A Dorothy Perkins grey quilted sweatshirt - just one way to wear it for now!

Earlier in the month I wrote about quilted sweatshirts which are everywhere at the moment. In fact quilted pieces in general are a big trend for A/W '13.

 

Despite the glorious sunshine when this photograph was taken, it was quite dull most of the day so I thought that my new quilt gem sweatshirt from Dorothy Perkins (£22) would be just the ticket. Here I am wearing it with GAP boyfriend jeans, Zara boots, yellow Karen Millen cuff (yellow and grey still remain a huge favourite colour combo of mine) and a Marc Jacobs handbag.

 

Here's a closer pic at the "gems" around the neckline which, predictably, increased its attraction to my magpie like personality.

My previous post about quilted pieces looked at quilted sweatshirts but for a couple of alternatives, there's this Hobbs  pearl skirt (£89), which I have seen in real life and it's really lovely....

And this quilted bomber jacket from Warehouse £48 which again I have seen in real life and that too is worth a closer inspection for anyone tempted to go down the quilted route.

Having a lot of grey in my wardrobe, and following on from my comment about liking grey and yellow together I have ordered the new Ingrid coat from Boden. For anyone still on the hunt for a pink coat, it also comes in pink too. I'll let you know how it all works out..... If anyone orders one I would love to see a picture!

Quilted sweatshirts - coming at us from all angles!

The Chanel 2.55 handbag is probably the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of quilted pieces, closely followed by your Grandma's dressing gown. A few winters back, quilted coats started to appear and they quickly became the standard coat of pretty much every teenage girl in the country - to the point that one of our local schools has banned them.  In the spring, slightly boho Isabel Marant style quilted jackets took centre stage and it seems that most brands now have quilted clothing of one sort or another. I've seen quilted shoes, bags, jackets, skirts, tops and dresses but I have a special affinity for quilted sweatshirts.

Why you may ask? OK so you may not but if you do, here's why. Two big things in their favour are that they are warm and comfortable. Always a winner in my book. With jeans and boots they make a great casual outfit and with a smarter skirt and heels, they are a trendy look. They can be worn with a statement necklace or with a shirt layered underneath and they offer a way of us non-20 year olds being able to keep up to date without looking ridiculous.

These are some of my favourites so far:

Reiss £69 has this lovely silver grey one, with a quilted pattern that is quite different to most of the traditional diamond shaped patterns.

 

Reiss £69 also has this pinky coral coloured one - which makes a nice change to the grey, navy or black ones which are available in abundance.

Whistles £65 has a navy one, which also comes in white too. This quilting pattern is triangles all at different angles - which reminds me I still need to buy some set squares for our son. There will be  a trip to WH Smith tomorrow I think. Oooh, they stock toblerone too - it's all about the triangles tonight.

New Look £19.99 has a quilted grey sweatshirt for a good price - sorry about the tiny pic....

...together with this sweatshirt with quilted sleeves, also from New Look £12.99. It's a great colour and the nod to the quilting in the sleeves is good for those who don't necessarily want the added bulk over the chest that quilting can sometimes add.

I think that I ought to own up to this grey quilted sweatshirt from Dorothy Perkins £22 making its way into my bag today (that sounds like I didn't pay for it - but I did). Our Dotty P is dire but then I remembered that BHS has a section and that was an altogether much better experience. As you can imagine, I liked the sparkly bits at the neckline.

 Warehouse £36 has a black sweatshirt with a traditional diamond pattern on it. This sweatshirt would make a great backdrop for a bright statement necklace.

For anyone who prefers quilting on a real quilt, as opposed to clothing, you may like to take a look at this lovely blog, which is written by a lady I met on our recent trip to Guernsey - Little Island Quilting - they're beautiful, what a talent!