Fashion

EXCLUSIVE: Brooke Boney shares her achievable layering tips for a warm and stylish winter

''My personal winter wardrobe is a lot more about comfort.''
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Brooke Boney may live a glamorous life as the Today Show‘s showbiz reporter, but when it comes to her approach to fashion every woman can relate to her achievable tips.

Having lived in chilly Canberra, the 35-year-old is well versed in sartorially embracing winter and has now partnered up with Castle Towers’ My Style My Way for their new fashion campaign celebrating individual style.

It can be tough to keep comfortable, warm, and stylish in the colder months, but Brooke’s fashion tips will make getting ready during frosty mornings a breeze.

The stylish TV journalist has refined her approach to layering over the years, and it’s all about affordability, timelessness, and staples.

Without further ado, keep scrolling for her top tricks and tips for winter dressing.

Brooke likes to wear a singlet underneath her layers for extra warmth.

(Image: Castle Towers)

What are the best layering options for cold weather?

For Brooke, layering works best when you follow a solid formula with classic staples thrown into the mix so you can build up for outfit from a reliable foundation.

“I think chucking on a beautiful coat over the top of anything, whether it’s a hoodie or a turtleneck or a big chunky sweater, is so chic,” she shares with Now To Love.

“I’m a big fan of layering and so whether that’s like layering singlets over the top of long sleeve shirts or little turtlenecks under other long sleeve shirts or scarves and jackets.”

She also points out the power of wearing a scarf and a jacket when going from one place to another.

“If you go to a bar or a restaurant, you can take your jacket off, and you can take your scarf off, you know, if you’ve got to walk to the next place or if you’re out and about, you can still keep warm.”

Nothing beats a good quality coat!

(Image: Eastland)

How to choose a base layer

For most people learning how to layer comes from our mums when they dressed us as children.

One of Brooke’s best winter tips for a solid base layer is the humble singlet.

She explains, “I love to chuck on a bond singlet underneath like my jumper or a t-shirt or whatever which I feel like that’s some sort of hangover from what my mum used to get us to do as kids.”

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Best winter coats

Coats are that piece in our wardrobes we can rely on religiously in winter, but they can also be costly.

However, Brooke makes an excellent case for investing in a good quality coat, so you can reap its reliable benefits for years to come.

“You don’t actually have to spend a lot of money to buy a really good coat. I was at the Canberra Centre, and last weekend one of the things that we pulled from the store was this beautiful Zara coat that’s like $250,” she says.

“You can wear it with anything. You can wear it with boots, and you can wear it with sneakers.”

(Image: Canberra Centre)

“I know for some that may be a big investment, but you know, if you think about it, you’ll have that coat for years and years.

Brooke also points out that coats offer endless sartorial possibilities.

“You can wear it with anything. You can wear it with boots, and you can wear it with sneakers. Then, once it starts to warm up a little bit, you can wear it with sandals, jeans, and a t-shirt,” she tells Now To Love.

Why comfort is more important than style

Working on television has meant Brooke’s off-duty style has become more comfort driven since she has to dress up for her job.

“I think my personal winter wardrobe is a lot more about comfort. For example, I’m wearing a huge, oversized jumper right now and some jeans and slippers,” she says.

“But at work this morning, I was wearing like a long sleeve sort of blue dress. That’s buttoned down the front, and my work wardrobe is much more like what you would wear if you were going out for a nice dinner or going to see a show.

“But my home wardrobe is a lot more about comfort, and I sort of need that to balance it out a bit.”

“But my home wardrobe is a lot more about comfort, and I sort of need that to balance it out a bit.”

(Image: Robina Town)

It’s common for our style to evolve as we age, and Brooke has found as she gets older, she prioritises comfort over inflexible fits.

“I always want to make sure that I’m wearing stuff I can wear from the beginning of the day to the end of the day and not feel restricted,” she explains.

“You want to be able to eat, you want to be able to walk, you need to be able to take the dog out the front, to go to the bathroom, but you also need to be comfortable enough or look good enough to be able to go in and do some sort of presentation.

“So, I tend to go for something smart casual. Like a really nice pair of sneakers, a beautiful jumper, and a beautiful coat – for me, that’s the perfect day outfit.”

For more on My Style My Way, click here.

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