17 Outfits To Show You How To Wear A Sweater Over A Dress

Inside: 17 outfits to show you how to wear a sweater over a dress. Layering is fun and lets you play with new ideas all the time. Here are some examples.

Layering a sweater over a dress is a classic way to add the warmer pieces to your otherwise spring and summer wardrobe to make them work for you in the fall and winter.

Any kind of layering piece adds something interesting to an outfit, especially when there are cut outs, lower necklines, or interesting design elements that show under the top layer. It creates cool visuals and not to mention it helps you stretch your closet a little more during those cold winter months! If you don’t have a dress that works alone in the winter or a coat that really goes with it, no worries! Add a sweater to it to make it cooler.

And I’m going to show you how.

Adding pieces on top of each other and making it look cool and polished is a delicately balanced game, and with some of these tips and outfit ideas, you’re going to be a master when it comes to figuring out how to wear a sweater over a dress.

Best Styles Of Dresses For Layering

While layering works for just about anything if you work it right, there are a few different styles of dresses, or at least features on different dresses that you should look out for to make the layering process a bit easier and make a little more sense while putting the pieces together.

Mini, midi, and maxi dresses are all perfect for layering at different levels. So depending on the event and the formality, as long as the style of dress is appropriate, it will work for layering with a sweater.

Right now silk midi dresses are trending, and have been for the last year or so, especially with knit pieces. These can be tricky to layer if your goal is to accentuate your waist, but I have some great tips for you!

Anything flowy and pleated works great, anything bodycon will be easy, and everything in between will depend on the style of sweater you choose for your layering piece. Or there’s a beauty hack. A lot of styling is hacking the system and trying different little things that make the pieces go together a little better.

Any dress will do when it comes to layering with sweaters, so let’s talk about those knits!

Best Styles Of Sweaters For Layering Over Dresses

Choosing your sweater to go over your dress is going to be a mix and match game and will probably include a lot of trial and error while deciding which sweater of yours is going to work the best with the different dresses you have as well.

The style of dress you choose will pretty much determine the sweater, but I’ll give you some general tips for different styles of dresses you may have chosen.

I have a wide variety of sweaters, as I know that most of us do, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed when choosing outfits, but different sweaters are better for styling and layering than others.

The two cuts of sweater bet for layering is a cropped sweater with a fitted band at the bottom, or any length sweater with no band. You know the band I’m talking about. The end of the sweater where the band tapers in to give a more fitted look but it just ends up being a pretty odd hit sometime. So I only layer sweaters with the band that are cropped in order to get the most flattering silhouette with your sweaters.

They don’t have to be cropped or fitted, but the band needs to be non-existent. If it hugs your hips with a dress, it’s not going to be a flattering or easy look like it is with jeans. So with your dresses, be a little pickier about how your sweaters hit!

Choose a sweater with the color that works the best with the dress, even if they’re both neutrals, make sure you stay inside the same neutral families like brown tones and grayscale. If you’re wearing a neutral dress, I love the added element of a fun color pop sweater, and vice versa. I think it’s a really fun and interesting way to create dimension and fun to an outfit. I love color and I love the color trend, so I will use any avenue to add it to my outfit.

General Layering Tips

Layering can be a tricky game to play, as everything about it is so case by case, and not every layering situation needs the same tips. But here are some hacks I’ve learned over time.

If your top layer, like a sweater, is too big or too long to be flattering with the bottom layers, a belt or a shoe string around the waist can help with that. Put it on under the sweater but over the dress, and fold the sweater under itself to tuck the bottom into the belt. You can go all the way around or you can do a partial little french tuck by tucking in just the front and letting the back hang out naturally. If you want to belt it over the sweater too, it can work as well. Depending also on the sweater, but for the most part you can never go wrong with a belt, but do go for a wide belt especially when layering over an outfit instead of threading through belt loops.

Keep in mind your silhouette. If you want a wider and slouchier look, which is incredibly trendy right now, you’d love leaving a flowy dress bottom layer with a chunky sweater and not worrying about a waist refining element like a belt.

But if you want more of a classic and fitted silhouette, you may choose a silky dress with a more fitted sweater from the start. It’s an easy way to ensure that you channel the right aesthetic when you start with the right layers based on silhouette. It’s street and cool and edgy to wear baggier layers together and it’s chic and classic to wear something a little more refined.

Whatever your desired outcome is, there are ways to layer to achieve this outcome!

Street Style

1. Monochrome
2. Solid And Florals
3. Relaxed And Easy
4. Knotted
5. Spring
6. Cozy Vibes

Chic Ideas For How To Do A Sweater Over A Dress

7. Button Down
8. Edgy Elements
9. Cool Street
10. Chunky Sweater
11. Body Con
12. Hat

Perfect Layers

13. Black And Whie
14. Tiered Skirt
15. Ribbed Dress
16. Pleats
17. Elegant

Have you been wanting to start layering some of your pieces to mix up your closet? Or have you been trying and just need these outfit ideas for some inspiration? Hopefully this post has helped and you’re feeling inspired to go and throw on a sweater over a dress!

There’s so many different ways to play with layers and learn how to wear a sweater over a dress and you can totally give a new look to your old pieces by styling them differently with a new vibe. I’m a total sucker for layers and the dimension it adds to the outfit. Sure, you could put a classic jacket over the dress, but a sweater makes it cooler and way more intentional.

I love seeing people have fun with fashion, and hope you enjoy playing with your pieces to create a brand new look.

If cardigans are your favorite sweater choice, here are 41 cozy winter cardigan outfits to change your sweater game.