Fall Layering: A Simple Guide to Building Outfits That Work

We all have parts of us we don't like. I'm not too pleased with my arms but 
now that there’s this trend going around where everyone seems to be cutting 
pantyhose and using it as a top I have to say something. 

Well, I need to show you something really, the Sleevey Wonder. It’s the same 
thing, a mesh sleeve that you can wear under your tops or your dresses to hide 
your arms. But with the Sleevey you can rewear the piece and stop cutting 
through your hose. 

Here’s what I’m talking about, 

So all of these ladies on the internet are buying perfectly good pantyhose, 
cutting a hole in the crotch of them and pulling them upside down over their 
heads to make sleeves. The Sleevey Wonder does exactly that but you can rewear 
the piece and it has a V-neck so you can layer it under a V-neck dress. 
I am not going to tell you that a garment changes how you feel about your own arms. 
It does not but it sure makes sleeveless dresses a lot more wearable. 
For evening dresses that’s really what I would suggest and for daytime there’s one 
thing I like to remember: to hide our arms we can do two things, Layer under (Sleevey) 
or layer over. The Sleevey also comes in a Jersey that Les wears all fall to extend 
the life of her summer tops. 

Yes, its layers and I get it, layers can be a bit tricky but I have a system. 
Each layer has to be its own outfit and the base layer is always seen so it 
has to be the lightest layer.

There is nothing worse than going over to a friend’s house for dinner and you get 
there with your fall outfit on, a great new jacket and it’s HOT. You need to be able 
to take off that jacket and still feel put together. That’s what I mean when I say 
each layer should be it’s own outfit. 

I love the look of a collared shirt under a cardigan or a pull over but if you don’t 
want the full collared shirt you can of course do a dickie, I used to call these hickey 
hiders back in the day! Do you remember that? Anyway, a dickie is a great way to give the 
illusion of a layer if you run hot but still want that collared look. 

But your base piece could be any number of things. We have great collared shirts from 
Foxcroft that you don’t have to iron or for some colour start with one of our Habitat ones. 
It could also be a t-shirt. We have some new ones from Carelli that are 100% cotton. 
This layer should be pretty light and breathable. 

Your second layer has to be a little heavier than the first. So think like our leopard 
print cardigan from Orange Fashion Village or even a Charlie B pull over. This is when 
you start thinking about collars and colours. Do the colours go together? If your first 
layer has a collar the second layer has to be a pullover. 

And for your final layer you have the most structure. Like a jacket or a vest. 
This is where you could add your second collar and it would feel like you were doing it on purpose.  
You could also do an additional winter coat here but I would just get far too hot so we’ll leave it there. 

Don’t forget a touch of jewelry and a good boot and you’ll be good to go for any event, no matter what the weather!

If you’re not sure about all this layering, come into the shop and let us know! We’d be happy to help you figure out your next look.