, and in winter it’s almost always a knit. A turtleneck covers your neck, so you need less scarf. Chunky knits give plain jeans some texture.
1) A Cream Turtleneck Sweater With Jeans and Loafers
This sweater does a lot. A cream turtleneck this big makes a café stool feel like a cozy spot. The funnel neck sits high, so your scarf can stay in your bag, and blue straight jeans end at white socks and black loafers.
Because the sweater is light and the jeans are a soft mid-blue, the look stays gentle without looking washed out.
2) A Gray Turtleneck Sweater With Light Wide Jeans and Heels
Gray on gray is easy. This oversized gray turtleneck goes with light gray wide jeans that fray at the hem, and black pointed heels peek out underneath.
A burgundy croc clutch adds the only color. You could wear this one straight from the office to dinner.
3) A Cream Cable Knit With Black Jeans and White Sneakers
On a mild winter day, a thick knit can even go out without a coat. This cream cable knit is long and roomy, worn with black straight jeans and white Veja sneakers.
A black shoulder bag and a coffee keep it simple. The cables give the plain black jeans all the texture they need.
The catch with a chunky knit is the coat on top. A thick sweater under a fitted coat pulls at the shoulders, so either size your coat up or pick a finer knit for the days you wear it closed.
Inside, you’re done now. Outside, though, most people will only see one thing, and it’s the biggest piece you own.
Which Coat Is Best for Your Winter Outfits?
Your coat is what people see on the sidewalk and in every photo you take outside. It also decides how warm you’ll be. So it’s worth choosing for your weather first.
For most winter days, you’ll reach for one of three: a long wool coat, a puffer or a faux fur coat. Each one works best in a different kind of cold. You probably know which kind your city gets most.
Wool is warm and looks polished, but wind gets through the weave and rain soaks in.
A puffer blocks wind and is the warmest for its weight, while it looks the most casual. Faux fur and shearling are very warm on dry days and the most eye-catching, but they get heavy and matted in wet snow.
A leather jacket is great for mild winter days, but on its own it’s too cold for real winter. Under it, you’d need a thick knit and a big scarf, unless it has a warm shearling lining.
As for color, brown is everywhere this winter. Of the 18 outfits I picked with a coat or jacket, 8 are brown, from dark chocolate to taupe. Black, gray and cream make up the rest. You can browse women’s jackets and coats in our shop in all of these colors.
I picked three outfits for each coat, so you can see it on different styles. Let’s start with the one you’ll probably wear most.
How Do You Wear a Long Wool Coat in Winter?
A long wool coat makes jeans and a sweater look finished in seconds. It’s also the coat you’ll wear most often in a city, from December right through February.
Let it end below the knee, and wear it open so the layer underneath shows. Under the hem, you only see your pants and shoes, so choose them as carefully as the coat itself.
4) A Dark Brown Wool Coat With Jeans on a New York Crosswalk
Yellow cabs behind you and a coat that almost reaches your ankles: this is the city version. The dark brown coat hangs open over a crisp white shirt and a brown belt, and straight blue jeans fall onto heeled ankle boots.
The shirt is the surprise here. It’s lighter than a sweater, so it works on a dry, sunny winter day when you’re walking a lot.
5) A Long Taupe Coat Over a Fluffy Cream Sweater
Taupe sits between brown and gray, so it goes with both. This double-breasted taupe wool coat almost touches the cobblestones, with a fluffy cream sweater underneath and black ankle boots.
A round brown bag and sunglasses finish it. Because the coat is so long, only the boots show below the hem.
6) A Long Gray Coat With a Beanie and Black Sambas
This one is gray from top to bottom. A long gray coat, a gray beanie and wide gray trousers all match, and black Adidas Sambas break it up at the bottom.
With a coffee in one hand and a tablet in the other, it’s a real workday outfit, and the matching colors keep it calm.
A wool coat has two weak spots. Wind blows through the weave, and steady rain soaks into the wool and makes it heavy, so on stormy days you’ll be much happier in the next coat.
When Is a Puffer the Better Winter Coat?
If you’ve ever waited for a bus in a snowy wind, you know how thin a wool coat can feel. That’s when a puffer earns its place.
A puffer keeps you warm because its filling traps air, while the shell blocks the wind. Short puffers look best with wide jeans or trousers, since the short jacket and the long legs balance each other.
7) A Cropped White Puffer With Light Wide Jeans and Platform Uggs
White is brave in winter. A white puffer turns a gray street into a bright picture. This one is cropped at the waist, and light wide jeans run down to platform Uggs.
A round cream bag and a coffee finish it. Against the dark wall behind, the light colors stand out even more.
8) A Black Puffer With Dark Jeans and Tan Uggs
Black puffers are the easiest ones to wear every day. This one has a big collar and a hood, with a black beanie on top and dark gray straight jeans below.
Tan Uggs and a small black shoulder bag finish it. The warm tan on the boots keeps all that black from looking heavy.
9) A Plaid Puffer With Gray Sweatpants and a Cap
A puffer can have a pattern, too. This brown plaid puffer is zipped up to the chin, with a NY cap, wide light gray sweatpants and white sneakers.
A coffee and a small crossbody bag make it a cozy errand outfit. Wide sweatpants work here for the same reason wide jeans do: the short jacket needs long, loose legs to balance it.
A puffer’s downside shows up indoors. It’s warm and bulky, so in a crowded café or on a long train ride you’ll end up holding it on your lap, and a short one is much easier to carry around than a long one.
For the coldest dry days, there’s a coat that’s just as warm and a lot more of a statement.
Get The Look: Winter Outfits
How Do You Style Faux Fur and Shearling in Winter?
Some winter days are bright and dry, but freezing. Those are the days for faux fur and shearling.
Fur is the most eye-catching thing you can wear. So keep everything else simple, in denim or in black. Maybe a long fur coat feels like a lot to you. Then a cropped fur jacket gives you the cozy look in a smaller dose.
10) A Brown Faux Fur Jacket With Black Wide Trousers in Paris
Brown fur and black trousers look expensive together. This shaggy brown faux fur jacket ends at the hip, with wide black trousers, black leather gloves and a big black tote.
The Eiffel Tower in the background doesn’t hurt. Since the jacket is short, the wide trousers carry the length of the outfit.
11) A Light Faux Fur Jacket With a Scarf Hood and Uggs
This is the soft version. A light gray faux fur jacket meets a gray scarf wrapped over the hair like a hood, with light blue straight jeans and chestnut Uggs.
Over the arm hangs a monogram bag. Pale fur and pale denim keep the whole look light, and that suits a gray winter day.
12) A Long Faux Fur Coat With a Cap and Sambas
Caps make fur casual. This brown faux fur reaches the shins, while a navy cap, light jeans and black and white Adidas Sambas keep it relaxed.
A structured black handbag is the only dressy piece, and the stone square in the background does the rest.
Faux fur has a weak spot too. Wet snow and rain mat the fibers, and a long fur coat gets heavy. Save it for dry days, and let it dry on a hanger before you brush it.
With your coat chosen, the top half is done. Below the hem, though, your legs and feet still have to get through the cold.
Can You Wear a Mini Skirt in Winter?
If you’ve ever walked home in a mini in January, you know which part gets cold first. Still, the honest answer is yes, with a few rules.
Your legs need a warm layer, and the thick tights from the first layer are exactly that. Then tall boots close the gap between your hem and your shoes, and a coat covers most of what’s left.
13) A Pleated Mini Skirt With Black Tights and Knee Boots
Here’s the mini done for winter. A black pleated mini, black tights and knee-high boots sit under a charcoal wool jacket with a high collar, and a small quilted bag hangs across the body.
Because the boots end right below the knee, only a little of the tights shows. The longer your boots, the shorter your skirt can be.
14) A Black Mini With Tights, a Big Scarf and Tall Uggs
Snow and a mini can go together. A short black coat and a cream fringe scarf keep the top warm, while black tights run into tall black Uggs with white socks peeking out.
Then there’s the small black shoulder bag. Most of the warmth here comes from the tall boots, because they cover your legs almost all the way up to the knee and keep the snow off your tights.
15) Velvet Shorts, Tights and Snow Boots With a Cream Jacket
This one swaps the skirt for short black velvet shorts. A fluffy cream jacket, a cream beanie and cream gloves go on top, and white snow boots with knit leg warmers go below.
Sheer tights look pretty, but out in real snow, opaque ones are the warmer pick. Everything except the shorts and the bag is cream, which looks lovely against white snow.
Every mini outfit has the same weak spot: the strip of leg between your boots and your hem. That’s why a mini works best under a coat that’s longer than the skirt.
Once your legs are covered, the next question is your feet, and most of the time that means sneakers.
Can You Wear Sneakers With Winter Outfits?
Sneakers are probably what you wear on most days, so it makes sense to keep them on when it gets cold.
On dry, cold days, they’re fine with thick wool socks. In snow or slush, mesh and suede soak through fast. That’s when boots with a grippy sole are the better pick. Seven of the 21 winter outfits I picked wear sneakers, and only one of them is out in the snow.
16) Gray Sneakers in the Snow With a Long Gray Coat
Here are the sneakers in the snow. A long charcoal coat goes over a gray hoodie and gray wide pants, with a gray beanie and gray sneakers.
Wearing one color makes the outfit look calm on a messy, slushy day. Mesh sneakers like these get wet fast, though, so this works best for a short walk on a cleared sidewalk.
17) A Shearling-Lined Leather Jacket With Leggings and White Sneakers
A leather jacket gets winter-ready with a shearling lining. This black aviator has a cream shearling collar, and a black turtleneck and black leggings keep it sleek.
White socks and chunky white sneakers make the outfit feel sporty. It’s a good look for a quick walk on a dry, cold day.
18) A Cropped Faux Fur Jacket and Wide Black Trousers on Prince Street
Prince Street in SoHo, a cropped faux fur jacket and wide black trousers. With a black cap, a black bag and Adidas Sambas, it’s an outfit made for walking.
Suede Sambas are fine on a dry day like this one, but they won’t like slush.
If your winter has a lot of snow, a pair of women’s boots with a lug sole will save you a lot of wet socks.
From the neck down, you’re covered now. What’s left are your head and your hands, and that’s where a winter outfit gets its finish.
Scarf, Beanie, Gloves: How Do You Finish Winter Outfits?
If you’ve ever walked home with numb fingers, you know which part to fix first. Ears are next.
The CDC’s advice is short and clear here too: wear a hat, because hats reduce the heat escaping from your head. A big scarf does a second job, since it covers your chest and shoulders and adds the most color to a dark coat.
19) Earmuffs, Leather Mittens and a Long Black Coat
Earmuffs keep your ears warm without flattening your hair. These are cream and fluffy, over an oat turtleneck and a long black coat.
Black leather mittens with shearling cuffs keep your hands warm, and a quilted chain bag adds the only shine on a snowy street.
20) A Cream Fringe Scarf With a Brown Coat and Knee Boots
A big cream scarf brightens a dark coat right away. Here, it hangs long over a dark brown coat and a cream sweater, with a black mini, black tights and lug-sole knee boots.
A Christmas tree by the door makes it feel like December. Cream and brown is one of the warmest-looking pairs you can wear.
21) A Plaid Scarf Worn Like a Hood in the Snow
When the snow starts on your walk, pull the scarf over your head. This plaid fringe scarf is wrapped like a hood over a brown coat, with brown gloves and a brown shoulder bag.
It’s warm, it keeps your hair dry, and it turns a scarf into the whole look.
Accessories have one catch. Add too many, and the look gets busy. Two pieces are usually enough, like a scarf with gloves or a matching beanie and scarf.
Back to that first morning when you can see your breath. Put a thin warm layer under a knit you love. Then choose the coat for your weather, and add one accessory. Then you’ll walk out the door warm and come back in looking like yourself.
For a head start, I’ve also put together complete outfits for you, with every piece linked at a few different prices.
Get The Look: Winter Outfits
Questions About Winter Outfits for Women
Three are enough for most days: a thin base layer, a warm knit and a coat. On very windy or freezing days, add a second warm layer under the coat, like a cardigan or a puffer vest.
Yes, if they’re thick or fleece-lined. Under a long coat, leggings with boots look neat and keep you warm. Thin leggings on their own are too cold for real winter.
Blue jeans are the easiest match, because the cool blue balances the warm brown. Cream and white knits make brown look warmer, and black makes it look deeper.
At 20°F, wear a thin base layer, a thick knit and a puffer or a heavy wool coat. Add a hat, a scarf and gloves, and pick boots with a grippy sole if there’s snow or ice.
