29+ Light Academia Winter Outfits Essentials (Style Guide 2024)

Academia is an aesthetic based on a love of knowledge and scholarly pursuits. Light Academia is basically the lighter version of Dark Academia. Both styles are different takes on the academic theme, but with different moods. To put it simply – dark academia is more serious and moody while light academia is more playful and lighter.

The light academia outfit style can be characterized by:

  • Lighter color palettes
  • Vintage clothing
  • Lightweight elegant jewelry
  • Plaid prints
  • Minimalist style

The key to wearing a light academia aesthetic in the winter is to select one or two key pieces with great details and textures, then layer neutral and white pieces around them. Lightweight reflective and shiny accessories can also be used to draw attention. I love how simple this style is, but still has an impact!

Of course, you’re not done yet! Once you’ve chosen your clothing items, you’ll need to decide what kind of accessories and makeup you’d like to wear! Fortunately for us all, there are many different ways you can wear light academia outfits and shine elegance in the cold weather!

Light Academia Turtleneck Dress

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✅ Best Women’s Ribbed Knit Oversized Pullover Dresses

Everyone is buying more than one color – Not itchy at all, and it pairs super well with a belt to accentuate anyone’s waistline. Great fit and material. Love the color, the fabric, the weight of it and the way it fits. 

Classic Vintage Leather Belt

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✅ Best Shooter’s Belt Made in the USA

Top Grain Vegetable Tanned Genuine Leather from the World’s Best Tanners – The belt is very well constructed. VERY thick and sturdy looking. I mean it’s probably 3/16 inch thick. This thing should last for eternity. The finish is very nice. The buckle is nice, not too flashy, but nice.

Several reviewers cautioned against what belt size to order. Make sure to check reviews before ordering.

Light Academia Shoes

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✅ Best 100% Sheepskin Leather

Nice loafers – Love these shoes: Real leather, what appears to be good quality, arch support and gorgeous presentation. These are very well made, are comfortable, and have just enough panache without being too loud.

Light Academia Tops

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✅ Best Women Vintage Long Sleeve Corset Top

Really Nice – A little snug around and across shoulders, at the wrists. Kinda see-through, but ended up dying it. Excellent darting, expand-ability through back lacing makes it pretty versatile. Takes dye pretty smoothly.

Cashmere Mid Length Cardigan

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✅ Best Pure Cashmere Cardigan Sweater

A nice weight, some cashmere sweaters are so thin, they look cheap. This one is NOT – The price is reasonable for this high-quality sweater, perfect for layering. Great for cool autumn and spring days. This is a gorgeous and elegant long cardigan. Everything about it screams class.

Mid Long Winter Outwear

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✅ Best Women’s Winter Coat

Very flattering fit! – Color is a perfect camel shade, the coat is warm, and it feels much more expensive than it is. This is warm but not too warm- great for transitional weather & cold nights- great protection against the wind, really flattering, quality lining. Can dress it up or down. Pretty miss color seems to go with everything.

Vintage Winter Beret

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✅ Best Light Academia Winter Hat

Quality, sturdy and well priced. – Dream vintage look. Very nice fall/winter hat. It has held its shape. It does not collapse. Has a built-in clip.

Light Academia Accessories

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✅ Best Vintage Leather Binder

You need to hold this in your hand to complete the academia look – Very professional looking and well made. This is a very nice book and a more reasonable price than anyplace else! Very solid, well-made and classy.

Light Academia Bow Tie Ruffle Blouse

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✅ Best Feminine Blouse

Any age can wear this! It’s lovely and light – Try this if you are tired of the cold shoulder/sloppy look. If you want a romantic soft look this is it. Elegant, doesn’t wrinkle and is comfortable to wear. 

High Waist Corduroy Straight Pants

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✅ Best Levi’s Wedgie Straight Jeans

Timeless, great fitting – New favorite jeans if you prefer ankle length and higher-waisted pants. Super comfortable and versatile, easy to dress up or down. They do stretch out quite a bit so might not hurt to size down.

Light Academia Wool Wrap Coat

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✅ Best Light Academia Wrap Coat

Beautiful material and length. – Looks excellent, very comfortable and warm. It fit perfectly and the color is beautiful. 

V Neck Vest

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✅ Best Women Casual Cute V-Neck Sweater Vest

Comfy Material – Will Quickly Become Your Favorite. The Soft Material Ensures a Pleasant Feeling On The Skin All Day Long. Provide warmth and comfort for autumn and winter wear.

Ralph Lauren Cable Knit Sweater

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✅ Best Polo Knit V-Neck Sweater

Great Polo Ralph Lauren sweater, super nice! – Quality of this sweater is good. The sweater that arrived was beautiful. The fabric is fine, the color is dim and it looks very nice.

Light Academia Rings

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✅ Best Book Worm Wrap Ring

Excellent Purchase! – This book worm wrap twist ring makes a great gift for a reading lover! Each ring is handcrafted from aluminum and says “Book Worm” on the outside and our book design stamp on the inside. It can make these in any size from 5 – 15 and the ring is fully adjustable.

Light Academia Hair Accessories

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✅ Best Vintage Pearl Black Hair Side Combs Clip

Cute and sturdy – Hair comb set for women it can be used for long hair, short hair, straight hair, all kinds of hair can be used.Great for casual everyday, weddings, proms, and any other dressy hair occasion. You can have more beautiful hairstyles with this comb, like Topknot and elegant hairstyles.

Light Academia Skirt

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✅ Best Women’s Plaid Wool Elastic Waist Skirts

Very cute long skirt! – The skirt is cute, long, thick, comfortable, has a nice lining, a zipper, AND HAS POCKETS! It doesn’t seem to wrinkle/crease much, and I think it lays nicely on my body type, even with being a short and unusually-shaped person.

Light Academia Earrings

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✅ Best Assorted Styles Black White Book Page Origami Earrings

Funky and fun – These are really cool earrings. You have gotten compliments every time wear them – even with masks creating less of a “real” experience. Really like different earrings and these fit the bill.

Basic Knit Sweater

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✅ Best Women’s Knit Pullover Sweater

Warm slim fit cute crop sweater – This sweater is just as pictured but quite warm and comfortable. It is very soft and so far there has been no shrinkage or pilling. wash it on cold in a net bag and dry on a rack. The length is just above the waist depending on your size.

Light Academia Bodycon Pencil Skirt

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✅ Best For Sexy & Classy Style Without Looking Like You Are Trying Too Hard

The fabric has a ton of stretch and hugs all your curves. – It is very comfy and stretchy. The only complaint is it feels snugger around the legs than it does around the waist. Form-fitting but not skin tight and it’s modest enough to wear to both work and church. The waistband doesn’t cut at all; it’s comfortable and non-binding. It’s true the material is thin but you can wear underslips. With an underslip, they’re not see-through or indecent in any way. It hits several inches below the knees so it will definitely fit long on a woman of shorter stature. It is also machine washable polyester.

Light Academia Phone Case

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✅ Best Vintage Library Card Phone Case

Hamlet by Shakespeare – SO FLIPPIN CUTE!!! durable and well made. The textured surface also ensures a good grip. 

Light Academia High Waist Pants

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✅ Best High Waist Pants

Perfect! – Most of them are Regular length. They will be short for you if you are taller than 6′ or you have longer legs than normal. They will be too long for you if you are shorter than 5’2″ and you’re not willing to wear high heels or you are not able to hem them. You will find Petite sizes in some colorways.

Light Academia Sweater Dress

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✅ Best Women’s Sweater Dress

This dress is so beautiful and figure-flattering! – It’s very long; the longest midi dress I have ever owned – I own the same style dress from Jcrew, Zara, Nordstrom, this is by far the best quality one, and least expensive.

Light Academia Fashion Hijab

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✅ Best Women’s Solid Scarf Wrap Shawl

Lightweight and Comfortable – The scarfs are super soft and lightweight material, breathable and skin-friendly without discomfort feeling, thin fabric but with fine knitting design, easy to wash and dry fast.

Plus Size Light Academia Fashion For Female

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✅ Best Women’s Plus Size Leather Jacket

Check if the arms are too tight – Nice quality leather. Soft and pliable. Smart looking and good for the price. Great fit and keeps the wind out. Fashionable. If you have a dog don’t let it jump on you because claws tear the leather because it is so thin. Don’t forget to check out for more plus size outfits!

Cashmere Scarf Set

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✅ Best Cashmere Scarf Set

100% Cashmere Hat, Glove and Scarf Set – This 3 Piece Set is made with 100% pure cashmere wool. This Cashmere is made from grade A, 2 ply yarn. The designer’s desire to discover the most luxurious, supple fabric available makes this set ideal for winter weather. Pilling is a surface defect on fabrics that are caused by normal wear. Unlike other winter accessories on the market, this Fishers Finery set is pill-resistant, making it great for everyday use even in the harshest of weather conditions.

Light Academia Nude Nails Kit

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✅ Best Nude Color Nail Extension Kit 

Be PATIENT it is worth it. – Instead of using the slip solution, use 90% alcohol. That made all the difference. Then your nails will look great and no lifting. Get a good led nail lamp. Check YouTube’s tutorial and you will be fine. And also I suggest a great bonder as some people have oily skin and all these are factors for the successful adhesion of the poly gel.

Plaid Nail Stamping Plate

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✅ Best Generic Nail Art Stamping DIY Plaid Nail Plates

These are very cute. They come out precise. – This nail stamper plate has lots of cosmic designs. Easy to use with a silicone stamper. Cute. Easy to clean.

Light Academia Wedding Dress

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✅ Best Women’s Formal Evening Dress with Slit

Beautiful gown – This sparkly dress is with Long sleeves, V Neck, Sequin, Built-in-bra, Floor Length, Zipper Clousure, Fully Lined, with pockets. elegant sexy formal dresses with a slit. You will receive many compliments on this elegant dress.

Light Academia Prom Dress

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✅ Best Sweetheart Tulle Ball Gown

Gorgeous and Well-Constructed Dress! – Perfect! If you were so scared it would come in or smaller or larger! But it came perfectly! Order a size up and you’ll be fine! Super gorgeous dress, cant wait to go photoshoot with it!

What should you wear to look light academia in winter?

Light academia outfit is very popular for women in winter. You can include a soft color cashmere sweater or turtleneck over a simple white button-down shirt, with some corduroy or plaid trousers or jeans, some oxford shoes or loafers, and a wool scarf. Other popular items for your winter light academia dress code include neutral tone checked blazers, turtleneck Sweaters, checked or plaid midi skirts, cable knit sweater vests, pleated skirts and trench coats.

The aesthetic has a lot of nice textures for the cold weather — the sweater is knit, the shirt is made out of cotton, satin or silk, and there are elements of leather in the oxfords and corduroy in the pants. The scarf ties it all together: traditionally, academic students would wear these long rectangular scarves on cold days at university.

What are light academia winter outfit colors?

The neutral, cream, pastel, muted, light shades of beige, camel, copper, gold, tan, champaign, blush, brown, gray, olive, green, slate and sapphire colors are very popular in light academia visuals. You can add some dark shades through vintage patterns such as plaid, stripes, herringbone, houndstooth, floral, paisley, twill, polka dots, madras and checkered etc.

How do you style your hair for winter light academia aesthetic?

First of all, you need to make sure that you keep your hair neat and tidy because light academia hairstyles are usually quite simple and basic. It doesn’t matter if you have long or short hair as long as you keep it combed and brushed regularly.

Light academia hairstyles are typically pulled back and away from the face, but not too severe. A low ponytail with a middle part and loose curls is one example. A braided updo or even pigtails can work as well. If you want to add a headband or scrunchie, look for something simple like a wide light brown ribbon or neutral-colored silk piece.

If you have long and straight hair, then you don’t need to worry about styling it too much. Just run the straightener over it to get this sleek look! Finish off with your favorite accessory and you’re ready to go! Or you can have a gorgeous bob with your long hair that showcases your light academia style. The bangs are subtle and create a bold overall look.

If you have short hair but still want to rock this light academia style, then get a cute undercut, angled bob or pixie cut. Wear a classic beret to embrace the sophisticated scholar look.

How do you do light academia winter nails?

Light academia winter fashion includes painting nails in neutral and muted shades such as cream, light gray, light brown, rose, burgundy and olive. You can also get acrylic or coffin nails in these tones if you prefer them over natural nails, then decorate with classy academia patterns such as plaid or elegant vintage flowers outlines.

How to do makeup for winter light academia aesthetic?

Makeup can be a great way to show off your personality within the boundaries of the aesthetic. Again, think about keeping your look classy and refined rather than “glam.”

In general, light academic makeup is fairly muted, so keep your skin makeup pale while emphasizing the eyes. Some of the most popular light academia winter makeup looks include deep eye shadows, intense lip colors, dramatic brows and a little red on the cheeks. If you don’t want to go for the bold look, the other option for a light academia look is completely natural.

What accessories to wear with light academia winter outfits?

Popular light academia winter accessories include silk or cashmere scarves, watches, monograms, beret, leather bags and belts, Ray-Bans wayfarer or tortoiseshell vintage sunglasses, hair accessories, pearl studs and lightweight gold or silver jewelry. The accessories you choose should be simple and complement the outfit. Nothing too ostentatious or flashy. The essence of the light academia aesthetic is the classy scholar vibe and elegance.

How to dress light academia for college in winter?

Classic pieces, such as tailored trousers, pleated jackets reminiscent of a prep school uniform, plaid or tweed separates, and a sharp pair of loafers, are driving light academic outfits for winter or fall. A moody color palette of neutrals and muted shades of blush, copper, light brown, olive, and white are also essential for your light academia college style.

How to dress light academia for winter casual street style?

In its most basic form, light academia could be described as prep school fashion with a vintage gothic twist. To make this aesthetic for winter street style, you can layer light color neutral tone collared shirts, blouses, turtlenecks, vests and knitted sweaters that give off a more academic vibe than a t-shirt. Denim is also not commonly worn in light academia, but rather plaid dress pants, skinny pants, slacks and trousers.

These are some basic casual light academia outfits that you can try to layer for the coming winter:

  • White shirts with light brown pants- make sure to tuck in your shirt for a more polished look.
  • Plaid patterns shirts- go for colors like maroon and blue, not bright colors.
  • Crewneck turtleneck sweaters- you can wear these over white/ light colored shirts or just wear them alone with a pair of pants or skirt. They’re perfect for light academia as they have an aesthetic vibe to them!
  • Checkered pants/skirt- these are great items to have in your closet because they’re versatile and can be dressed up or down depending on what you pair it with. I recommend getting both types of bottoms so that you can mix and match them for different occasions!

How to dress light academia for winter formal wear?

The light academia winter style is quite formal and classy by nature. To make the look more formal, you can pay homage to classic silhouettes and practical staple pieces by layering them in unexpected and stylish ways. Blazers, cashmere cardigans, and silk shirt underdresses are the ideal light academic-inspired formal wear. To project authority and formality, you should pay attention to details, dress modestly and decently. It is all about doing more with less.

What are some outfit styles similar to light academia aesthetic?

These light academia outfit style alternatives are gaining traction on social media platforms:

  • Chaotic Academia Outfits
  • Cottagecore Outfits
  • Soft Aesthetic Outfits
  • Royality Core Outfits
  • Romantic Academia Outfits
  • Dark Academia Outfits

Where to buy light academia aesthetic clothes for winter?

Ralph Lauren is a fashion brand that is particularly associated with light academia for those with a budget. Other store names that carry a lot of pieces for your light academia winter fashion capsule wardrobe include Nordstrom, ASOS, Anthropologie, Mango, J.Crew, Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Zalando, H&M and YesStyle.

For those who want to dress in light academia for cheap, you can find a lot of light academia clothes and fashion websites, so it is easy for you to build a light academia wardrobe. In fact, similar items can be purchased at a cheaper price on Amazon or eBay. If you want to buy light academia fashion items at the lowest sale price (and do not care about long-term quality or copyright issues) then you can even explore sources like Shein, AliExpress or Wish.

Another good idea to support small businesses and get quality deals is to shop from your local second-hand stores, vintage shop, flea markets, consignment stores, yard sales and Craigslist. You can even treasure hunt grandmother’s wardrobe. Delivery time is usually the fastest when ordering from Amazon or shopping locally.

If you are into handmade crafting, ethnic clothing and indie styles, you can spend some hours in our DIY session or shop from Etsy to get inspiration for light academia sewing patterns and your other fashion needs. For more light academia room aesthetics, don’t forget to check out our website!