In my recent trip to South Korea, I had my first subzero experience, lowest at -9 degrees Celsius. Though it is not record breaking for most people, it is a big deal for humans from the tropics. Weeks of preparation conducted prior to our trip, I was in search of the perfect and sufficiently thick winter clothing and accessories to survive the cold and harsh condition during winter.

You might feel that winter is all about layering clothes and wrapping yourself up like a dumpling, don’t worry! Because I am going to share several outfit ideas to rock this cold season on a budget. As someone who only experiences winter occasionally on vacations, there is no need to splurge on expensive winter gear. Of course, unless you do not mind a little investment. But as for me, great quality winter pieces at affordable prices is the way to go!

Except knitted wears, I got most of my stuffs from Taobao. It was pretty much a risky purchase, given that there are many dishonest sellers with their inferior quality products. Thank God, all my purchases were in great condition and of reasonable quality. I got my knitted wears from ASOS, back in the days when I was overly obsessed with knitted sweaters and had this craze over the sweater weather theme where you could not have it in Malaysia. Also lucky for me, I bought these knitted sweaters before the Malaysian Ringgit took a plunge.

I have created my best five outfits by putting all these lovely pieces together and layered them in style:

It was -5 degrees at Andong. I wore my maroon Uniqlo heat tech turtleneck fleece top over my long sleeved shirt, layered with Uniqlo’s plaid patterned fleece jacket. Putting on my thick down jacket as the final layer provided the most insulation at this temperature. Completing the look, I added a white scarf around my neck to keep me warm in style. Wearing my khaki coloured skinny pants from Mango added a warmer tone to the outfit. I like how the patterns and colours coordinated in this outfit. The maroon colour stood out a little, but not too much among the other colours. The plaid pattern added a little fun and made the layering appear more diverse.

Matching the outfit, the elegant pink structured bag gave a sweet and feminine touch to the ensemble. I also love how the beret went so well with the entire outfit. Truly a great alternative for head wears, if you are bored with beanies.

Deets:

Heattech Fleece Turtleneck Top // Uniqlo

Fleece Jacket // Uniqlo

Down Jacket // Taobao

Skinny Pants // Mango

Winter Boots //Universal Traveller

Bag // Zalora

Beret // Carousell

Scarf // Acewin

Winter gloves // Taobao

Buttoned up

Knitted sweaters are the must haves in this season. Not only do they keep you warm, they also give you the comfort as well. I finally could showcase my ASOS knitted sweaters as the weather permitted it here. I added a knitted sweater as the thick layer over my cotton shirt and completed it with my mustard coat. The large scale plaid patterned scarf wrapped around my neck gave me additional warmth. Matching my light cream knitted sweater, I chose a darker shade of beige for my beanie. To accent the dark shades of this vibrant outfit, a pair of black pants did the trick.

Deets:

 Knitted sweater // ASOS

Plaid Scarf // Taobao

Mustard Coat // Taobao

Black pants // Uniqlo

Beanie // Shopee

Winter Boots // UT

Bag // Zalora

Get cute and cosy with furry sweaters! I got this furry crop sweater, knitted using multiple coloured yarns from ASOS. It is really a great piece for layering, as the front section of the cropped sweater showed the layer beneath it. Definitely perfect to showcase your outfit coordination. My basic white striped shirt layered with the furry sweater, completed with my comfy jeans from Uniqlo, made this look possible.

Deets:

Knitted Crop Sweater // ASOS

Scarf // Acewin

Striped Shirt // South Korea

Blue Jeans // Uniqlo

Beanie // UT

We finally had snow in our hands after three days of cold, icy wind.  Of course, winter gears had to be sufficient. My two warmest garments in my luggage did an amazing job keeping me warm. Despite its bulky and cumbersome appearance, my down jacket totally provided me with adequate insulation. Plus, it was a total steal from Taobao. The down jacket layered on my cable knitted sweater. The maroon beanie added some colours and vividness to this look. Totally stood out from the white, snowy background. Put on a nude backpack on your shoulder and you are ready to go!

  

Deets:

Knitted Sweater // ASOS

Scarf // Acewin

Down Jacket // Taobao

Beanie // Daiso

Bag // Alfio Raldo

I love how my crop top sweater perfectly layered over the basic ribbed top from Cotton On. Its furry texture made it look so exquisite and posh.  Throwing on a mustard coat transformed the look to be classically bold and funky. I styled my scarf using a double wrapped neck knot. Again, my khaki coloured Mango pants gave a warmer tone in this outfit, balancing the bright hues of my entire look.

Deets:

Ribbed Top // Cotton On

Cropped Knitted Sweater // ASOS

Mustard Coat // Taobao

Skinny Jeans// Mango

Bag // Zalora

That was all I could come up with using my limited winter pieces. I really wish I could bring more coats, however, my luggage weight had its limitations.  While some people might find outfit layering troublesome, I found it very enjoyable and I savoured every moment of dressing up. It allowed me to be creative while mixing and matching clothing, creating ensembles of different moods and styles. In addition, it is now officially my ultimate dream to reside in a country blessed with four seasons. Every season will bring a change in my wardrobe. I will surely be thrilled to try out different outfit styles for each season. Well, a girl can dream.