my key to winterizing summer dresses: a red turtleneck
the secret weapon of my winter wardrobe
When the sweater + pants combo starts to feel stale, one item has come to the rescue. My red turtleneck has been my saving grace when I feel like mixing up a winter look, and hopefully some future spring ones as well.
The first dress to receive the red turtleneck treatment was this one I got from a Beacon’s Closet during the summer. I am unsure as to whether it is handmade, vintage, or vintage reproduction due to its lack of tags and labels, but I love it either way. It has a bit of a sailor vibe with the tie-front collar and back detail. The plaid fabric has a bit of red in it, which is what inspired me to layer the turtleneck underneath and subsequently launch my obsession.
I got this A.P.C. dress secondhand right at the beginning of the fall, so the only way I’ve been able to wear it is with something layered underneath. The neckline and general silhouette of the dress make it perfect for just that, and I may continue doing so with short sleeve tops as it gets warmer. I wore some white wide leg jeans underneath, as I felt that tights just made it feel a bit costumey? The shape of the dress is just so 60’s/70’s to me and I wanted to fight that a bit. I still warranted a few Mary Tyler Moore comparisons when styled like this but I’m happy with it.
Finally, the most recent dress I’ve worn with my red turtleneck is this apron style one from Sandy Liang. It was part of her home collection from October 2023, and I bought it for over half off at her sample sale in January! The photos from the collection had this dress styled without a top underneath but that is a bit much for me so I opted for my now trued-and-true turtleneck. I brought the red back in through the socks, (from baggu!) and that’s all this really needed. The dress really just speaks for itself and this is one of my favorite outfits of the year so far.
As for the turtleneck itself, it’s one from H&M that I’ve had since high school. While I obviously cannot advocate for H&M, I can advocate for wearing your clothes regardless of where they’re from. There are a ton of red turtlenecks online from more respectable brands and on secondhand sites and thrift stores, especially now that the color red has been having such a big moment. Thank you for reading!
Love all of these fits — red suits you beautifully!! Thank you for the inspiration to go re style all of my turtlenecks this week to make them more versatile. :)