Cute or Not Cute?: 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.