Winter, is not my favorite season. The sun setting at 4:30 and cloudy days, definitely will take the pep out of your step. It does for me. I try to shake the winter blues and dressing drab by wearing more color, either with my coat, or printed pieces. It's the little things that can definitely perk you up, but how does one dress for cold weather without sacrificing warmth?

SWAK, a LA based brand reached out to me for a challenge. How can I take their warm weather pieces and make it work for this NYC blogger in the middle of winter. I decided to take two of their dresses: the Sandra and Mia to show how one can wear these dresses throughout the year. There are two essential pieces in my arsenal that I wear in the winter that will allow you to wear these dresses in cold weather: a turtleneck and fleece lined tights.

My first tip is to turn the Mia which a sleeveless dress into a jumper. The easiest way to do this is to wear a turtleneck. As you may know, I live in a turtleneck in colder temperatures. They are great for layering underneath sleeveless dresses like the Mia to make them winter proof. It adds warmth without a lot of bulk. To keep it cute I wore some otk boots (which also keeps the gams warm) and my favorite hat.

The second dress I winterized was the Sandra dress. This is a short sleeved dress, so I decided to use multiple layers like a jacket and fur vest to ward off the chill. The fur vest is everything, but the star of this look is the fleece lined tights. I do not know who invented fleece lined tights, but they are the best things ever. I was definitely the woman that refused to wear a skirt if it was less then 40 degree's outside because it is not fun or cute to be standing outside waiting for the train and be cold. With these tights, my legs don't feel a thing. With these tights I do not have to sacrifice style for warmth.

With both dresses, I went with a size 2X, but with the Sandra, I could have went down to a 1X. The prints are bold enough to make an impact, but can be worn with so many different pieces. In addition to these great dresses, SWAK has tops, skirts and pants. It is also, their 10th Anniversary so with any purchase of $50 or more you will receive a little token of their appreciation. What are your winter essentials? Share in the comments!!!