Let's have a little Monday night cud chewing over long cardis and coated jeans...

There's something about a long cardi in the winter that puts the world to rights. The only thing is that knitwear can be uber expensive and that brings a whole lot of different issues - the need to wear it a lot to get the cost per wear down, which can result in bobbling, which can result in a lot of combing/washing to sort it out, which can result in it wearing out quickly - and before you know it, that expensive cardi lasted only a season. (Or alternatively you don't wear it at all for fear of the above so the expensive cardi sits in the wardrobe.) I know that there all the handwash/dry it flat/wool responds well to washing arguments but sometimes there just isn't the time in the day for that, so I have found that the answer is to buy a cheaper version.  In fact, a little bit of acrylic mixed in with the wool (or in this case vice versa) is not always such a bad thing.

I recently bought the Next stitch cardi, which at £35 wasn't too bad. In terms of styling, I like a long cardi to be long, rather than finishing right slap bang across the widest part of the thigh, like a big horizon with arrows on it pointing to them.

I also like a bit of femininity within an outfit, however casual or basic the pieces are, so I put a Topshop printed blouse under the cardi, in the same colour tones.

I was talking to a friend from Brighton the other day and we always have a little clothes chat as part of our conversation. "Bethy G," she said "What tips can you give me for what to wear this season?" Having discussed the boots/parka/Topshop being great for jumpers issue and bearing in mind that she has two young boys and a dog, I pointed her in the direction of coated jeans. They are a good alternative to jeans, a little push at the boundaries without knocking the fence right over, and more importantly with two children and a (slightly slobbery) dog, you can give them a bit of a wipe over and no one is any the wiser.

The ones that I am wearing were bought from Primark for £10 last winter and I've definitely had my wear out of them. In addition to the cardi which I have featured below, I've also included a couple of options for coated jeans.

Next stitch cardi (£35), which also comes in an oatmeal colour.

GAP coated biker legging jeans (£32.99 to £42.99)

NEXT coated skinny jeans (£36) which come in several colours.

 

If you're tempted to give them a go, do let me know how you get on!