Afrocentric style apparel is all about prints and patterns with meaning, bright and vibrant colors, and most importantly – pieces that truly spark joy through authentic African culture. With the colder seasons on our doorstep (or already making themselves at home for some of us!), there are plenty of ways to style African-inspired pieces with layers, coats, boots, and other accessories. And a quick spoiler, dresses are for more than just summer. Here are our favorite Afrocentric Clothing Ideas for Fall and Winter!

Before we hop into our favorite outfits, we curated a list of coats, boots, and other accessories to get us started. 

Staple Pieces

Long Coat

A good coat is a cold weather wardrobe staple, and we love a good longer trench coat style coat. They’re versatile, warm, and timeless. The coat of your choice is recommended for the outfits below, but here are a few of our favorites. (from left to right pictured)

Black/Dark Grey

Basic: Sam Edelman Rib Collar Wool Blend Trench Coat

Splurge: OFF-WHITE Brushed Virgin Wool Blend Coat | Black Owned

Brown

Basic: Steve Madden Isn’t It Iconic Coat

Slurge: Max Mara Priamo Virgin Wool Coat

Tights

We love the selection of tights available at Nude Barre. Having faced discrimination because of her own dark skin in the professional dance world, Erin Carpenter, the founder and CEO, knew that this needed to change. Nude Barr was born to fill the void in the market, and reset the standard for “nude.” Whether you’re looking for a classic pair of black tights, or something to match your skin tone, you can find 12 diversely inclusive tones for tights, bralettes, undies, and more in their online shop. 

Shop Nude Barre Here

If you’re looking for something a little warmer on colder days, we love these Vero Monte Fleece lined tights, which are available on Amazon!

Boots We Love

All of our outfits below pair nicely with an all weather black or brown boot, like these Nerea Boot in Black Vegetal or these Sarto Flexa Comfort Leather Booties. They are both classic shoes that will pair well with an assortment of outfits. 

If you’re wanting a fun shoe to pair with your more winter outfits, consider checking out these Afrocentric boots from Black owned business, Shekudo. Shedkudo is a Nigerian woman owned footwear brand drawing on heritage, life experiences and a wearable art aesthetic.

Outfit # 1

 

Base Piece: Simi Dress - Blue Horse

We love the stunning red color that this gorgeous dress – it offers a vibrant lift to chilly cooler days. (It’s one of those dresses that will work beautifully year-round.) For the colder months, we love seeing it paired with tights and boots for added warmth. We love it paired with these durable Nerea Boots that we mentioned above. Grab a trench coat like one of our recommended staples, or we also love a classic chore jacket. Both are wonderfully versatile and are warm enough to keep you comfortable, yet stylish. 

Outfit # 2 

Base Piece: Olive Green Mom - Jacket Dress

Any dress that has full or ¾ length sleeves is a no brainer to transition into your winter wardrobe lineup. So long as you have a thick and warm pair of tights or leggings, and a pair of cold weather boots – you have the makings to be warm, dry, and stylish. Of course, no winter get up is complete without a jacket. We love a classic sophisticated black trench coat to tie this look together, or, for something a little lighter, a leather jacket would also pair nicely.

Outfit # 3

Base Piece: Adult Jacket Dress - Red Burst

This is one of our most favorite staples, as it can be worn in so many different ways that lend themselves nicely with warm or cooler weather. You can button it up to wear as a dress, or you can also layer it over a skirt or pants. And because the sleeves are that nice ¾ length, it’s just enough to keep you warm in the colder months, and cool in the warmer months. When wearing as a dress, we love to see it styled for winter in a similar fashion as the Olive Green Mom Jacket Dress and our Simi Dress. Pull on some thicker tights or leggings, and boots (this piece looks great with black or brown) and your base layer is ready to go. When worn unbuttoned as a shirt – this piece looks lovely with a thin long sleeved black top (a wardrobe staple! We love this one), a pair of wide legged trousers, and a pair of boots make the look unforgettably chic. 

Outfit # 4 

Base Piece: Utility Jumpsuit

Our Utility Jumpsuit is too good to leave in the back of your closet all fall and winter, but fortunately it doesn't need to be with the right style additions! This jumpsuit plays nicely with a long cardigan for warmer fall days, and for when the temperature starts to drop, throw on a black trench coat (or bomber if you’re feeling playful) and you’re more than ready for whatever the day has to bring. But of course, don’t forget to put on your boots on the way out the door!

Afrocentric clothing is often associated with and worn in the warmer sunny months, but with the right additions, the beautiful styles, colors, and patterns of African apparel can be worn year round. At Elisamama, our goal is to build a successful business that creates joyful, stylish, easy-to-wear clothing while also providing a path towards economic empowerment for Nigerian artisans through jobs and skills training. All of our items are handmade in Nigeria by a team of local artisans. With every purchase, our team of artisans are able to earn consistent income to support themselves and their families. We hope that our style inspirations have left you with an itch to start curating your cold weather wardrobe, and as always, thank you for reading!