Black Tights Outfit
I need to wear more dresses. As a professed denim aficionado, I just don’t turn to dresses and, therefore, try to limit buying all the gorgeous ones I see. But this gorgeous (fair trade) dress – well, I just couldn’t pass it up, so I’ve been wearing it as part of this black tights outfit for all sorts of occasions this winter. I couldn’t be happier!
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Black Tights Outfit
It all started with my husband’s holiday party in December. After two years (albeit removed by all that virtual living we did), I thought something besides my go to black lace joggers ensemble was in order.
I passively looked (as one does) and wasn’t finding anything that was holiday party appropriate and that I knew I’d get a lot of wear out of. Knowing my style, I’m aware of what I’ll realistically wear and what I won’t.
Then I spotted this beautiful dress on my new favorite sustainable fashion site wearwell (read my full wearwell review). And then they were having a sitewide sale. So….I text it to my husband, asking his thoughts. He quickly said yes and I bought it.
I will note that he loves to see me in dresses, so I was pretty sure he’d like the plan.
Since the weather was in the 40s for the holiday party, I knew I’d need to layer up. Despite my preference for denim, I’m actually pretty good at layering under dresses for cold weather! So when the night came, this black tights outfit was what I wore – down to the boots and wrap coat (details below).
The only difference was that I wore my hair in a sock bun, trying to dress it up even more!
Layering Short Dresses for Winter
The following week, I was meeting a friend for coffee (at one of my new favorite Sacramento coffee shops). Since it was a leisurely get-together, I wanted to dress up a bit and pulled out the exact same look but with my favorite tote. It was perfect!
The trick to wearing short dresses in winter is the right layers underneath and thermal tights. I discovered their existence visiting a friend in England. She looked fab in a short dress and tights while I was layered like I was crossing Antarctica!
Tights come in varying thicknesses (measured in denier). The higher the number, the thicker the tights. They aren’t easy to come by here in the States, but the warmest I’ve found are 200 denier. They wonderful for making fall dresses last from fall to winter!
They’re also how I wear jumpsuits in winter!
Be sure to wash your tights correctly. Learn more in how to wash lingerie!
Victoria & Albert Fashion
Ok. So some fun history and details about this dress. First, sustainably, the dress is 100% organic certified cotton and Fair Trade. So it’s a lovely combination of beautiful fashion and sustainable fashion!
The pattern is actually based on a floral wallpaper from the V&A’s collection (yes, the famous Victoria & Albert museum in London). The pattern was originally designed by Kate Faulkner in 1879.
This dress was also part of my sustainable fashion collection with wearwell as was another V&A print dress (a maxi), which I wore in this shirt dress outfit as a jacket!
Black Tights Outfit Details
Mallow Short Dress | Thermal Tights (similar 200 denier)
Calvin Klein Coat (similar wrap coat) | UGG Boots (similar here and here)
A dress like this is an absolute winter capsule wardrobe must have! See these boots in another winter appropriate outfit – brown boots and black jeans!
Sustainable Fashion
Want more sustainable fashion? One of the best ways to live sustainably is to rewear pieces again and again!
Check out these black leather jacket outfits, poncho outfits, what to wear with linen pants for day to night, and 4 ways to wear a black button down!
You’ll also want to check out this list of second hand clothing from brands you love, my tips for creating (and maintaining) a minimalist wardrobe, why you should always buy quality clothes (because then you’ll always have something to wear), and these stylish and sustainable shoe companies!
