When I was a biologist, one of my favorite concepts was ecotone – a region of transition between two communities that are often richer in diversity than either one on its own. I like to take this concept and apply it to life, something along the lines of... inhabiting one version of this life but moving towards another. The transition from winter to spring can often feel like this, particularly when figuring out what to wear.

In December I re-connected with fellow ex-Nordstrom designer Elisa Yip, who had begun her entrepreneurial adventure in sweaters, and we dreamed up this styling collaboration to pair my warmer weather dresses with her cooler weather sweaters, and photograph these new looks with a crew of like-minded creative women. 

Elisa’s company Sskein is a line of luxury sustainable knitwear, made from at least 50% baby alpaca sourced from sustainable vendors, using a certified ethical shearing process, and knit in South America. You can learn all about her choice of alpaca fibers here. She designs with intention and does thoughtful small production runs.

+ I've been pairing my dresses with sweaters since the beginning so I can wear them in any weather, so let’s break this down. For layering under the dress, generally something tighter works well, like a turtleneck or bodysuit; for layering over, something cropped or long compliments the length of dresses, think cropped oversized sweater or a cozy cardigan. A long scarf also does the trick.

Kat wears JO NIGHTDRESS in WHEAT layered under CREW NECK BOXY PULLOVER in green envy.

Kim wears JO NIGHTDRESS in RUST with SHAWL NECK LONG CARDIGAN in oatmeal dark heather.

Kat wears JO NIGHTDRESS in WHEAT with SHAWL NECK LONG CARDIGAN in vicuna, with ECO CLASSIC WRAP in grey taupe.

Kim wears JO NIGHTDRESS in RUST with SHAWL NECK LONG CARDIGAN in oatmeal dark heather.

Kim wears AJA BROCADE DRESS layered over T-NECK BODYSUIT in black.

Kat wears MICA NIGHTDRESS in BLACK belted with MARCO PLAID WRAP.

Kim wears AJA BROCADE DRESS layered over T-NECK BODYSUIT in black and under SHAWL NECK LONG CARDIGAN in black.

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Our models are bloggers Kat + Kim, identical twins on a journey to become more conscious consumers, to show you can dress well and live well while being kind to the environment. Read: clean beauty, sustainable fashion, and green living. Kat Shearer is a nurse and fashion blogger; Kim Seidensticker is a full-time blogger and doggie momma.

All photos by Cortney Bigelow and Tiffany Kelterer. Courtney is a fashion blogger and self-taught lifestyle photographer, Tiffany is a family photographer, both are new to working as fashion photographers.