Three wardrobe basics at a high(ish) price and three alternatives at a low(er) price...

[Whistles jeans, jacket and boots, Jigsaw sweatshirt, H&M necklace, Kate Spade bag]

When I'm out and about in the shops I come across a lot of things, some of which are cheaper alternatives to other things I may have come across elsewhere. A number of pieces like this have come my way recently, so I thought that I would share them with you....

First of all, there's this long line layering shirt from Me & Em (£98) which I have looked at, and lusted after, many times over the last few seasons. The white one is currently out of stock but it looks as though it is due back in sometime soon. However at £98 for a shirt, it's not something that I can square off in my mind. 

However, this H&M longline shirt (£14.99), which also comes in white, is 100% cotton and it will do the same job. I'm liking the saving of £83.01!

For many years, I've been a fan of trousers with a side zip. Although I don't own any myself right now, they are fantastic for ladies who wear tunics as a jeans button can quite often show through them. For ladies with a bit of a tum they are a great option because this style tends to be pretty high waisted, which gives a smoother line. They also tend to be pretty slim in the leg so there's none of that "if they fit around the waist they're like sails around the hips and legs" business going on.

Anyway, J. Crew have just released their Martie pant (£89.50), which are skinny with a side zip....

....now you will have to bear with me on this one BUT M&S  do a style which is pretty similar - these high waisted skinny tube jeggings for £29.50. I asked you to bear with me on this one because any brand that calls an item a "skinny tube jegging" deserves to have them sitting on the shelves until they go into the sale. A less enticing name for a piece of clothing I cannot imagine. My stomach just clenches and then swells at the thought of them. However, the style is great and I bought them for the style party that I was doing the other night and they looked amazing on. So don't write them off either as a result of the name, or the totally awful picture. And for anyone who buys them, rather than the J Crew ones, that's £60 saved.

Phase Eight always stock a side zipped style and they have their Amina jegging (£49) in at the moment. The only thing that I would say about the M&S and Phase Eight styles are that they don't have a back pocket (unlike the J, Crew ones) which can be slightly less flattering but in any event side zipped trousers can, due to their lack of pockets at the front, create a little hint of the camel toe so from that perspective a slightly longer top is better in any event, whether there are pockets on the bottom or not.

Now this style of shoe first seemed to come on the scene later on last summer. Laura over at WIT featured this style from Isabel Marant (£315) on her blog today. Lovely as they are - and she mentioned how soft they were, which is something to bear in mind....

...there's a pretty similar style in Dune for £89, which still isn't a bargain basement price but for anyone unsure as to whether it's a style they will get a lot of wear out of, it's worth investing in a less expensive option first....

...which is where this style from New Look (£22.99) comes in. I've tried both this style and the ones from Dune and both seem pretty comfortable to me. So that's another £226, or £292.01 saved.

So, that's a little bit of cash saved to buy yourself some other sneaky purchases instead.

Pink coats, pink coats and more pink coats.....

Pink coats have been dancing on the fashion periphery for a while now.  It started last winter with Jil Sander's oversized pink coat (see below) but it has taken until this winter for them to filter down on to the High Street - and for A/W '13, the pink coat is where it's at!

I don't suppose that anyone will be surprised to learn that over the years I have had several pink coats. It started with a pink Oasis trench about 9 years ago and was soon followed by a pink Boden coat and after that a Benetton one. I tell you this only because, sadly, I clearly don't have a reason to buy a pink coat this winter, which I consider to be a shame.

The deal on pink coats is this: they should be the softest palest of pink, worn oversized with rounded shoulders and clean lines, or perhaps military style, but they should be devoid of frills, peplums, or anything that makes them look too girly. So, I've done a quick whizz around to see what's on offer at the moment. Not all of them fit the "deal" above but that's good, because not everyone will want to walk around in a pale pink, oversized, coat this winter.

French Connection (£175) has this lovely pink coat. Being double breasted and with a collar, it is probably more suited to women who don't have lots of curves. I like the swing shape of this coat, which gives it a bit of a 60's feel.

The Hobbs Lacey coat in orchid pink (£239) is a favourite of mine. I like this particular shade of pink as it has a depth about it which suits paler skins in the winter (that would be me then). The oversized shape lends itself well to the whole androgynous look which is so big for A/W '13 and it will work well with trousers and brogues, or boots, as well as dresses. Grazia quite often has a Hobbs discount voucher at the start of each season so if you're tempted, it may be an idea to keep your eyes open for that.

J Crew has this pretty, very ladylike, coat which also comes in petite and tall and costs £312.15 - or slightly more if you need the tall one, which seems grossly unfair to me. It also comes in a colour similar to the Hobbs one above, but is only available in a petite and in a size 0 - so it's probably not one for the masses but someone may do really well out of it as it's in the sale for around £185. (Kylie, if you're reading this, you know where to go for your winter coat).

This is the only picture of the coat that I am dying to see, which is from Topshop and as yet not available (unless someone tells me otherwise).  Again, it's a pretty pale pink with clean lines so it's definitely one to watch.

This pretty pink Marks and Spencer (£99) military style coat is from their plus range and comes in sizes 20 to 28. I like the shaping on this coat - simple and flattering with a revere collar, angled pockets at the waist and it is also single breasted.

Zara (£179) has this masculine style overcoat. It's not dis-similar to the above style but it has less movement in the skirt part of it. There's something about black buttons on a pink coat which always stand out. Personally I prefer buttons the same colour as the coat - but not enough to change the ones on my own coat. Cheery looking soul isn't she?!

For those who prefer something less than a full length coat, Zara has this woollen overcoat for £79.99. It's great for those who perhaps travel a lot sitting down and don't want their coat to get creased, or for those who have fantastic pins. I'm a big fan of playing to your strengths so if great legs are your strength, show them off at every opportunity, cold or not!

Boden (£149) has this Mia coat which is very chic, in a classic Audrey Hepburn type of way. This bubblegum pink is a great colour and I can see it working really well at the weekend with jeans, Chelsea boots and a chunky roll neck jumper.

For a paler than pale pink coat, Reiss (£225) has this blush jacket with a waist tie.  It's a lovely design with clever detailing in the panels. Whilst a waist tie isn't for everyone, it's definitely worth a try.

 

Being cream, this Jigsaw (£265) coat doesn't really belong in this post but I fell in love with the colour, texture and shape of it, together with the fur collar. As I have mentioned before, all things fluffy, soft and furry are going to be huge this winter (a post on this particular trend will follow) and for me this coat embraces the trend in a very classic 1940's way but with a modern twist, as opposed to a less sophisticated (OK, chavtastic) kind of way. This coat would look amazing at a winter wedding - I just need one to go to now.

  

 

If a pink coat isn't your thing at all, there will be many other options available.  Zara has these pink trousers for £29.99 which are great but as ever with Zara, it's a good idea to start with the XL size and work backwards to avoid being utterly demoralised when the medium ones don't even go over your calves.

 

 

 

Warehouse (£28) has this lovely box bag in a pretty pale pink colour. I like the silver frame and the structured shape of this particular bag and it is well priced. Again, a great wedding option (hint, hint friends).

 

 

So, that's where we are on the pink coats - will you or won't you?  Perhaps you wouldn't have before reading this but now you might be tempted to.  Or like me you perhaps would love to but don't have  a reason to. Oh well, if that's the case, that's the great thing about this time of year, there's always something else just around the corner.....