Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • 2025 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • Fashion

Here's What You Need to Build Your Coziest Capsule Wardrobe Yet

It's the in-the-between season where many of us are dealing with frigid temperatures. Here we've compiled attainable wardrobe essentials.
Here's What You Need to Build Your Coziest Capsule Wardrobe Yet
Getty Images
By Skylar Mitchell · Updated January 23, 2025

In the age of minimalism and “quiet luxury,” it seems that every brand now offers a vague promise of craftsmanship and intentionality. With such tall language permeating the market, it can be difficult to cut through the noise to separate the marketing from the real (real), leaving the assuredness of textile familiarity and trustworthy sales experts to direct one’s money towards the best products possible. Plus, in the between-season periods––when Fashion Week somehow seems both long ago and anxiously imminent at the same time––there can a side effect of trend fatigue that seems to increasingly be driving over-cored shoppers to simpler, durable, functional silhouettes. 

In building a transferable winter wardrobe, natural fibers are a tried truth, recommended by wearers from all walks of life since the days of the Old Farmer’s Almanac. If you’re in the mindset of just getting through, here are some recommendations to keep you warm, in motion, and as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances. 

Polo Ralph Lauren Julianna Cotton Cable Sweater

Fast-fashion interpretations of preppy classics are all the rage right now, but many of the style originators are still navigating fresh takes on sartorial classicism. Ralph Lauren’s cable cotton sweater returns to the brand’s central knitting techniques that have defined American sportswear for over half a century. The dense cable yarn patterns double with functional and stylistic capabilities, reinventing a statement layering piece that stays on its own in the winter and beyond.

Available at Nordstrom
148 Shop Now
Aritzia Cashmere Hooded Zip-Up

In an era where the “old money aesthetic” often manifests in poorly executed imitations, this fully fashioned cashmere hoodie represents the genuine intersection of luxury comfort and considered construction. The Jersey stitch method employed here creates an effortless drape that elevates the casual staple and extends its lifespan due to thoughtful cashmere selection. It wears even better over time.

Available at Aritzia
198 Shop Now
HUNDR. Knitted Hooded Sweater
The collective-based fashion label sources multidisciplinary design talent from New York, Tokyo, and Shanghai, uniting their respective art praxises with a commitment to material quality, durability, and sustainability for consumers looking for ethical or performance-driven textiles. The dropped shoulder detail and Baclava-inspired hood are what sold me. Available at HUNDR.
248 Shop Now
Artknit Studios Ultrasoft Wool Buttoned Polo

Source-cited transparency has been a winning strategy for the knitwear label promising 100% low-impact material usage. With a brand motto of “buy less, buy better,” the Italy-based anti-waste label starts with a foundation of locally sourced fibers that take complementary shapes in future-facing takes on season-transferrable capsules.

Available at Artknit Studios
325 Shop Now
DÔEN Fairchild Cashmere Cardigan

The investment in a well-made cashmere piece transcends the cyclical nature of trends, offering not just warmth but a timeless silhouette that carries the assurance of natural fiber performance––a truth recognized by discerning dressers long before sustainability became a buzzword.

Available at DÔEN
358 Shop Now

TOPICS:  capsule wardrobe winter outfit winter wardrobe
We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on the links we provide, we may receive compensation.