A Colorful Cure for the Winter Blues

In the middle of winter, on the coldest, shortest days, many of us have the tendency to go for the simplest, darkest items in our closets. We get it, but it’s actually dressing in color that will lift your mood and energize you for brighter days ahead. You dress your mood, so why not influence your mood with how you dress? Read on for some dressing inspiration — including KULE’s January drop — to put a rare February smile on your face 🌈🙂.

Styling to Boost Your Mood

Combat your February slump by dressing happy with something like a rainbow sweater or multicolor tee. Think of the colorful item as an automatic caffeine boost, which we think is best paired with something neutral. Try wearing your fresh, vibrant sweater with a pair of neutral trousers, or your joyful tee with dark denim. Your multicolor piece is suddenly as versatile as a neutral one. We tend to think that the most classic look is jeans and a tee, so do that, but with some color.

One of my personal favorite colorful winter styling hacks is wearing your multicolored tee or sweater with neutral pants/jacket, and then coordinating color with accessories (think: orange frames if your tee has orange in it, or a green hat if it has green in it, etc.). Having fun with the colors really unifies an outfit. It’s a winter styling formula that’s easy to switch up with simple accessory swaps.

Of course, if rainbow isn’t your thing, picking a color you love, to work into your wardrobe, is still a winter mood-boost (such as this luxurious berry-striped cashmere sweater 😍).

The Holly – Rainbow

The Frankie Shop Trouser

Fendi Hat

The Modern Long – Rainbow

Khaite Jeans

Another Tomorrow Blazer

Loewe sunglasses

Silk Mischa Scarf

The Allegra – Berry/Cream

How to Shop for Some Winter Cheer

Choosing colorful pieces that still feel elevated, means choosing pieces that are statement but still chic, vibrant but not noisy, and most importantly, bring you joy, even on the coldest, most dreary winter days. Work some feel-good items into your wardrobe; from statement pieces (our cozy Holly sweater and best-selling rainbow tee, shown above), to accessories with which to finish off an outfit (scarves, jewelry, hats, a belt), from both KULE and other cheerful brands.

The Seever – Rainbow

Fry Powers Enamel rings

The Moritz – Rainbow

Etro Belt

JIA JIA Gold and Sapphire Necklace

Alanui Crotchet Bucket Hat

Christian Dior Rainbow Silk Scarf

Bea Bongiasca Rainbow Diamond, Enamel & 18kt Gold Ring

Shop the entire KULE January collection, chock-full of color 🌈 and smiles 🙂 here.

It’s Officially the Puffer Coat Phase of Winter

Winter is divided into different phases, each marked by the appropriate outerwear. Every year in early-to-mid January, without fail, we enter the puffer coat phase of the season. This means that absolutely no other coat will be able to do the trick of keeping you warm other than a puffy cloud of insulation.

Puffers are generally harder to style than your quilted shell or your wool cocoon (Of course! They’re a layer of puff!) But there is a formula to styling them to make them fun and intentional, not just necessary. First, you want to look for a puffer that has some pizzazz to it, be that with a cool feature (such as a tie hood!), or some fashion element or print (uh, stripes!?). And then it’s all about the styling. Read on for some insight into how to style winter’s warmest staple.

Refine the Puffer

Because a puffer is, at its core, a pretty casual style of outerwear, I like to refine the puffer with things like tailored trousers and classic accessories. Nikki recently wore a puffer with such an outfit — she wore corduroys and loafers — which looked quite Milanese to me (perfect timing with Pitti Uomo’s recent occurrence if I do say so myself 😉).

By styling the puffer with timeless items, you subdue the sportiness of the coat. The Trevor puffer, my personal favorite of the KULE puffers, features a hood you can tie in a bow under your chin. In a deep navy with subtle poppy accents, this style looks elegant for a puffer, perfect for looking intentional and chic in your winter wear.

The Trevor

The Row Trousers

Agnelle Leather Gloves

Gabriela Hearst Boots

Make the Puffer the Statement

If you have a fashion puffer, i.e. one with print, pattern, or some special design element, embrace it! Make the puffer the statement. Fashion puffers are often a bit playful, so have fun! I like streamlining the silhouette and pairing the wideness of the puffer on top with slim cigarette pants or a mini skirt/tights. I’d go for a kitten heel or fun flat if there’s no snow on the ground, or a sleek ankle boot to minimize the bulk.

The Peyton

Courrèges Skirt

Calzedonia Cashmere Tights

Loewe Loafers

Lean into the Après-Ski

You can also, of course, go all in to the wintry vibe and dress in an après-ski look. This is actually my personal favorite way of styling a puffer because go big or go home! It’s thematic dressing! Think: the warmest classic puffer around, worn over a chunky sweater, paired with stirrups, a mandatory balaclava, and big sunglasses. Très chic ⛷️.

The Cortina

The Sven

Leset Stirrup Leggings

The Moritz

Isabel Marant Sunglasses

Inspired? Shop winter wear here.

A Winter Icon: The History of the KULE Moritz Balaclava

The balaclava is really the only hat to wear during the intense winter chill; it helps shield your face against freezing wind. KULE was one of the first to reintroduce the balaclava to the fashion masses when Nikki designed her first KULE Moritz balaclava for the Fall 2017 collection, inspired by the famous photograph of Jackie O. by Harry Benson (1968).

KULE Fall 2017 Moritz Balaclava — The original KULE Moritz Balaclava from the Fall 2017 Collection

We have that iconic original classic cream version, of course, but since then we’ve added lots of colors and patterns, including our latest ones for January, so you can match your mood or winterwear.

The Moritz – Cream

The Moritz – Rainbow

The Moritz – Royal

The Moritz – Camel/Navy

The Cashmere Moritz

The Check Moritz – Pumice/Loden

The Moritz – Navy

The Check Moritz – Heather Grey/Wine

In 2022, you can deck yourself out in check…

KULE via Bust Magazine with check — The Check Moritz, The Greene Sweater, and The Check Dress Sock via Bust Magazine

…or a go for a cheery rainbow to combat the winter slump.

KULE Rainbow Moritz balaclava — The Rainbow Moritz and The Boyfriend Heart

The KULE Moritz is designed to be worn fully over your face, or cupped under your chin. Available for adults, and now also for kids and dogs, because the little ones need that protection, too!

Top row from left to right: @buuski, @clarysarah, @sassyandspanky, @nobullyshit, Bottom row from left to right: @chelsea.the.chi, @katiesturino, @lorelaporte, @ghost.and.wren

The Dog Moritz

The Mini Mortiz – Cream

The Mini Moritz – Navy

The amount of KULE balaclava fans, as you can see all over Instagram, is incredible. The people love this hat! And there is so much inspiration on how to style: with statement sunglasses à la Linn Ecklund, with après ski gear like Blanca Miró Scrimieri and Natasha Goldenberg, on the slopes like Kelly Rutherford, with a voluminous collar like Leandra Medine Cohen, or with a statement eye like Marianne Theodorsen. The possibilities are endless and up to your own winter styling creativity.

Top row from left to right: @linneklund, @leandramcohen, @blancamiro, @kellyrutherford, @cosmopolitanjuly, Bottom row from left to right: @jkuerschner, @ngoldenberg, @linneklund, @marianne_theodorsen, @jennalyonsnyc

Nikki’s go-to for styling the Moritz is with classic wool overcoat, with a scarf wrapped around to really seal any openings up, for a clean and modern look.

The Moritz – Cream

Raey Exaggerated-Shoulder Wool-Blend Coat

The Seever- Navy/Multi

The Row Boris Suede Ankle Boots

Explore the different styles and shop The Moritz balaclava.

A Pattern-Mixing Recipe for Fall

Cool woman in a KULE camouflage knit set for fall sitting on a chair

As a brand whose hero is The Stripe, we love to play with print and pattern. We love to mix. A stripe with leopard, with check, or, with our newest pattern: camouflage. There is a bit of a formula to pattern mixing, but it’s not complicated. Like a beginner chef, you can still create a delicious multi-course meal with a bit of guidance.

Below, we’ve created a KULE cheat sheet to pattern mixing for fun-filled dressing this season.

Picking a Standout

When pattern mixing, you simply have to let one pattern be the standout and the other the “neutral.” At KULE, we treat stripes as a neutral and therefore they are the most perfect base layer to an outfit even if you’re including additional pattern. This outfit: A striped tee + camo cardigan + well tailored trousers is great for a casual office Friday.

The Modern Long

The Jane

Totême Trousers

G.H. Bass Weejun Loafers

Getting the Balance

This outfit is about — you guessed it — getting the balance right in combining patterns. You can wear a striped sweater with checkered pants and not look too bold if both pieces in neutral, coordinating colors or hues.

The Allegra

Nina Ricci Check Trouser

Hereu T-Strap Loafers

Committing to a Theme

If you want to really lean in, think of your pattern as a suit: bottoms + a jacket (in this case, a statement sweater). You can easily mix in different patterns with a striped tee peeking out or with accessories like a patterned scarf around your neck or in your hair.

The Gomer

The Shelby

The Silk Mischa Scarf

The Row Ankle Boot

Same, but Different

You can also do two types of the same type of pattern. For example, a checker cardigan with plaid pants (the same as in look 2!) involves two types of square-shaped pattern but when you focus on coordinating the colors and having the patterns vary in size (one large, one small), you create a pretty good masterpiece.

The Knite

Nina Ricci Check Trouser

Adidas Originals Sneakers

Photographed by Mei Tao
Modeled by Yoly Dee
Styled by Shelley Young
Set Design by Tracy Morgan assisted by Thomas Tomzack
Hair and makeup by Summer Tran assisted by Iris Kim

O BOY

O BOY

O BOY

Post Category → Styling

A Colorful Cure for the Winter Blues

Styling to Boost Your Mood

How to Shop for Some Winter Cheer

It’s Officially the Puffer Coat Phase of Winter

Refine the Puffer

Make the Puffer the Statement

Lean into the Après-Ski

A Winter Icon: The History of the KULE Moritz Balaclava

A Pattern-Mixing Recipe for Fall

Picking a Standout

Getting the Balance

Committing to a Theme

Same, but Different