5) Floral bodysuit // 6) White blazer // 7) Black trousers // 8) Pink sandals with jewelry // 9) Velvet soft pink dress // 10) Grey over-the-knee high boots

How about you? How do you deal with the temperature and sudden weather changes during Spring and how do you apply this change to your daily outfits?

Final days of February and firsts of March were terribly cold. There was a day in which thermometers dropped to almost -8ºC, and we wore our coats and even gloves around the classroom. Suddenly, the display windows of the shops surrounding the university which were days before filled with the remains of Winter accessories (such as wool scarves and velvet turbans) were emptied by customers like me, who looked for fur diadems as they were an extremely rare jewel.

Even though it was pretty damn cold, I decided it was the right time to try if my layering-theory was correct and I could wear almost any piece in my wardrobe (even if it was a Spring little black dress) for Winter. And I think I succeeded! I chose this Shein little black dress with ruffled sleeves as the base to which add things to keep warm. I used it as a sort of overall piece, putting a white basic structured shirt underneath to add a long sleeve and covered neck, in which I laced the ribbon which came with the dress. As this little black dress is a little under the knee length, I decided to wear high boots with thermal tights and a pair of woolen socks underneath. This way, I could be warm while keeping everything stylish and comfortable!

The touch of color to the outfit was added with this faux-fur brown diadem and the coat, which doesn't appear in the pictures but was light grey. I must admit that of course, this isn't your regular attire when it's -15ºC average outside, but in fact, this day was pretty cold and with just a couple of layers well put together and some thermal pieces of clothing I managed to survive. As I always say, the key is to look for the little details and adjust those things depending on your personal preferences, or the place where you live (if I had to wear this outfit in Valencia, I would just skip the thermal tights and go for a regular pair). My rule of thumb is that fashion does have to adjust to our necessities as well to our personal tastes and that if it makes you feel uncomfortable, or cold, or too tight, it isn't fashion but a lie we try to fit in!

The great news is that is very easy to find non-expensive, pretty cool and very great quality coats when entering into any place trading vintage or pre-owned items. The ones made of wool, cashmere or gabardine fabric are among all the best pieces you could find. Be aware of fitting (try it on before anything!) and touch it to check on the texture and condition of the exterior and interior fabrics and linens. Also, check the buttons and extras such as zippers, and if there's anything missing, value if it's worth to replace them or make them fixed.

In Winter with a pair of tights or high warm socks underneath and a monochromatic sweater, or in Spring with blouses or light shirts, high-waisted trousers are everything! When you wear pieces so iconic and classy as those, you don't need any more extras to elevate your outfit. Keep it simple and clean and you're done!

#8 The signature vintage scarf

It's pretty easy to find great quality and affordable 60's-70's silk scarves in vintage and second-hand stores. The vast majority of these scarves have very interesting and colorful patterns and will add character to any outfit. My favorite vintage scarves to be found in thrift stores are those inspired by Hermès and Chanel, with jewelry and animal print motifs.

#9 The cute tan, trench coat inspired by Burberry

As we were saying above, gabardine fabric is a nice addition to any closet lacking a vintage touch of gleam. Trench coats are also easy to find, and depending on the era you'll find them longer or hip-height, with greater lapels or some details in sleeves and shoulders. Find the one that fits you and as always, don't be afraid to try every single one on. You never know!

#10 Hats? Vintage hats are always a nice idea

Hats, and especially those vintage or inspired in other eras although being brand new, have the capability of adding that je ne sais quoi, those finishing touches to any outfit. Here in Italy, I've found pretty affordable and great quality ones at different flea markets, always varying in color and shape. I personally love those with 30's-40's asymmetrical shapes that frame the face, and the ones which are just a little felt piece with bows or feathers resembling caps and turbans. Lately, I've been super into trying new bright colors and adding hats to my wardrobe in quality of statement pieces but, you can actually choose to get them in more neutral colors and blend it all.

One of the things I've realized since I first put a foot in Firenze for this year studying abroad is how much my ears suffer from cold, and how I've been dragged to the acquisition of hats, turbans, fur diadems and so on always to keep them (and my head) from freezing. Like, in this day we went to a tiny town in the Tuscan hills, almost in the limit between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, to meet the mayor with the class for a new project and book release which is on its way. The velvet turban wasn't really worn because of fashion or for the sake of the outfit, but instead, for the sake of my head health and to keep warm!

In this pictures, I'm showing you my regular go-to attire for class days or even regular days out if it's freezing outside (which is usually, always. Hi, coldest March ever in the city of Firenze) consisting in turban or diadem or hat (actually, anything covering my head. Hey, a girl's got to keep her neurons warm and working in order to be productive), plus a cozy thick wool sweater, plus a blazer (preferably woolen as well), plus coat, plus over the knee high-boots with a couple of socks underneath. You can easily tell I'm from a coastal city where 350 days a year temperatures are above 15ºC.

While here, I've realized how much you can tell the difference between a nice quality jacket or coat and those which aren't as good quality; not only because these last aren't as warm as the first ones but also, because of the number of wrinkles and pellets once you wear them a couple of times. And you don't always have to splurge! This checked blazer I'm wearing here is Armani, and as I found it at the very end of sales season in a local vintage store, it cost me near to one-third of its original price. I think it's the perfect example of that extra layer you'd want to wear in cold places like this, because once you're stripped of your coat, sometimes it's still too cold just to be around in your sweater.

What about you? Any nice tips or advice to stay warm while having freezing temperatures outside?

We have rarely seen snow in Valencia. Ever. As it's a southern coastal city, temperatures are usually pretty warm and not below 7-8ºC even in Winter. The closest thing to snow you can experience there is a hailstorm with a thin layer of frost in the streets if cold enough. So, snow is a weird phenomenon for me, and although I've been warned that so it is in Firenze (where it hasn't snowed for about 5 or 6 years since the last time), we decided it was a nice moment in the Erasmus experience to go out, shoot some cool pictures surrounded by white and enjoy the day off university as all campuses and schools in Tuscany were closed due to the weather conditions. Seeing the whole city covered in snow was a nice surprise and I felt very lucky to experience it, although it finally turned into a very annoying rain.

As the day was a bit grey-colored, I decided to add some spice to it matching this Shein mustard  open-shoulder sweater and this little leather yellow bag I bought here. I must confess it's not the ideal top to wear when it's -1ºC outside, as it's open-shoulder and the fabric is soft but not warm enough. So, I put on a basic long sleeve T-shirt underneath and a wool vest on top to survive. Thanks we ended near Galleria degli Uffizi and its marvelous arched covered space, otherwise, I'd have frozen to death. However, I'm sure I'll be wearing this top over and over again when I'm back in Spain with warmer temperatures, as it's quite versatile and I'm pretty sure it will look good paired with jeans and flat shoes for a regular university day. For this snowy day in Firenze, I chose to wear my rain ankle booties and the Fedora hat because, as you can see, once the snow stopped, our heads were suddenly wet due to an intermittent rainstorm. Yes, Firenze is beautiful equally covered in snow or not but, I think I might spend the next days rolled in my blanket and sipping over a hot cocoa before stepping out of home again!