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Dressing my Way Out of the Winter Blues

  • Megan Waddington
  • 9 hours ago
  • 4 min read

By: Megan Waddington



When it comes to dressing for winter, I’ve hit a slump. Especially the harshness of London during the blues of January can be draining in many ways. Winter clothing is one of my favourites, but recently it seems repetitive, there’s only so many combinations of tights, skirts and jumpers you can rotate. Small shifts through this month instead of huge reinventions and resolutions might be the way forward, as they reveal a stillness of just being with yourself and not huge, unrealistic expectations in a time of blues.


What are winter blues, and why do we deem January as a dreaded month? I think as the glitter of December fades and the calendar empties, the world feels less saturated, more rigid and goal-oriented. Which is not necessarily bad, just more focused and a little less fun. January operates a limbo of looking forward into the plans of the year, and it makes a lot of us feel overwhelmed. January serves us an emotional jet lag as we experience a seasonal come down. Psychologically, the shift can feel like a dopamine withdrawal: the brain, accustomed to the rewards of the festive period, struggles to adjust to stillness. 


I’m allowing myself to start simply, by gently romanticising my winter wardrobe and style. When I feel more enthusiastic about what I’m wearing it aligns with the trajectory of my mood, and it shifts. It doesn’t fix everything, but it helps. On cold, grey days, that feels like enough. In winter, when everything slows and turns inward, these small choices feel grounding, a way of taking care.


If we can’t beat the winter blues, perhaps the answer is leaning towards wearing them. Icy blue is seemingly creeping up within the fashion circles as the colour of 2026. Icy blue is a shade that mirrors the softness and clarity this season seems to demand. My mind jumps to the icy blues of eyeshadows, a bare glowing face with a pop of pastel colour leaves a striking appearance that can make any outfit an editorial vision. It’s a look championed by Zara Larsson’s make-up artist, Sophia Sinot, whose use of bright colours and visual expression brings back the romance and artistry of makeup even in the dullest months of the year. While it's grey outside ,we can bring the colours of brighter days of summer months to our faces. 



Bringing back funky tights and socks to enhance my winter wardrobe could shift the blues. My vision is Blair Waldorf coloured tights to combat the monotonous months. Pink Pantheress is my current inspiration of fun tights, which she has quietly made her signature. Her style intentionally adds texture with a little Y2K, school-girl romantic, very London, very Vivienne Westwood, with plaid patterns taking front and centre. The tights ground the look while keeping everything wearable. Rotating in funky colours, textures and patterns turns into a playful response to the black tights I’ve been growing increasingly tired of. Each choice becomes a mood shift, a subtle response to the weather rather than a surrender to it. Sometimes the most expressive, impactful forms of expression are ones closest to the skin, usually going unnoticed. The brand Moody Mumu perfectly captures this, legwear as mood regulation rather than mere layering. Funky tights become emotional punctuation marks to draw attention in a simple and subtly sexy way. 




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Hair, too, shifts with the seasons. In summer, it’s left to move freely, largely untouched and pushed out of the way, requiring little thought or intervention. Winter, by contrast, invites reinvention. Headbands, clips and hats become part of the daily uniform, small, intentional choices that transform hair from an afterthought into a quiet statement. I think back to the Chanel spring/summer show a few seasons ago, where a deep side part, secured with ornate clips, demonstrated how minimal intervention can carry maximum impact. The look was restrained yet deliberate, proving that a single, well-placed detail is often enough to anchor an entire outfit, romanticising even the most unforgotten strands of hair. For a modern reference, look to @selinadreijer, whose approach to hair feels instinctive yet precise: clean parts, sculptural clips, and an ease that suggests beautiful styling was considered never laboured. Her whimsical details feel fresh and chic, just what winter calls for. 


When I think of chic moments that elevate an outfit during the winter months my mind wonders to hats, in particular the Chanel beret Julia Robets was wearing in Notting Hill. A simple adjustment, but one that lingers. Proof that true chic often lies in the subtleties, where one detail is enough to bring back the spark to an outfit in times when winter yearns for it the most. This season hats reclaim attention, integral to the winter uniform, whether its berets or baker boy caps that offer both function and refinement, elevating hair from an afterthought to a deliberate finishing touch. 



Perhaps winter dressing doesn’t require a complete overhaul after all. In a season that can feel heavy and repetitive, small shifts, either a change in colour, texture, or detail, offer a way forward that feels both grounding and kind to us. January, with all its stillness, asks less for reinvention and more for attention to how we dress, how we feel, and how the two quietly influence one another. 



  



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