Styling Boots for Winter

Styling Boots for Winter

how-to

It’s time — time to pull out the boots! Depending where you live, it probably changes what boots you’ll be styling this winter. I’ve pulled out three pairs of boots to style for this segment. These boots help me transition from fall to deep winter. Alright, let’s get into it!

The Boots

1. A classic pair of rain boots - I’m styling the Classic Black + White Ankle Rain Boot from Alice + Whittles. These are the perfect rainy day boot that seriously go with any outfit because they are so simple and have such a classic look. I’ve worn these around town and also on light hikes and they’ve held up very well keeping my feet dry and warm.

2. The elevated ankle boot - I’m styling the Town Boot from Dear Frances. These are literally a dream to wear! They are so slim and beautifully crafted with the most flattering soft square-toe silhouette. They feature a comfortable heel and delicate panelled sides. These have been my go-to pair of every day boots.

3. The weather-defying combat boot - I’m styling the Phoenix Lace Boot from Sorel. I bought these last year to replace an old pair of winter boots that came to the end of its life. These held up pretty well in the Toronto snow and keep my feet feeling snuggly and warm throughout the winter.

Outfit #1

Striped Top: old Muji
Denim: Nina Wide-Leg Jean, Frank & Oak

Jacket: Renew Teddy Liner, Everlane
Rain Boots: Classic Black + White Ankle Rain Boot, Alice & Whittles

Look number one is made for those light, rainy fall days — complete with wardrobe staples like a striped long sleeve shirt and a pair of wide leg denim. Pop on a fleece jacket and some classic rain boots for the perfect casual rainy day outfit.

Outfit #2

Sweater: Modern Fisher Cotton Sepia, Tradlands
Denim: Abigail Crop, Outland Denim

Jacket: RAINS
Rain Boots: Classic Black + White Ankle Rain Boot, Alice & Whittles

This outfit is for those cold rainy days when you just want to stay snuggled in bed. I’ve tucked a classic fisher knit into a pair of black skinnies, along with cozy socks. To complete the look, I went full on with the rain gear — rain jacket and rain boots to make for the perfect waterproof outfit!

Outfit #3

Sweater: Oversized Sweater, Vetta Capsule
Denim: 90s Cheeky Straight Jean, Everlane

Jacket: Aritzia
Boots: Town Boot, Dear Frances

If you know me, you know I love timeless, classic outfits. This outfit is something I can see myself wearing season after season. I’ve styled these ankle boots with a pair of straight leg jeans and a chunky, oversized black knit. This is my kind of go-to outfit during the colder seasons. I mean, who doesn’t want to snuggle up in the coziest sweater while sipping on a cup of hot coffee? For the outerwear, I’ve gone with my oversized wool coat that gives it a pop of colour while keeping the sophisticated feel of the outfit.

Outfit #4

Turtleneck: old UNIQLO
Denim: High Rise Pant, Tribe Alive | Use Candice15 for 15% off!

Jacket: Aritzia
Boots: Town Boot, Dear Frances

Continuing on with the classic outfits, lately I’ve been experimenting with lighter denim for fall/winter and have been loving it! It adds another dimension to an outfit and a sort of airy, lightness to outfits that would typically be weighed down by heavier knits. In this outfit, I’m playing with contrast. Contrast in colour as well as with silhouettes. I really enjoy the dramatic feel of the black turtleneck against the beige pants and the form fitting top with the wide-leg bottoms.

Outfit #5

Turtleneck: old UNIQLO
Denim: old Cheap Monday
Belt: Frank & Oak

Puffer: ReNew Long Puffer, Everlane
Boots: Phoenix Lace Boot, Sorel

The final pair of boots I’m styling are my winter snow boots. This is an outfit I often sport during the winter because it’s simple and easy to throw on in the hustle and bustle of a busy morning. This outfit has a slimming silhouette with the black turtleneck and high waisted mom jeans, cinched at the waist with a minimalistic circle belt. The combat-style boots add a bit of edge to an otherwise “plain” look. For this wintery look, a puffer jacket is the way to go!

Outfit #6

Sweater: Oversized Alpaca Crew, Everlane
Denim: Abigail Crop, Outland Denim

Toque: me-made hat!
Puffer: ReNew Long Puffer, Everlane
Boots: Phoenix Lace Boot, Sorel

This final outfit features the most gorgeous alpaca wool knit tucked into a pair of black skinnies. The combat boots continue the line of the black skinnies, making my legs appear longer than they are. This helps to elongate the body and is a simple styling hack for anyone looking to add a little height to their outfits! I “topped” off this look with a me-made toque and a puffer for my final deep freeze outfit.

That’s it from me! I hope you enjoyed these wintery outfits and little tips along the way for styling boots this season. Maybe it’s given you a bit of inspiration. I’d love to hear your thoughts — let me know which outfit was your favourite! Is there one that you want to try out this season?

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This post is not sponsored but contains some gifted items and affiliate links. If you decide to shop through the links above, I make a small commission that helps support this blog and my Instagram. I only share products and brands I love and support. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Candice Tay!

Winter Wardrobe Care

how to:

winter wardrobe care

It’s almost that time of the year again when we turn the clocks forward and the days get a little longer and the air smells a little more fresh. I seriously can’t wait for Spring to roll around. As much as I think snow is beautiful and it’s wonderful to experience 4 seasons, I’m ready for a bit of warmer weather. I have been wearing my winter capsule for about 3 months now and all of my pieces are still holding up very well. A huge part in having a sustainable wardrobe and one that lasts longer is determined by how well we take care of the garments that we own. The fast fashion industry has created a mindset in us that feeds our desires of wanting to fit in with the latest trends and buying quantity over quality. We want to fill our gigantic walk-in closets till they are beaming with the latest styles and we have countless outfit combinations. I’m not saying that all fast fashion pieces are poor quality, but the majority of them are. However, if you have a lot of fast fashion pieces, the most sustainable thing to do is to take care of those pieces too. I still own a few pieces from fast fashion brands that are holding up well because of proper garment care.

Today I’m here to share how I care for my winter wardrobe. Winter wardrobes often include things like heavy-weight knits, delicate knitwear that needs to be dry-cleaned only, winter boots, and parkas. If you take care of these items, they will definitely last you a long time and hold up for many more winters.

knitwear

First, let’s talk knitwear because we all love knitwear, but honestly, who has the time to bring all their delicate knits to the dry cleaners! I sure don’t and taking care of them at home is much cheaper and really isn’t as difficult as you think. It’s not as simple as throwing them in the wash and will require a bit of work on your part, but it’s worth it to keep your garments in good condition. When I first tried out the Everlane cashmere this past season, I received many DMs and comments about how I wash my cashmere and wool sweaters. It’s always a little daunting to wash those delicate pieces because I’m sure many of us have had the experience of tossing something in the wash and it coming out 3 times smaller! Story time: Growing up, one of my chores was to do the laundry, and so the first time I learned this lesson was unfortunately with one of my mom’s wool sweaters. I’m thankful for a gracious mom, but I sure felt horrible to have shrunken her sweater small enough to fit a child! Anyone else have a shrunken sweater story? Share yours in the comments below! To avoid any more shrunken sweater stories, I’ve shared step by step, how I wash my knits.

Step 1: fill tub or your sink with COLD water (temperature of water is very important!) Not only is laundering with cold water better for the environment, warm water is often what shrinks knitwear.

Step 2: add a few drops of your laundry detergent. Here I’m adding a few drops of Castille soap to the water.

Step 3: completely submerge your sweater in the water. As gently as possible, start to agitate the sweater in the water by continuously pushing the sweater under the water and gently pressing it down. It’s important not to wring out the sweater at any point in this process.

Step 4: after you have drained the water, keeping the sweater in its natural shape, gently squeeze out the water. Again, do NOT wring out the sweater. It does not have to be completely dry at this point and wringing the sweater will cause stretching in the material.

Step 5: next, bring your sweater, along with a towel to a flat surface

Step 6: reshape the sweater and lay it on a flat surface on top of a towel

Step 7: begin to roll the sweater up in the towel like a burrito

Step 8: once you’ve rolled up your sweater in the towel, push down to squeeze some water out into the towel

Step 9: finally, reshape your sweater again and lay it out on the towel to dry

Step 10: once your sweater is dry, give it a quick gentle steam and fold up properly for storage

Everlane: Square V-neck Cardigan
Here’s a final look at my freshly cleaned and folded sweater!

So what do you think? It is a little more time consuming than regular clothing that goes in the wash, but I think it’s a better alternative than going to the dry cleaners. Now to answer a few of my most FAQ other than how do I wash my knits haha!

FAQ:

How often do you wash your knits?
I wash my knits about once or twice a season. Delicate knits like wool and cashmere should not be washed so frequently as that will cause the fabric to wear down faster. I also don’t sweat that much on a day to day basis and my knits don’t get filthy dirty so they don’t need as frequent washing.

How do you store your knits?
I store my knits either in my chest of drawers or on stacked flat on a shelf inside my closet. Always, always, always fold your knits to avoid stretching and disfiguration.

How do you de-pill your sweaters?
I’ve read of many different ways to remove pilling from sweaters, however, I actually haven’t ever de-pilled my sweaters. My sweaters have not accumulated that much pilling that I feel the need to do so. The ways I’ve read about are to use a sweater comb, an old razer, or a sweater shaver. I think that frequently removing pilling from your knits may cause the fabric to wear down quicker so I would recommend only do it once every season before you wash your knits.

Boots

Depending on the state of how dirty or salt-stained your boots are, my may or may not work for you. I always recommend wiping away salt stains frequently throughout the winter to avoid having to scrub tough stains at the end of a season. For boot care, I keep it fairly simple. I use a simple all-purpose cleaner that I use around the home made of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water and a bit of olive oil to shine my leather boots. I spritz a bit of the vinegar mixture on an old rag and clean up the salt stains and water stains. I then go in with a bit of olive oil on an old rag to shine up any leather boots.

Far left: Frye
Middle: Alice + Whittles
Right: Sorel

These are the three pairs of boots I own and they have really been great this past winter! There honestly isn’t too much wear and tear or stains on my boots, but it’s still a good idea to clean them before putting them away in storage. My pair of short leather ankle booties (far left) have lasted me about 9 years and are still as good as new, only better because the leather has molded to my feet.

Alice + Whittles rain boots all cleaned up, but will probably carry me through Spring too! If you’re interested in a good pair of sustainable rain boots for Spring, check them out. You can use my discount code CANDICE 10 for 10% off!

outerwear

This past winter I mainly wore my two parkas. An old Canada goose that I’ve had for about 8-9 years now and the Everlane ReNew puffer. Similar to knitwear, I only wash my parkas once a season or once every 2 seasons. For my parka, I usually bring it to my dry cleaners unless it says it’s machine washable. I have yet to find a way to clean my parka at home. I recommend spot cleaning your outwear frequently or whenever you notice a big stain. There honestly wasn’t too much grime on my two coats and just a bit of spot cleaning and a gentle steam seemed to do the trick!

Here I’ve laid out my coat on the floor to do spot cleaning. There is discolouration and some light water stains on the front pockets.

Everlane: ReNew Long Puffer

After cleaning all these items, I typically store them away until winter rolls around again. For delicate knitwear, I store out of season knits in a chest of drawers. My boots are stored back in the boxes they came in or whatever shoeboxes are available often stuffed with their original paper stuffing to keep their shape. Finally, my outerwear is hung up in my closet stored with a dust bag and on a sturdy hanger.

I hope this little run-down on my winter wardrobe care has helped you or given you ideas on how to better care for your wardrobe to make your quality garments last long. I really believe if you take care of your items well, they will hold up for many, many seasons. Let me know your thoughts on wardrobe care below!

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This post is not sponsored but contains some gifted items and affiliate links. If you decide to shop through the links above, I make a small commission that helps support this blog. I only share products and brands I love and support. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Candice Tay!