Winter Dressing, the Italian Way: Light Colors, Layers, and No Black Coats

Feb 08, 2025

Last weekend Punxsutawney Phil emerged and declared six more weeks of winter —but if he lived in Italy, he would’ve wrapped up winter this week already! We've entered those first sunny days when winter clothes instantly stop making sense.

So, I wanted to recap what I wore the most this season before packing away my warmest pieces and making a note of what’s missing in my wardrobe. You know that the best deals and resell finds happen off-season, right? 😉

What did I wear the most this winter?

My beloved Prada FW2007 faux fur coats. Technically, they’re not really fur — the fabric is quite ingenious: a cotton base with sheared wool woven in. So, they’re super warm but not overly serious.

Over the years, I’ve collected this coat in three colors: light mint, bright green, and taupe grey. I usually pair them with something light colored—at most, navy—because winter is dark enough as it is but ,honestly, that applies to all my outerwear. I barely own anything black, the only exception is a giant Arket poncho-anorak, but not a single classic black coat or puffer.

Prada FW2007 coats that I’ve collected over 10 years

And speaking of classic coats — this winter, after looking at Scott’s wardrobe, I realized something: I don’t own a single navy wool coat (he has plenty!). Actually, I don’t own a classic wool coat at all. My outerwear is all a little crazy. Which is fun, but I think a long navy or grey coat would be a good addition — something I could throw over my more textured mid-layers.

What else did I wear a lot?

Double or triple knit layering. A long-sleeve tee as a base, under a vest, then a cardigan—or the other way around—but always in similar shades.

Vintage Prada mint coat and cardigan, Zara vest from the last fall collection, barrel-leg chinos from Arket, which I bought after wearing their denim version (from the Penny Martin collab) all winter.

Aside from the coats, I also have vests from the same Prada FW2007 collection (yes, I’m just waiting for some museum to ask me to loan them all for an exhibition). And I wear them in layered looks. Vests and cardigans are easier to find on resale — like here and here.

In the photo above, for example, I’m also wearing a mohair cardigan from the same Prada collection, but with a waxed finish. I love that in last season’s Miu Miu FW2024, Mrs. Prada revisited this material again.

Waxed mohair knits as seen at Prada FW2007 and Miu Miu FW2024

The one purchase that defined my winter?

Let me confess: I’ve never owned a Christmas ‘ugly’ sweater. Not sure why — maybe because where I lived before, the tradition wasn’t really a thing. But since when has that ever stopped me?

So, this was the first winter in my life when I found a cardigan that could qualify as an ‘ugly’ sweater — but even better!

Enter: the Tirol cardigan!
Bally could have been inspired by something like this:

I found mine on Vinted, but I see lots of similar ones on Etsy (e.g. this one is beautiful) and eBay (this one is my favorite).

What I love most? The embroidery of children playing tug-of-war across the front panels. Such an unexpected detail! The colors still make it feel festive, but you can wear it all winter without it screaming "holiday season."
I could imagine one with kids having a snowball fight — but that would have to be a custom order from a knitter I guess.

Keywords to search for:

Lanamoden
Mirabel Salzburg
Steinbock
Geiger Tyrol

To match that Alpine vibe, I paired it with a recently found Prada FW2014 fur vest from resale. And those same barrel-leg Arket jeans—honestly, there wasn’t a single week this winter when I didn’t wear them.

My ultimate winter look? Inspired by Milan.

Or rather, by Milanese men — because white jeans are a winter staple for them. Mine are from Massimo Dutti (similar ones here). The grey Prada blazer was originally a gift for my mom, but I borrow it all the time. It might seem like the most "basic" piece in my outerwear collection, but even it has a twist—raw edges and ¾-length sleeves, meaning it requires long gloves.

gloves: I found mine on resale — vintage Prada in a mustard shade, very reminiscent of the Miu Miu FW2024 gloves. And my Prada FW1996 bag ties the whole mix of seasons together perfectly

Oh, and I can’t forget my favorite fringed sweater from Dries Van Noten’s iconic SS2015 collection. I’ve been wearing it in winter for years, and it always gets tons of compliments.

But fringe deserves its own post — coming next week. Turns out, it’s more complicated than I thought 😉