As we delve deeper into sweater weather, many people are prone to sacrifice style for warmth, putting their dresses and skirts into storage until spring comes around again. Although your beloved floral dress won’t protect you from the elements, the beauty of accessories is that they can be varied up to suit the changing temperatures. A contributor of the lifestyle media publication Gurl says that any dress can be worn in the winter, as long as you have the fashion basics including boots, cardigans, leggings, tights, thick socks and scarves to support it.

[ image via vanessa jackman ]

You also have the option of shopping for new winter dresses. As you can see on the fashion e-store Lyst, brands like Missguided have a diverse collection of winter dresses with long-sleeved wraps, high necklines and velvet bodycons, but you should also try to make use of what you already own. Here’s how to incorporate your favorite feminine outfits into your winter wardrobe:

Wear cute knee-length socks or tall, fitted boots
Tights and leggings are obvious staples for the winter, but Cosmopolitan also suggests substituting these accessories with cute knee-length socks and tall boots. To keep you looking chic, make sure there’s some skin exposed between the boot or sock and the hem of your dress. For extra protection, wear a long coat and sheer or nude hosiery underneath the socks or boots.

Layering is key
Dresses are usually the star of the show, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to switch things up. A simple dress can be worn underneath a long sleeve striped tee or a cute sweater. It can be also worn over a snug, collared oxford shirt. The plain patterned dress will allow you to experiment with different colors and prints. Another way to layer is by wearing a thermal top underneath along with a standard slip dress, as the blogger of Smaggle recommends.

[ image via closetfullofclothes ]

Sport a turtleneck underneath a shift dress
In one of the many tips to winterize your closet, Buzzfeed says that a turtleneck works well under a shift dress. The new silhouette adds a little more complexity to the lack of detailed shaping made popular by Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy in the 1950s and 1960s.

[ image via vanessa jackman ]

Check out Style Motivation for more ideas and style inspiration for this season.