Let's keep the spirit of summer alive even in the dead of winter! Just because summer is over, it doesn't mean the beaches are closed. We decided to spend the day at El Matador State Beach in the middle of November. The weather was in the low sixties (I know, LA weather is amazing), so the heavy coats weren't necessary but it wasn't quite warm enough for bikini tops and cut-off shorts either. Here are our top five winter styling tips for the beach.

#1 Layers, Layers, Layers
Even during the summer, I layer up for the beach because it usually gets a bit chilly when the sun goes down. This goes double for the cold weather beach trips. This one is a no-brainer. Dressing in layers lets you have the most control over comfort in the varying temperatures.

#2 Wear shoes that make sense
Foot wear on the beach in winter is tricky. We're so used to being bare foot on the beach that it's hard to imagine having to wear shoes. It's so tempting to want to stick your bare feet in the water even if it's really cold. If you're planning on doing that, ballet flats are your best bet. They keep your feet warm and are easy enough to take off and put back on. If your plans don't include dipping your feet in the water, long flat boots are a good choice. Avoid wearing booties. The sand tends to find their way in and we don't want that!

#3 Pair summer favorites with winter staples
When building your layers, think about adding a base layer from your summer wardrobe. Add an outer layer like a cardigan or hoodie for warmth and for much cooler temperatures, add a jacket on top.

#4 Tie Your Look Together
Now that we have the outfit and the layering down, the only thing left is to tie the look together with accessories. I love winter accessories and there are a variety to choose from : a patterned scarf, a beanie, a knitted head wrap, a beret, etc. The only accessory I would avoid wearing is the wool floppy hat. I did that one time and the breeze kept wanting to take my hat!

#5 Use Hands Free Accessories
Crystal and I love taking photos with our phone and constantly find ourselves having the phone in our hands all the time and never in our hand bag. We found an amazing hands-free phone accessory from a company called Bandolier. Just a note that we are not sponsored by this company, but we should be! Everywhere we go, we get asked about our Bandolier. This hot item has been a major phone saver! Especially when we were taking photos near the water. Our hands were a little shaky from the chilly weather, so having our phones secured to us gave us peace of mind.

I think the only thing we were missing was cup of coffee and a freshly baked Cinnabon. What are some of your winter beach styling tips?

Like what we are wearing? Click on the images below to shop our style.

Crystal's Style
Moto Leather Jacket - Express // Striped Swingy Tee Dress - Urban Outfitters // Boots - Aldo // Hands-free Phone Case - Bandolier // Necklace - H&M // Sunglasses // Urban Outfitters

Candy's Style
Dress - American Apparel // Hoodie - Alternative Apparel // Vegan Leather Jacket - Free People // Thigh High Tights - Urban Outfitters // Camera Purse - Kipling // Scarf - Loveboat // Boots - MaxStudio // Sunglasses - UNIQLO