How to make the most of your winter accessories, part 2

Featuring hats, brooches and gloves gratis

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Welcome back to revelation season, where warm accessories reign supreme and I have officially assumed the Swedish adage about there not being bad weather, only bad clothes as one among my own. I just have a feeling it’s going to snow a lot! Or even if it doesn’t, I just like long distance walking! And who knew how much more manageable it was/is to long distance walk with a hat on your head.

Speaking of which, let’s resume where we left off after scarves in the first installment with none other than:

Hats

Tip 1: Style a beanie with feminine earrings

The most obvious choice for cold-weather hat is a beanie because it’s the warmest (and most practical) option. Practical, I realize, because when you take it off, you can just tuck it into your pocket or bag. Such is not the case with a structured knot hat. The knot hat needs it own chair.

But back on beanies: the thing that bugs me about winter dressing is that all the layers are so dull and heavy, which means the looks we wear can quickly take on too masculine a cue. And that is underscored by the beanie — so when I’m wearing one, I make sure its to contrast a look that is more whimsical. Like a cape style coat:

Khaite beanie (comes in black too), By Malene Birger coat (you get a similar vibe with a cape style), shirt and pants, Le Set white ‘Margo’ tee, The Row ‘Tyler’ booties (lately v into these)

Or something even more out there — a sequined leopard print knit.

But even if you’re wearing your classic every day coat and all the drab layers mentioned above, that’s totally okay because the style notes here are mostly to do with the earrings you pair with the beanies. They’re the pop of feminine life you give to the outfit, the reminder that suns rise again.

Subtle drop pearls feel like the most immediate no-brainer

Carlota Cahis knit beanie, Khaite sunglasses, Leandra Studio pearl drop earrings, St. John sequined leopard knit

Or a pair of shiny studs.

Khaite beanie (this one from Acne is the right color ref, and this buttery yellow one is sweet too), Ana Khouri earrings

But lately, I am also drawn towards extravagant, long earrings like this (but really this) on the fine side or this on the playful side. I’ve done a collage just like this before, but here’s an edit of different pairings, incorporating good beanies that are out there rn.

From left: Daphine gold shell earrings ($110), Completed works asymmetric silver and cz earrings ($195; I like these too)), Lisa Yang oatmeal cashmere knit beanie ($89), Jil Sander off white VELVET beanie ($123), antique ‘sapphire and diamond’ earrings from Etsy ($99), Loulou Studio black beanie ($59). Do also enjoy this tie dye number from The Elder Statesmen for $155 and this loopdiloo from Bode for $118. The SSENSE sale really is the gift that keeps on giving, huh.

One more thing I’ll say on hat: how you place it on your head matters! I push mine towards the back of my head for maximum back-of-ear coverage, and it makes a big difference as far as how it looks from the front. Example:

Resident of Bed-stuy who brews their own beer at left, me at right.

If a beanies not for you (which often it is not for me), we’re in luck because cold-weather hats are getting weird.

Tip 2: There’s never been a better time to wear a weird hat

The Row’s Asrid hat (but here are a few good options from Etsy), gold pins from Bevza and Dorkas, who just launched a brooch capsule! See it here.

Anything goes from The Row’s Penelope to Amy Downs’ knot hat, the pill boxes mentioned above or the ambitious berets and shearling lined caps you can find populating the best known commerce sites.

Isn’t she lovely?

The objective seems to be: keep your head warm and keep your head weird.

From left: Toteme beret ($210), Margiela beret ($201; dropping in this camel one from Rokh too), The Row’s Penelope ($990), Nicklass Skovgard hat ($449), Etsy pillbox ($61.20, and I’m dropping in this mid-century velvet number for $58 too)

Rohe coat (I bought it for Abie from the Matches sale for $400; I really think this car coat from Toteme might be worth it, or the shape of this from S Max Mara is 10/10), Loulou Studios ‘Mora’ sweater (but can I suggest this Cashmere in Love cardi too?), Nue Notes corduroy pants (here’s the good pair from Issue Twelve too) and The Row sandals styled (on sale in some sizes here) with stockings to look like they are these

The best thing about them as far as I can tell is that the less interesting your outfit is, the better. Like pile all on the depressing heavy layers, eat your heart out with them! It doesn’t matter. The hat’s got you. The hat, and I guess…

The Brooches

Tip 1: Add it for whimsy so you don’t have to do anymore work

As evidenced by the above look and the overarching sentiment I keep drilling down on this month, it seems brooches could be the difference between a boring and slightly elevated outfit this winter. Look what that gold egg and the sun next to it for example did for the collar of my coat up above. Or maybe you remember from Tuesday’s edit how the fish popped off one of the scarf looks. The other way to do the brooch thing is with one that looks more like a corsage.

Acne coat (another one I bought for Abie during a sale a hundred years ago; very good alt here on sale for $825 and really like this shape from Frame for $1,300 too), J. Crew men’s sweater, Rouje jeans, vintage cowboy boots. The brooch (Gucci) is from there too!

Same logic underpins the motivation behind what makes this one work, which is a dependably good outfit that might not be so interesting, but which will not fail you no matter when you wear it.

I guess the corsage gives it an air of whimsy and while this isn’t really a tip on how to use warm weather accessories to stay warm, there is something to be said about what a brooch adds to a coat.

A brief edit of perfect sheer lens sunglasses feels apropos right now: 1, 2, 3

And the extent to which it can change the coat’s constitution. It’s like prom, with the coat is your tender, loving date.

Here’s an edit building on the one from earlier this week that encompasses gold, silver and fabric pins.

Toteme grey coat ($810), Frame double breast camel coat ($1,300).The pins: rEtsy ed floral brooch ($23.98), silver spiral pin ($57.22 or $95.99), Bevza gold egg ($160), vintage Jean Cocteau silver cat ($160), Trifari gold nautilus brooch ($105), Dahlia olive green silk flower pin ($13)

Gloves

The last category to touch on is gloves.

There are so many interesting things you can do with a pair of gloves — the way you can use a leather pair that is rendered in the same color as your wool coat to offset the fabric without deviating too far from it, or the opposite — using a printed knit pair to add delight and surprise to something plain, drab and black.

Tip 1: Add texture to your outfit by styling your coat with gloves of a different fabric

Hi Ruth!

A few ecomm styling examples. A wool coat contrasts leather gloves nicely, but the gloves don’t have to be leather. A tan fair isle knit peeking out of a black coat is lovely too.

Yohji Yamamoto gloves, which kind of look like these. These from Loewe are nice too

But my preferred use of gloves comes after you’ve used them and is more wrapped up in what to do with them.

Tip 2: Your gloves as a jacket accessory

Here’s a good pair of red leather gloves for $52.80

Stick them in your pockets and make them part of the outfit. Hold them as a coat clasp. Tuck them into your coat belt.

By Malene Birger resort 2023, The Row winter 2024

It’s all very Schiaparelli, very surrealist. Very Magritte or Claire Olshan. You can even possibly use one of the brooches from tip 1 to pin the gloves into your pocket. This will insure they stay put.

Dior ivory jacket, By Malene Birger gloves (these are good too), Toteme jeans (can’t recommend them enough, high waist and really good leg length; I’m 5”7. As far as waist: go with your regular size), The Row boots (size 35 here, 37 here, 38 here, and if you’re a 40, these are good too)

And it works on the outside of an outfit too — like when you walk into a store or any other place that no longer requires you wear them, instead of stuffing your gloves into your pocket, try letting them hang out of your coat pocket as if you yourself were an objet d’art, only better because you’re human and sensible and real.

And also because you had the foresight to match your scrunchie to your gloves.

Here’s a tight edit of some gloves, broken up by leather and knit. The main style notes are: if you’re going with leather gloves, go for a pair with no hardware or insignia, they’re easier to manage with the rest of your cold weather shit. Also, they are a good contrast to wool coats.

Lands’ End navy leather screen-proof gloves, which would be great with a camel or grey coat ($71.96; the light rich red is a good option too), J. Crew silver gloves, would also be nice with a grey coat, or something navy ($123; or $79 in black), Jil Sander’s perfect, elbow-length butter bravura, for any outfit ever ($275), Agnelle’s practical pattys in sage for black, camel, navy, brown ($170), Aspinal of London cashmere lined red leather gloves for camel, black but maybe especially grey ($135)

And if you don’t like leather gloves (I like them only sometimes), I say that assuming your coat is black, navy, charcoal grey or brown, you want to wear knit ones that are a lighter color. If your coat is really neutral, a print could be cute, but not too cute. Try a fair isle.

Rag and Bone beige glove ($55, I’d probably cut the tag off), Loewe fair isle gloves ($350, a good alt to Khaite’s or these darling mittens from Loro Piana), Maison Margiela white knit gloves ($84 and possibly the best contrast to a dark winter coat), Shetland Knitwear fair isle gloves ($39.99 and there are plenty more color combos where these came from)

Alright, that concludes this edition of The Cereal Aisle, but do let me know: do you like when posts are broken up over series like this?

Signing off,

Leandra