How I’m wearing monochrome this winter

Another day, another excuse to wear a milky-toned look. Clearly, I’ve been taking this neutrals trend pretty seriously. As much as I love wearing head to toe black (hello winter uniform!), swapping out those staples for lighter hues during the colder months still feels fresh.

Wearing Mott & Bow sweater, Topshop trousers (old but similar here and also love this style), Edgii grey wool coat, Dior slingbacks (old but similar here), Phillip Lim mini pashli, Reliquia earrings

A lot of how I get dressed in the morning is centred around my wardrobe favourites – the ‘hot’ items of the minute that I want to wear on repeat. This cashmere sweater has been a major go-to as it’s so easy to style, the trousers are still going strong since I bought them earlier this year, and the coat is probably the cosiest, snuggliest thing I own. These tips aren’t new, but I thought it might be fun to revisit the styling tools I use to wear monochrome, applied to this outfit.

Stick to the same undertone

Each piece in this monochromatic outfit sits on the cool end of the spectrum; the sweater, the trousers, the coat, the bag and even the shoes. This is key to making a monochrome look work. To make it even more seamless, I also chose not to wear any of my yellow gold jewellery. I’m not afraid to mix metals, but in this instance I feel like it works better without.

Don’t go too ‘matchy-matchy’

I’ve worn a few head to toe monochrome looks recently, but I think I prefer it when there’s a slight colour shift to help break things up. For this outfit I opted for grey as a complement – it’s a pale, dove grey so doesn’t appear too harsh again the creamy hues of my sweater and trousers, and matching my shoes with my coat makes it feel cohesive.

Play with texture

My biggest tip for adding depth to *any* outfit is texture, texture, texture. This outfit includes textures of cashmere, double faced wool, suede, crepe and treated leather, which combined bring the look to life and stop it from falling flat.

It doesn’t have to be all black

Whenever I hear the word ‘monochrome’, I instantly think, ‘all black’. It’s a common association, but in reality, a monochromatic look can be made up of variations on any colour. My colour palette is definitely more pared back, so I tend to favour creamy hues or dark tones to pull off a monochrome look, but if you’re into your brights, that totally works too.