London Girls Have Mastered the Art of Winter Layering—Here's How to Copy Them

London Fashion Week wrapped up nearly two months ago, but the way locals layer for winter is still living rent-free in my head. I couldn't admire their cold-weather wardrobes from afar any longer. But given that I've never been to London, I needed style setters who knew the lay of the (fashion) land. So, I reached out to stylish London girls for fresh-from-Fashion Week tips on how to stay warm and sleek this season.

"The beauty of London style is that there isn't one particular aesthetic," Chloe Hayward-Hudson—a content creator who grew up on the Isle of Wight, an island off the coast of England, before moving to London seven years ago—tells me. "Every part of the city has its own personality: East London tends to feel more experimental, with relaxed silhouettes, interesting textures, and unexpected color combinations, whereas West London often leans towards more classic, tailored pieces."

"There's something very effortless about the way London women dress," says Nadia Smolanka, a photographer capturing the best of British fashion. "London is such a fast-paced city, and people need clothes that work for their everyday lives. Classic pieces, vintage, and sportswear often look thrown together, but in a really interesting way."

What connects the contrasting closets? According to Hayward-Hudson, "a great pair of shoes [that] you can actually walk around the city in." Her picks? Soft loafers and jazz shoes. "If there's one thing that really defines London dressing for me, it's practicality without compromising on personal style."

Hayward-Hudson's regular rotation of "relaxed tailoring" prioritizes comfort. Her three "safety items"—or everyday basics that "make me feel good”—are trousers, baggy jeans, and white T-shirts. "With almost every outfit, I’m wearing [at least] one of those items, as I know it works for me," she says.

She also relies on cold-weather fabrics like cozy cashmere, thick wool, and brushed flannel. "My style tends to go a little more oversized and boxy due to the nature of knits and coats I wear," Hayward-Hudson says. Beneath the layers are (usually) thermals—think thermal socks, skintight turtlenecks, or long johns—which she believes are "seriously underrated."

"People tend to associate them with skiing holidays or freezing destinations, but they're one of my biggest winter essentials," she says. "I feel the cold really easily, so you'll rarely catch me leaving the house in winter without a thermal long-sleeved top underneath my outfit."

That doesn't mean the look has to suffer. "For me, the secret to winter layering is keeping the practical layers hidden so you can still have fun with the pieces everyone actually sees," Hayward-Hudson says. "I'm a big fan of rollneck jumpers, especially layered underneath coats," she says, additionally pointing to suede jackets as another cold-weather favorite.

Smolanka, on the other hand, prefers to put "different lengths and textures" on full display, like "letting a shirt peek out from underneath a jumper or combining a chunky knit with a more structured coat."

In terms of color palette, over the summer, Hayward-Hudson opts for seasonally fresh splashes of chartreuse, lemon yellow, and cobalt blue. (This year, the same striking colors won over the general London Fashion Week attendees.) This shifts as the temperatures dip. "I tend to stick to more earthy tones in the colder seasons and then, accessorize with fun colors and patterns to make the outfit come to life," she says. "This could be by adding a hat or scarf, or even tying a colorful jumper over my shoulders."

Similar to London girls like Alexa Chung, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Cynthia Erivo, the crimson color trend is painting all corners of Hayward-Hudson's closet red, from V-neck sweaters to statement socks.

"I think all cities are inspired by each other, and that’s the beauty of fashion," Hayward-Hudson says. "Paris is traditionally associated with effortless tailoring, New York with bolder statement dressing, and London with a more eclectic, experimental approach, but every year that is evolving, and people are becoming more comfortable with wearing what they want to wear—[and] not [just] following the trends or stereotypes."

Still, if you're looking to borrow from England's capital, here are looks to consider.

Shop Layered Looks Inspired by London Girls