The Winter Style Piece You’re Not Wearing But Really, Really Should Be
If your dream is to wear pajamas all day, this cold-weather essential is going to change your life
by Audie Metcalf
Once there’a a cold snap in the air, isn’t our collective dream to be wearing cashmere footie pajamas, buried under no fewer than 7 plush blankets, a ceramic mug filled with steaming hot tea within reaching distance, while possibly also wearing mittens?
The last thing we want to pull on in the frosty, potentially still-dark morning, is a pair of hard, crinkly (shudders) jeans or worse, any kind of constricting blazer. Where is the warmth? Where is the softness? Where is the blanket-like feel?
And so we realized, we have all been sleeping on (ahem) an entire category of clothing that’s the closest thing to wearing pajamas that exists:
The sweater dress.
And before we breathlessly regale you with our “reasoning,” just take a gander at these photos:
As you can see, this is the closest thing to wearing a full blown blanket that exists in women’s apparel. Which, as we have previously established for most women who are perpetually cold, is our collective dream. So why don’t more of us wear this magic garment? I have a theory. It’s because we don’t know how the hell to wear it. Frankly, I didn’t. But I made it my mission to make the sweater dress my go-to piece this fall/winter, and I think I’ve stumbled upon a couple of ways to style it.
First, this is more like a sweatshirt dress. Which is actually sort of double the comfort. After trying many (like embarrassingly so) this one from Free People is by far my favorite.
Price: $168
So it’s huge and shapeless, so I use a Fanny to give it some shape. That’s one of my moves, as you can see HERE and HERE. And I know it’s not for everyone, but for the people who have passed over to the Fanny side, they tell me their lives have never been the same. It’s just such a smart way to add shape to whatever you’re wearing, with a built-in thing that always covers your stomach (I’M NOT PROMOTING HATING YOUR STOMACH, I’M JUST SAYING) and, bonus, if you stash your wallet and keys and phone in it, you can enjoy actual “use” of your “arms” instead of futzing wIth a purse all day. It’s genius, and you should try one.
Word to the wise though, Free People clothes run enooooormous. Like sometimes 2-3 sizes larger than what you might guess. This, for example, is a medium:
This piece is truly the perfect thing to pluck from your closet when you’re bloated or tired or crampy and freezing to death. I paired it with THESE boots which I discovered when I was putting together THIS article where I attempted to find a cheap dupe for every single piece of clothing Naomi Watts wore in The Watcher, because I’m deranged. And now, they’re all I wear day to day. They have thus far attracted more compliments by strangers than almost any other piece of clothing or shoe I own.
Ok, so now here’s a more traditional sweater dress with a more shape-y yet still loose fit that has been a new go-to for slightly nicer events. Not that I go to any events because I loathe people, but you know, like I had a work meeting, I had a school thing, stuff like that.
Price: $220
Ladies and gentlemen, this dress is cashmere. And I can’t tell you what a smart splurge this was. It’s the softest thing I’ve ever touched, and because it’s such a plain, shapeless thing, the material is key to making it sing. I’ve worn it with Ugg boots and a puffer. I’ve worn it with white sneakers and a vest. My dog threw up on the sleeve and I wiped it away, and because it’s this beigey nothing/everything color, you can’t even tell. And it’s now become my absolute MUST HAVE outfit for when I’m bloated and periody and am making fake deals with some unknown entity upon waking up where I offer the tip of pinkie to be lopped off if it means I can just stay in bed all day.
But on those days, I wear it like this with nothing constricting my waist so that I can wear THIS underneath it and no one is the wiser:
I think overall what I’m trying to say is this:
A sweater dress is the perfect piece of clothing for those of us who would prefer to hibernate for the winter and only be awakened when the first crocuses bloom, but sadly have to continue to function, cook, parent, work, and generally “be a person” during those frosty months, AND we want to look incredibly, incredibly chic.
BTW, I am writing this article while wearing the sweater dress. I am also DRAPED in a comically large scarf, huddled under 3 blankets, and it’s 4:38PM and nearly pitch black out. Am I ready for bed? Or am I ready for a night out on the town? EITHER ARE EQUALLY PLAUSIBLE.
Get one. I feel cozier just thinking about you wearing it.
AND HERE’S ALL THESE SUPREMELY COZY DRESSES WE’VE TALKED ABOUT IN ONE PLACE:
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
We have to eat.
