I’m definitely a dress lover so I don’t like to say goodbye to dresses in the winter months! There are a couple ways I continue to regularly incorporate dresses into my winter wardrobe with party dresses being the most common. However, the other main way I pull off wearing dresses all year round is by wearing and styling sweater dresses! A sweater dress is such a comfortable piece to slip on so, year after year, I always gravitate toward the look. I wear a sweater on an almost daily basis in the winter so why not make it a dress! The rest of this post is dedicated to how I recently wore this black sweater dress and to outfit ideas + different types of sweater dresses I love!

Dress (similar, similar, similar) / Cap Toe Shoes (also love these) / Earrings (also come in gold) / Wreath

How to Wear a Sweater Dress

Tip One: Pick a Silhouette You Love

Believe it or not, but sweater dresses can come in many different shapes and sizes so it’s important to pick a silhouette you love so you are comfortable all day in your outfit. My two preferences are a sweater dress cinched at the waist or a fit and flare sweater dress. I’m also completely comfortable with a boxy fit (although I know that’s not for everyone) so I can go that route but I definitely prefer a cinched waist. On the flipside, a girlfriend of mine as an incredible figure and she can pull off a fitted rib knit sweater dress like no one I know! Like I said, there is a sweater dress silhouette for everyone!

Tip Two: Cinch your Sweater Dress at the Waist

Going off of tip #1 here: since I said that my preferred sweater dress silhouette is a cinched waist look, I wanted to expand on that a tiny bit. I love a cinched waist because it gives off an hourglass effect, which can come in so handy with sweater dresses as the sweater material can sometimes be on the bulkier side. My black sweater dress has a waist tie, which I think gives it a more feminine and flattering look! I also love to achieve a cinched waist with fabulous wide leather belts (as seen here!).

Tip Three: Pick your Footwear Wisely

I have two main strategies for pairing shoes with sweater dresses: boots or a more ladylike shoe. It is the winter after all, so depending on where I am, I might still want to cover up my legs for warmth even though I’m wearing a dress. Enter: thigh high boots and over the knee boots. These two boot styles are usually fitted (opposed to a riding boot style) so they look really flattering paired with a dress. I think both leather boots and suede boots look fabulous with sweater dresses!

If you don’t need boots for warmth, then I love a sweater dress paired with a more ladylike shoes like I did with this outfit. Cap toe shoes are one of the best ways to achieve this! You’ve probably loved cap toed shoes your whole life whether you realize it or not. Let me guess: you grew up seeing your grandmothers and mother wearing cap toe shoes! Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean they are “old lady” shoes. It means it’s a timeless shoe style that is never going out of style! Cap toe shoes are definitely having a moment this season but you can be confident in buying a pair because they will always be classic! I adore my cap toe slingbacks (also love these)!

Different Types of Sweater Dresses

In my tip #1 above, I alluded to different types of sweater dresses so I wanted to share a breakdown of some of my current favorites! When it comes to sweater dresses, you can find turtleneck sweater dresses, knit sweater dresses, cashmere sweater dresses, fit and flare sweater dresses, fitted sweater dresses, loose sweater dress… the list goes on! I’ve rounded up my current favorites below including this ruffle sleeve sweater dress, this mock neck sweater dress, and this ruffle sweater dress.