Every spring and fall I dig my bins of summer and winter clothing out of the basement. I bid farewell to the cashmere sweaters and replace them with 5 in. chino shorts.. and vice versa. It’s a sad, but very necessary process because my closet is SMALL (should actually be read “I have a ridiculous amount of clothing”).

Living in Western New York means it is essential that one can dress themselves for all kinds of weather. I love ballet flats and flowy tank tops, but they aren’t exactly snow friendly.. so they can’t be a wardrobe staple of mine. And I’ve learned that the hard way!

The result of living nearly half of each year in a tundra is that I am always on the hunt for versatile clothing options. Layers are my best friend, I love pieces I can maneuver into various outfits all year long, wardrobe staples if you will.

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My latest versatile clothing option that I discovered and adore are sweater shells, also known as sweater vests.

Today I layered a J.Crew bow print sweater shell with a long sleeve coral colored J.Crew knit sweater, some pearls and a quilted black vest (once I left the house), over black denim jeans.

I love sweater shells because of how practical they are all year long. I can wear them as shown above, but also as a sleeveless top with shorts in the summer, tucked into an a-line skirt to dress up with or without layers.. I’ve even used one as a fun print over a button down and under a blazer. Very practical and stylish.

I lucked out and found another shell at J.Crew Factory today, for $10 on clearance!

I’m already planning on styling this gorgeous red piece for Valentines Day.. and probably with some polka dot shorts when I’m vacationing in Disney in April! It’s a lightweight enough knit that I will still be able to survive the humidity, as it’s more breathable than a t-shirt. When it cools off in the evening hours I can throw on virtually any cardigan or zip up without looking out of place. Gotta love it!

I’m debating purchasing a J.Crew Factory Leopard Caryn Shell next:

What is your favorite versatile piece of clothing?

One of my friends swears by Lularoe leggings. I’m looking forward to trying those next and seeing if they too can become a piece of my “never changing” wardrobe as opposed to a “seasonal swap out”.