My cosy, toasty Primark fur gilet

Is it really bad to admit to wearing the same clothes two days running? Well it wasn't the entire outfit that I wore again today - it was only the fur gilet. It was so warm and cosy and I didn't get a chance to photograph it yesterday so I wore it again today too. At least it reduced the price per wear and given that it was from Primark in the first place, it now practically pays me each time I wear it.

 

I was working from home for part of the day today, getting myself prepared for an event tomorrow night, and given that I wasn't on the go that much the extra layer came in really handy.

 

I'm also wearing Primark skinny coated jeans, Zara boots and one of my favourite Cos funnel neck jumpers. Sadly it shrank in the wash but oddly only in its length, and not so that it has gone all boardy and stiff, so it is still wearable.  More by luck than by judgment, this turned out to be a great way to wear it as its "shortness" is totally hidden.

I haven't been able to face Primark for a while to see whether they have any fur gilets this season but the closest that I have come across so far is this Topshop fur gilet (£60) which is also available in grey, mink and lime. 

I like the head to toe black look (not necessarily on me but just in general) which is broken up by the colour of the sleeves and neckline of the jumper. It just makes it more interesting than an all black outfit and means that you can play around with the colours. The fur of the gilet and the coating on the jeans also adds texture to the outfit and as I mentioned above, it works at hiding washing disasters and possibly pulled threads, moth holes, stains and damage caused by little peeps. Who else can see a whole new range of wardrobe possibilities opening up for them?!

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!

Let's mix some Primark with some Whistles, Zara, All Saints and Mulberry to fight off the chill!

It really felt like the first day of winter today, which gave me the opportunity to wrap up warm.

 

I'm a big fan of lots of things - being warm is one of them, another is being comfortable and another is wearing "cheat" items - namely those pieces that look stylish and polished but which feel like the most comfortable PJs that I own.

 

When I'm styling clients I often say that the ideal is to feel as though you are wearing a onesie, whilst looking as if you are wearing something (anything!) much more stylish and sophisticated. It's definitely something to aim towards.

 

Here I'm wearing the Whistles Annabel jacket (£155) bought with the Grazia 25% discount. Our Selfridges didn't have it in the navy (shown below) which is probably just as well really as I could quite happily own both colours. It's boucle, which makes it soft, very warm and because of it's nice shape and styling, one of those cheat items I was talking about. Given the choice I would happily wear my fleecy dressing gown jacket for the entire winter - and behind closed doors frequently do - but it's not really acceptable in public, so this jacket is a much more acceptable alternative.

 

 

Underneath the jacket I wore an All Saints cashmere jumper, Whistles camo print scarf, Primark coated skinny jeans, Zara boots and Mulberry handbag. Cold weather - I'm ready and waiting for you!

Cuddle up in something cosy with a fur gilet (handy if you don't have a cat or husband/partner to hand)

I hate to say it but the nights are definitely drawing in and the heating in our house may have been flicked on once or twice - just to check that it's working of course. As I looked down at my M&S fleecy dressing gown jacket that I was wearing the other day (whilst in the house I hasten to add and whilst over my daytime clothes) I couldn't believe that we were back there again.

Fortunately, this season there are all manner of fur coats and gilets out there. In fact they have been out there for many seasons but now that they are officially a "trend" they will be much better advertised, making it easier for us to find them.

Primark has always been my go to place for fur gilets. I bought two from there last year which wore well, kept me warm and looked more expensive than their price tag. Last week didn't reveal any such gems but I'm sure that it's only a question of time.

I often wear my gilet in the house for warmth, or layered under my Parka to make it look more attractive than it really is, or they can be layered over a trench to take what is a lightweight coat a bit further into the autumn.

Johnnie B has a fur gilet for £45 and their sizing is pretty generous too. Cream gilets are a good place to start - somehow they're less full on fake fur and challenging than other colours.

If however black is more your thing, French Connection has a faux fur gilet (£150). I like the texture of this one and it would look great with a grey marl jumper underneath it or, for those who are washed out by grey, a lovely bright pink, coral or yellow jumper. The length could be tricky on some though, so it's definitely one to try on.

If the idea of a coat featuring some fur on it appeals to you, French Connection has this black one for £220 - which isn't cheap for what may be more of a trend item than a wardrobe classic but then if you love it, why not? And sometimes things that start off as a bit of a flash in the pan turn into a well established wardrobe staple. Skinny jeans being the perfect example.

For a bit of grey number, there's this faux fur gilet from Mint Velvet for £109 which is a nice alternative to black or cream and grey works really well with berry and purple colours.

This is one of my favourite, the granite and cream fur gilet from Mint Velvet £99. It has more of a sheepskin finish rather than a furry one and would sit well under a winter coat - well, provided there was a bit of room to spare.

Taking in two trends in one, Zara has this navy sleeveless coat with fur on it for £129. I have to admit to falling in love with this last week and it is now sitting in my wardrobe waiting to be worn. I'm going to layer it up with a navy roll neck or bright cashmere jumper, skinny jeans and boots. And if I have to freeze, I'm happy to but actually I think that it might be good when I'm working in the shops and for when I'm in the car. I love a great excuse almost as much as I love a great piece of clothing.

Here's a link to the New Look fur gilets/pieces and River Island  has a very fluffy Mongolian gilet in different colours for £150. If you're not sure about the whole idea though, I would still hang on and wait to see what Primark has in within the next few weeks. On the other hand, if you have a good excuse.....

Mum on the Run - In Primark, New Look, M&S, Ash and Jigsaw for another lovely sunny day!!!!

I was a little less "tucked in" today but believe me it's all show. Underneath that untucked denim shirt was a vest that was so well tucked into my trousers (and belted in too, come to think of it) that it would have taken a minor earthquake to untuck it all.

 

I realise that the wedge trainers have featured far too much of late but I finally sussed out last night as I was drifting off to sleep, what it is all about. Remember that I mentioned that they were comfortable? Well hold that thought.

A few weeks ago my Mum was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthirits in her feet. One of the pieces of advice she was given was to wear lace up shoes. The fact that they were laced up meant that they would stay securely on her feet, allowing her to take a slightly larger or wider size/width, which would reduce the discomfort in her feet.

Well hello Ash wedge trainers. Lace up? You bet. All the way up the ankle in fact. Generous of size? Tick. Mine are a generous size 6. Slightly wider than usual? Absolutely. The shape of the toe means that there's no pinching going on.

So, basically the reason that I love them has nothing to do with trends/looks/being cool (never have been, never will) or anything else. No! The reason that I love them is that they serve the same purpose as an orthopedic shoe - not that Mum is in those yet. She's still looking at Hotters/Padders and Echo.  The rate I'm going, I fear that I may get to the real thing before she does.

Anyway, I promise not to post about them for a while. For those interested in the rest of the get up, the shirt is from New Look, the jumper is a Cashmillon number from M&S for £12 (or 2 for £20 sometimes. Get me, don't I know my M&S offers!!!!) and Primark jeans for £10.

Before I sign off, there' s a story behind the Primark jeans. When I first wore them my husband asked whether they were leather. And I just thought to myself how amazing, given the price of leather trousers, that he asked about them in such a nonchalant way. The thought that I could have got away with buying a pair of leather trousers without prior discussion, or consultation, made me wonder what I really could get away with on the clothes purchasing front. Not that I ever would of course....

Mum on the Run - A Primark Purchase which won't break the bank - it might even give some of your jeans a whole new lease of life

Lovely as it was playing castles and knights with my three year old nephew at 6am today, I can't pretend that such early starts are something that I am that used to any more. So this will be brief and probably full of mistakes. Sorry!

 

Yesterday the sun was out and so I decided that winter was over, that a coat was no longer needed and that it was time to wear my new £6 Primark top. I had only bought it on Friday so it didn't get a chance to hang around for too long before I wore it.

 

Our eldest and I were off to see Les Miserables which was the perfect chance to give it its first outing. The combination of sitting down, especially in the dark, meant that if I felt that it was a total disaster at least no one else would know. Although given that it was only a plain long sleeved top with a scoopy bottom covering piece at the back, it was hardly going to set the world on fire, however you looked at it.

 

The top comes in several marl finishes, all of which are pretty neutral. From memory, there's grey, cream, mint (which I am wearing) and a taupe colour. I am wearing a swing style cardigan from Cos over the top here, together with grey Cos jeans, Zara boots and my blue Orla Kiely bag.

I layered another thin long sleeved top in a contrasting colour underneath for warmth and just to add interest at the neckline and at the sleeves too. I am wearing a size 8, which gave me enough room to do that. In the summer I might lose a layer but the top is quite sheer so it will always need something for modesty's sake.

It's probably fair to say that it lends itself to skinny jeans and trousers more than anything but it's definitely good from a bottom covering perspective, so it's great if you have any jeans which don't fit quite as well as they might over your bottom, or if the pockets aren't that flattering. In fact this top could give them a whole new lease of life and for £6, that's not too bad.

Here I am minus the cardigan at which point I realised that although the sun was out, there was a very wimpy heat to it and being a wimp myself, it wasn't a match made in heaven. However, with time running out, I battled on bravely.

And here's a closer look at the top with a Topshop necklace, which also has a hint of green in it. I'm not pretending that it's anything amazing but I haven't worn this style top before so it's always nice to try a new style, or just to have something new sitting in your wardrobe to wear - however much it cost and from wherever it may be.