Layering Denim in London

You recently saw Chanelle’s post on how to layer denim for Autumn in LA, but since I live across the pond in England, I thought it was a good idea to show you how layering can be so different over here, since the temperatures are opposite ends of the spectrum. For me, Autumn has three different sections to it, each ranging in massively different weather.

The beginning is often quite warm, it’s mild enough for a light sweater and a vest, paired with some skinny jeans and boots, then come mid Autumn, you want to be layering a little more on like a t-shirt under a thicker sweater and a scarf, maybe throw a denim jacket over the top, this works great with your skinny jeans and boots and then when the end of Autumn hits, you need to start wearing a t-shirt, sweater, cardigan or vest over that and then throw a coat on top, paired with your skinny jeans and boots.

In just a short space of time, the weather can go from bearable to unbearable in moments and of course, you have the fun of the rain to deal with as well so make sure you are always packing an umbrella wherever you go! Rather than make up multiple different outfit collages like I usually do, I thought what better way to show you how to layer your denim over here in England than using a compilation of my own photos from the past few Autumn seasons! I’ve split them into the sections of Autumn and I’ve also included a collage at the bottom of the post outlining the essentials you will need!

Early Autumn

So like I mentioned above, in early Autumn you can get away with lighter knit sweaters and vests, but I also love printed fabric scarves to add more texture as well as cardigans. I class this as really light layering as it keeps the hint of a chill off of you, but it’s not too bulky and hot at the same time. I often find that layering with multiple denim pieces here is fantastic. Like my photo above, wearing a denim shirt, then another tied around my waist and skinny jeans. There are so many ways to layer your pieces like this!

Mid Autumn

So when mid Autumn hits, like now, I find myself often reaching for a padded vest to layer over a sweater. This is fantastic because it’s not cold enough to need a coat just yet, but the warmth of the vest keeps your core warm which is important. I often class mid Autumn the rain season too so I opt for wellies/rain boots as they definitely become an essential! Wearing these pieces with skinny jeans is always a must as they keep your legs warmer due to tucking inside boots, but some days you might also need a hat and gloves! This is also where your umbrella comes in handy too!

Late Autumn

Now we are into late Autumn, almost Winter, so this is when you need to start piling on the layers. With temperatures hitting almost 0 Celsius, you really need to look into wearing t-shirts or tanks under jumpers, then layering a cardigan or fabric jacket over the jumper and finishing it off with a coat. This truly does keep you warm and it’s a fantastic way to play around with colour, like I usually do in my layers. I tend to wear a lot of skinny jeans again as they tuck into boots and that’s needed to keep your feet warm. Faux fur collars, scarves and hats are fantastic at this time of year too as they can add more colour to your look as well as keep you warm! Don’t forget gloves and mittens too if you need them!

I do generally prefer coats, but capes are trending big right now as well so I included a shot of me in a cape just below. Just in case you wanted to see how they go with skinny jeans!

So now these different sections of Autumn and layering are out the way, here’s some essentials you will need for the whole of Autumn! Including a classic pair of skinny jeans, some boots, a t-shirt, sweater, cardigan, coat and accessories like a hat, gloves, scarf and umbrella! If you are travelling to London or England during Autumn, you should be all set!

Written by Lorna Burford