Cold Comfort

 Altuzzara

Lordy, it done got cold! 

I am up in London for a few weeks and packed a suitcase, hedging my bets on what I might need. I ummed and ahhed about which coat to bring, and settled on a very lightweight one taking the view that it could accommodate both the milder weather we've been having and the threat of a cold snap with a thick cardigan nestled beneath . It is the end of October after all.

I thought I had been awfully clever as it has been balmy, balmy, balmy, but half way through my stay and last night the temperature plummeted. By ten degrees. It wasn't mucking about. Now I am cold. Cold and fantasising about coats.

 Azzadine Alaia

Which honestly is no bad thing. I have a cardigan draped around my shoulders, and as long as I am suitably prepared I quite like cold weather. Mostly because of layering. My sartorial heaven.

 Bottega Veneta

We all know that the big coat stories this season are the colour pink and the over-sized cocoon shape with a sprinkling of mannish Crombie stylings. But I have to confess I'm not buying it. My shape suits a bit of fit and flare, and there are quite a few feminine styles that have piqued my interest.

Bottega Veneta

So here are some of the delights on my (never to be realised) wish list.

 Bottega Veneta

The ones I am most drawn to are the feminine but minimal, belted styles in a muted black, grey, navy palette. When times is tough I think the watchwords have to be classic and long-lasting. Now the pink coat is definitely a treat to pep you up on grey mornings but a coat, at least when you are my age, should aim to be hanging round with you for a good few years, not just a season. It's a big purchase, and not one that you make every year, so I think it is advisable to play the long game and buy something you'll hopefully love for years.

 Bottega Veneta

But what about you, lovely readers, what is tickling your fancy in the outerwear department?

 Carven

  Carven

Chalayan

 Chloe

 DKNY

 Dolce & Gabbana

 Gucci

 Gucci

 Haider Ackermann

 Isabel Marant

 Jil Sander

  Jil Sander

  Jil Sander

  Jil Sander

 Joseph

 Marc by Marc Jacobs

 MaxMara

 Nina Ricci

  Nina Ricci

 Sophie Hulme

 Theyskens' Theory

(Images via Matches, Net a Porter)

In the Pink

(Image via Daily Telegraph)

So, I guess we all know that the pink coat is the item of the coming season. And I love this one by Marks & Spencer and others I have seen. But I will very definitely be avoiding the trend because it just feels as though it might end up being everywhere. I am generally not keen about following a trend, but particularly not one that will be as visible as a pink coat. It will be interesting to see how popular it actually ends up being. It could be touted as a big trend by magazines but not be taken up by Joe Public. Time will tell. What about you? Tempted by the trend or not even slightly?

A Little Bit of What You Fancy

Call me a cynic, but I find that if I want something I very rarely come by it. So when I decided that I wanted to find a down jacket that covered my bum and didn't make me look the size of a house I was sure that it was a quest destined for failure.

(Images via Comptoir des Cottoniers, Ecco)

And when I subsequently decided that I wanted a pair of boots that were warm, comfortable, water proof with a nice bit of foot support (that weren't hideously ugly) I was pretty sure that the fashion gods would be sat up Mount Fabulous having a good old chuckle at my gall.

But in your face! Because I got both, on one day. Yay!

Obviously I won't be shopping again for months because a) I have spent rather too much money and b) I have a feeling that a serendipitous shopping adventure like that only comes around once in a blue moon.

But right now I'm as happy as a clam and as toasty as, erm, a ... freshly toasted piece of toast...?

Down and Out

Denim & Supply by Ralph Lauren

The weather has just started turning cooler and I have become obsessed with keeping warm. I want to bundle myself up like a newborn.

 Karen Millen

And the number one thing on my list to bundle with? The down jacket. And not just any down jacket, but the kind you see glossy Italian tourists wearing. Which I never thought I would be interested in. But seriously, it is just like wrapping yourself up in a duvet, and I can't think of a thing wrong with that.

 Karen Millen

Particularly now that I don't have to get on the tube, because grappling with a duvet during rush hour would be no fun whatsoever.

 Moncler

But the main question is: is it cold enough in the south west of England to merit such a warm coat?

  Moncler

 

And the answer, sadly, is probably not.

 

  Moncler

 Moncler 

  Moncler

 Penfield

Penfield

Pepe 

Weekend by MaxMara

 Whistles

(Images via Matches, Asos, Karen Millen, Whistles)

Copy Cat

(Image via Elle UK)

I think I may have found my Jil Sander pink coat. And it's from M&S, which will definitely help my wallet.

Coats of Many Colours

 Acne

Apologies fashion fans, I haven't posted in ages. I have been up to my eyeballs in work and then I had a few days away to try and recover. Please accept my apologies in the form of these lovely coats brought to us by ElleUK.com

So many cosy treats I wouldn't even begin to know which one I would like the most...

 Antipodium

 Dolce & Gabbana

 Dries van Noten

 Edun

 Felipe Oliveira Baptiste

 French Connection

 Gerard Darel

 Isabel Marant

 Lacoste

 Preen

 Rebecca Taylor

 Reiss

 Tata Naka

 Whisles Limited Edition

Zara

(Images via Elle UK)