Stuck in a Cardigan Rut? New Layering Ideas
Feeling stuck defaulting to the same cardigan or blazer?
In this Nat Chat, Natalie shares fresh, practical ways to layer your outfits without losing your style. From button-downs worn open to shirt dresses as dusters, vests for dimension, and creative scarf styling, this episode is all about rethinking pieces you already own—and using them in more interesting ways.
Episode Notes & Resources:
See Allison’s Style Strategy for creative styling tips.
Submit style questions you’d like answered in a future Wear Who You Are episode
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Read the full & Raw Episode transcript:
[00:00]
Welcome to another Wear Who You Are Wednesday. We are in peak summer. Yay. I hope you're having a great summer. I hope you are having a summer like a kid again where you're doing whatever your adult version of a Slip 'N Slide and sprinkler playing and all of those fun things is, because we need all the joy we can get, right?
But speaking of summer, I don't know about you, but I am always in this conundrum of sweltering outside, freezing cold inside. We've talked about it with Farida, but then I also got this listener question that is from Katie in Indianapolis.
What can I layer over my outfit besides a cardigan or a blazer?
[00:40]
That's a great question. Layering is a very important thing. Every time I style with a client, we always determine: What layer can go over this? What layer can go over this? For conditions of air conditioning or all the crazy temperature swings that can happen within a day once we get into transition season weather.
So when we're talking about layering, though, there are two considerations. Are you doing it for just style alone to add some texture and interest to an outfit? Or are you doing it for style and function, right? To keep you warmer?
[01:16]
So if you're doing it for just style alone, you can think of something like a vest, right? If you want to add just a little dimension, a little texture, a little something, vests are great. They can add a little interest to an outfit and give you that third layer when you don't want to do a blazer or a cardigan.
Now we're talking about function and style.
A couple other places we can go are just your button-down shirt, right? And I'm not just talking about, let's say, a white button-down shirt or a straight cotton button-down shirt.
[01:50]
You can do it with, let's say, maybe one of your silk or woven ones. I have some that are a beautiful pattern. For those that are watching this, you can see here that I have this blouse that typically buttons up, but many times I will just wear it over a tank top or T-shirt, and it adds some warmth and it adds some style, right?
Another tip is you can take a shirt dress. There are so many shirt dresses. I have a number in my closet. It can be worn open like a duster.
[02:25]
So long, flowy, something a little interesting. It gives you different silhouettes, different proportions, especially if you're wearing, let's say, a shorter skirt or dress or shorts, and then you have that long dress over it. It plays with the rule of thirds in a really interesting way.
And then just a duster in general. A duster is a long, open layer. They can be used as jackets in transition season, and they can also be used as just a great third layer for any day.
[02:58]
Another . . . I'm sure you've seen a million, million different tutorials on it . . . but scarves tied in interesting ways.
I'm going to link to Allison's style strategy. She is a master at ways of styling different things for me if you don't want just your typical pashmina.
I have a very hard time remembering all the ways you can style something, so I like keeping things very simple. That's my Relaxed style personality.
So you can do something like take one of your big scarves, tie the ends like an infinity scarf at the very, very end, and then you just wrap it over your shoulders.
[03:39]
You just wrap it over your shoulders and it covers them. It gives you a little—for me, my shoulders always get cold—but then it's not just a big pashmina hanging down in front of you.
So that's a great way to kind of create a shrug out of a scarf that you have without having it hanging and flopping around.
And then a final way is . . . I'm going to bring back the cardigan.
[04:07]
But if you want to wear a cardigan in an interesting way, especially maybe a big long one that you have, what I suggest you do is put it on backwards and upside down.
Okay. Backwards and upside down.
If you're listening to this, that's what you do. If you want to watch it, I suggest you go to YouTube and you can see it there.
So once you put it on, it sort of becomes a shrug. Then what you do is you take the bottom buttons of the cardigan, that are now at the top, and you button it behind you.
[04:41]
And what it does is it creates this really interesting shrug look, and the back is super clean. I'm going to show it to you.
So that's another fun way to style a cardigan in an interesting way where it doesn't just look like a cardigan.
And I know sometimes for me, when I'm wearing dresses and it hangs at a weird length, then you're like, "What do I do? The proportions aren't quite right, but I need to be warm."
So here's a way to kind of keep it loose, easy, fashionable, and cinched at your waist.
[05:12]
So I hope that helps for some creative ways, and I hope it inspires some ways for you to style your closet in interesting ways, to add layers for warmth and for some interesting personal style for you.
Thanks so much. Keep your questions rolling, and I hope you are having a wonderful summer day this Wear Who You Are Wednesday.