A foolproof winter outfit formula

Zara gray coat petite review

I’m all for effortless outfit formulas that require minimal effort in the mornings, and this is one of the easiest pairings that never fails me! Start with your coat of choice then pick a sweater in the same color family. Once you have the top two pieces down, the bottom combos are plentiful. Finish by layering on a patterned scarf or keep it monochromatic with the coat. Depending on the occasion, I usually do one of these bottom combos:

Express sock booties (3 colors)

Update: These are the current year version of the boots.

I first mentioned these on IG a couple months back as perfect for wearing under straight or tapered leg jeans due to the sock style shaft (surprisingly hard to find in smaller shoe sizes!). These fit my narrow ankles well and have a little stretch at the shaft, plus a zipper for easy on / easy off. The squared toe and angular block heel give these a modern look, and feel surprisingly stable and walkable for the heel height.

quince alpaca sweater petite review try on

Quince Alpaca crewneck sweater

If you are eyeing the Everlane sweater that I wear very frequently, this is a similar option that I had been wanting to give a try! It has a very similar cut, but the Quince size XS actually fits a bit smaller (about 1″ smaller all around) than the Everlane XXS. The quince one is also slightly lighter in weight, and has more of a balloon sleeve cut when directly compared to the Everlane sweater. This Quince sweater also has lower wool content and less of an itch factor than the Everlane, though I will say that my Everlane sweater started off pretty itchy but softened up with just a few wears! 

Quince petite sweater try-on review

Zara Coatigan

I popped into Zara to grab winter gear for the kids and there was a whole rack of this coat in all my favorite neutrals. It’s super affordable at under $50, and in addition to this light grey I also spotted a dark camel, black, and taupe (“sand”).

It only comes in sizes S, M, L, and XL so note this is an oversized fit on someone who typically buys xxs, and the sleeves are long on someone petite (I have them folded under). It is also completely unlined, so I would call this more of a “coatigan” good for layering rather than a heavy duty winter coat. Despite all this, I went back and tried it on about 3 times before bringing it home! I like that the overall cut is tailored with clean lines, and once the sleeves are shortened it looks pretty good and has been something I’ve reached for several times already!

My lazy self has just been folding the sleeves underneath (you can also secure them folded with a piece of fashion tape), but because it is unlined, I think it’ll actually be pretty easy to shorten at home via hand sewing!

petite winter outfit zara how to style straight leg jeans for winter

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6 Comments

  1. Kelley wrote:

    I love this outfit, I bought the coat. So cute, just the right amount of oversized for petites!

    Posted 1.5.22 Reply
  2. Kathy wrote:

    Hi Jean. I’ve been eyeing the alpaca sweater from everlane for awhile now but *hate* taking things to the dry cleaner. Would you say that the everlane sweater is machine washable friendly or do you think the quince is better for machine washing/drying? Have you experienced any shrinking at all since? Thanks!

    Posted 12.22.21 Reply
    • Jean | Extra Petite wrote:

      Hi Kathy, I have only hand washed the Everlane in cold water and haven’t machine washed either so can’t speak to it! Though I imagine they would be similar in terms of care

      Posted 12.23.21 Reply
      • Julia wrote:

        Hi Jean! I got the Everlane sweater and handwashed it in cold water in an effort to reduce the itch factor, which definitely worked but now the sweater is noticeably more shrunken – it essentially has straight-fitting sleeves now. While it’s still wearable, I’m extremely worried about having to rewash and having it shrink again – any tips, and have you encountered this issue? Thanks so much!

        Posted 12.27.21 Reply
        • Jean | Extra Petite wrote:

          Hi Julia! In my experience knits and denim always shrink with washing but stretch back out a bit after wearing. Also, I’ve never had something shrink further during a second wash as long as you don’t machine dry it!

          Posted 12.28.21 Reply
          • Cathy wrote:

            Very cute outfit. But can we say oo lala to that beautiful tote bag!!!

            Posted 1.1.22

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