Window Shopping - December 2016

Layering Isn't Just For Cakes

​Fashion consultant and personal stylist (and New Orleans firefighter) Greg Matusoff looks at fresh ideas for layering to add punch to your winter wardrobe. 

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Scarves by Bay St. Louis artist Kerr Grabowski

Winter. Just the word conjures up images of falling snow, icicles, hot chocolate, cutting down a tree to be trimmed, Christmas get-togethers, and layering.

Layering, you ask? 

How is this part of the holiday season?  Because I lived for many years up north, in both Ohio and New York. And for me, layering is as much of a part of the holidays as Santa Claus coming down the chimney.

Now that the South is my home, and has been for over 20 years, I still long for the cold, crisp days. There is something amazing about putting an outfit together that will suit you throughout the day, starting with scraping ice off the windshield before heading into work and then stopping off for a Christmas party that night. It's the heavy boots, shirts, sweaters, overcoats, and hats, gloves, and scarves that make it feel like Christmas is right around the corner.

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But in our Southern coastal town, layering is a little different. Now it's a tee underneath a button-down or light sweater, but the must-have accessory regardless of the climate is the scarf, preferably one that stands out.
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My personal favorite is one that was made by Bay St. Louis's own Kerr Grabowski. Each of Kerr's pieces tells a story, and if you have the good fortune to talk with her about a piece, she'll tell you the details behind it. “This is my granddaughter's image of a hug, this is the spider that was in my yard all summer, and this is a house with a ladybug coming up the walkway.”

Kerr and some of her layering creations

And what Kerr does on a microscale, we are doing on a larger scale every time we get dressed. We're telling a story with our outfit.

Since we're not blessed with freezing temps (or as many feel down here, it is a blessing) you have to be a little more selective with your materials and more creative with your layering. First off, all the clothes have to be breathable material, meaning heat is not trapped in. But you can still rock two or three layers even on our warm winter days.

​Think thin, light, and loose — a sheer camisole with hints of lace under a blouse where the collar and cuffs are showing under the sweater that ties it all together. For men, you can do something nearly the same, except I'd say cool tee under a button-down oxford with a v-neck sweater where you can see both the tee and the shirt at the neckline and the cuffs and shirttails are pulled out past the sweater. 

Greg and Kristie

You can forego the overcoat here, but a nice light jacket or sports coat would complete the look. If you don't need a jacket, you can still rock a scarf. And if you need some inspiration for what you can do with a scarf, leave it to Lifehacker to help you out.

As we're now in the midst of the holiday season, take the time to enjoy the shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, and getting Christmas cards in the mail, because what's really important is being with those we care about.

​So layer up, bust out your scarf, and as always, rock the ugly Christmas sweater; if you're unsure, Chevy Chase in “Christmas Vacation” has the answer. And in the end, we should all feel good about our own personal expression and live an inspired life.

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