My 'Citrus Theory' Is the Key to Making Your Winter Outfits Feel Less Drab

It’s the time of year where my kitchen table holds a reserve of snacking clementines on constant refill and lemon water is the only thing keeping me from a toddler cold downfall. It's also the time of year when it’s so cold that outfits tend to shift toward the utilitarian and comfortable, often ending up tonal, boring, and kind of sad.

Enter: my citrus theory. Just a little squeeze of citrus fruit colors, and you got the pep back in your step again. Whether that’s in one or two pieces of clothing, or, if you’re feeling non-committal, a sock or another small accessory, it works.

To prove it, I put it to the test, injecting the classics—lime, orange, lemon, and grapefruit—into my winter outfits. Overall, I definitely felt sunnier and brighter, even if the day was bleak and grey. Seasonal depression? Not in my closet!

A Squeeze of Orange

Plaids are kind of my cold weather “stripe". An easy outfit-building hack for me is to mismatch them up: Using my favorite Dries Van Noten blazer and Christy Dawn cotton skirt as a base, I added a jolt of orange underneath with a hoodie, à la J.Crew/Veronica Beard. It also doesn’t hurt to have an extra layer that can go over the head when the wind picks up.

A poppy plaid scarf and cashmere socks in the same hue rounded out the group with a total look that went from drab to delightful in just a few minutes. This “blazer weather” winter outfit set me up for a work day on Zooms and a friend lunch or running errands straight into a playground date.

A Squeeze of Lime

A lime green faux-fur trapper is kind of a niche item, but I was glad to have it on hand for this experiment. My mom had passed along this muted lime Vince sweater I gifted her literally 20 years ago that's super warm and in amazing shape. Layered over my trusty wooly Sacai shirt dress, I liked matching a brighter shade against a more muted one in a play on monochromatic.

The Ugg x Sacai loafers and Swedish Stockings argyle tights don’t really have anything to do with the citrus component, but the playfulness of each piece doesn't hurt! I wore this out to do some early holiday shopping, and was flooded with compliments.

A Squeeze of Lemon

I know, I know—Uggs and sweats with a vintage shearling is a total outfit cop-out, but sometimes winter is just like that.

When it’s too cold out to care, adding a springy floral Miu Miu mohair cardigan, belted with a favorite Lindquist belt bag, brings this lazy look into a cozy daycare drop-off/early AM yoga-and-coffee outfit. The sunny yellow bits are so cheerful and distracting, you can barely notice I’m wearing sweatpants… Right?

A Squeeze of Grapefruit

Drawing out the pinky-ness of this Dries Van Noten slip dress, worn under my grey and navy Jaquemeus wool coat and tall flat boots, I threw on my tried-and-true Howlin’ wool sweater as a scarf—and voilà! A cozy date night outfit that doesn’t have to sacrifice warmth or girliness.

A touch of grapefruit pink brings a sweetness (contrary to its actual fruit) to the look where one might normally just add a grey or navy element to. The sweater scarf becomes an extra layer over the shoulders once we’re inside.