If you’re the sort of person who prefers summer to winter, treasures an electric blanket and has more coats than any other possession then you need to get acquainted with the Queen of layering, Rebecca Ramsdale. The Toronto-based photographer and blogger may only have 6K followers on Instagram, but she has the type of selfie feed every cold-fearing human needs to see before they make any sartorial decision in the morning. Fact.
Thumbing through her 800 odd posts one thing is instantly clear: she’s very cool. And, not in that Gone Girl type of fake ‘cool’, she’s a skater with a ridiculously cute dog and an untouchable selection of beanies, sunglasses and hoodies. Her USP, however, is layering.
In Ramsdale’s hands, the simple daily act of placing item on top of item for warmth becomes an art form. Maybe it’s because she’s actually an artist, but she understands proportions, colour and balance. She may shy away from print, but her bold palette sometimes takes her to a brave space that clashes cobalt blue with hot dog mustard yellow and McDonalds red, or purposefully wear mismatching socks. She knows how to wear a hoodie beneath a t-shirt and blazer without looking bulky, how to make a hat work under a hood and when to make a turtleneck your weapon of choice. On paper it sounds terrible, but trust in reality it’s not.
Here are 6 example of Rebecca winning at making light work of layering:
The sartorial maths: (Hoodie under T-Shirt + Blazer + Trench Coat + Sunglasses ) x Jeans
The sartorial maths: Scarf + Coat + Hoodie + Beanie X Sunglasses
The sartorial maths: Jeans + Blazer X (Hoodie + Long-Sleeve T-Shirt + Blazer + Uniqlo Light Puffa)
The sartorial maths: Sunglasses + Beanie X Belted Jeans X Leatherman Jacket X (Top Buttoned Shirt X White T-Shirt)
The sartorial maths: T-Shirt + White Shirt + Necklace + Blazer + Puffa Jacket + Jeans X Tights
The sartorial maths: Jeans + Kitten Heels X Odd Socks
A Q&A With the Queen Of Layering:
What do you do?
I run a Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle blog, as well as a Youtube channel. I also work as a district manager for a Toronto-Made unisex clothing brand!
Where do you shop?
I do a lot of vintage and thrift shopping. I love finding really unique pieces and mixing them into my wardrobe.
How do you plan your outfits?
Getting dressed can be quite the process for me. Some days I know exactly what I want to wear as soon as I wake up, and some days I try on everything in my wardrobe and nothing feels right. Because styling has becoming a creative outlet for me, what I wear really depends on my mood and emotions. I have to feel connected in some way to that outfit, otherwise I feel uncomfortable.
What are you top layering tricks?
Layering has come to me kind of out of necessity (Canadian winters are brutal!). I love wearing tshirts, but when its -30 out that doesn't really work. I started layering hoodies under tees, and wool blazers over top, and out of it developed a layering style that I really like. I always love layering when it is done with different textures, or even when accessories are included. My favourite wallet is a chain wallet by Sonya Lee, and I love when the chain peaks out under a shirt of jacket, giving the layering a different effect.
When you’re bored of your wardrobe, where do you look for inspiration, or what do you do to refresh the items you already own?
My favourite thing to do is to purge my wardrobe. Get rid of the stuff that's distracting and you haven't worn in ages so you can really focus in on the pieces you love. I also love referring to e-commerce websites (like Ader Error and Zara) and runway shows to look for inspiration on new ways to wear the clothes I already have.
What’s hanging in your wardrobe?
A LOT of Dickies men's pants style 874, a lot of t-shirts, and a lot of pastel vintage flares.
What’s the one item of clothing that best sums you up?
One of my boyfriends old skate tees. I'm pretty casual and relaxed, and I wouldn't feel like an outfit is truly 'me' without adding a 'boy' element to it.
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.