Something to banish the Sunday night/Monday morning blues...

I've said it a million times and I will probably say it a million times more but I'm a huge fan of a coloured coat for the winter. There are so many dull, dark days during the winter months that it's lovely to see a bright pink, blue, red, yellow or coral coat.

In this post I'm taking a look at blue coats. I've seen lots of them on my travels over the last few weeks and months and there are some great ones to choose from.

French Connection has two of my favourite blue coats. There's this imperial wool coat (£169) which I used  on a model at a style event a couple of weeks ago. It has a great depth of colour to it so is easier to wear than some of the lighter blue shades. It currently has  20% off with Grazia (OCTFC20 which continues until midnight on 2 November

This French Connection oversized wool coat (£225) is a lovely soft blue. It's more oversized than the style above so arguably may have a shorter shelf life but if you're after a coat in the shape of the season, this could be a winner. The wide collar and simple styling are also a nice touch.

The Great Plains wool funnel neck coat (£120) is a real gem. It is slightly oversized without being swamp like and the funnel neck is a real winner. It has a strong nod to the 60s trend which is so big this season and as with anything that is based on a style from times gone by, it won't date - because it already has, albeit in a way that is trendy once again - if you get my drift.

Despite the oversized styles that dominate at the moment, lots of ladies still prefer a fitted style of coat, feeling that it is more flattering and waist defining/bust minimising - which quite often it can be. Sometimes with fashion trends there's a trade off between wanting to wear something that is new, fresh and different vs wearing a shape which is known to be flattering. The classic example is the trade off between boot cut jeans, which tend to be more flattering on lots of women, vs skinny jeans which are more modern. Some things can be styled in such a way as to overcome their limitations and sometimes all that is needed is a period of adjustment and time to get used to a different look.  So really what I'm saying is don't rule anything out - not without giving it a proper try first as that's how we get stuck in a rut.

However if it's still not possible to get one's head around a looser shaped coat, the Boden Ingrid Coat (£179 down to £143.20) has a semi fitted style so it may tick all of the right boxes.

This Country Casuals blue fold collar coat (£249 but currently with 20% off) has a clearly defined waist and is also has a nice detail across the back, also adding to it's shape. It's one of the few double breasted styles out there at the moment and in the flesh it's a really pretty blue shade. I was quite surprised when I came across it in CC but in actual fact they had quite a lot of nice clothes (don't tell anyone I said that!) I like looking at lots of different brands as without fail, all brands have some great pieces - even if only a few - and all brands have some rubbish pieces. The weight of some of their dresses, particularly their wrap dresses, is really good. Far better than equivalent priced brands, or even those that are more expensive. They also have a fairly extensive petite range.

Warehouse also has a couple of options. There's the brushed drawn hair coat (£95) which currently has  25% off with this week's Grazia. Having said that there aren't many double breasted options look at this - another double breasted option. Lovely colour, nice fabric and a good price with the discount.  

Or there's the Warehouse boucle coat (£85) which obviously has more of a texture to it. I'm not entirely convinced how well this one will wear given its finish but it's worth taking a look at it to see how the fabric sits once it's been tried on and rubbed over a couple of times - not that I'm suggesting that anyone should go and try clothes on and give them a hard time before deciding whether to buy them or not.

Lastly Coast has this Soho Crombie Coat (£175) which is a lovely mix of a classic style but with a modern edge, thanks to the zips above the pockets. I think that it would work just as well for work as it would with jeans and trainers at the weekend.

 

So, what d'you reckon? Is anyone tempted by a blue coat of any shade at all? My Boden spotty blue coat, now heading into its 9th winter, may well be making an appearance sometime soon.

My pick of the High Street prints

 

Outfit: Jigsaw jumper and printed trousers, Topshop shoes

 

Prints - we either love them or hate them, pretty much instantly. They can remind us of our grannies' curtains, outfits we wore as children, or something the cat brought up. But equally they can lift our spirits, change our look and give us a new lease of life.

Some shops are known for their prints - or indeed for their lack of them. Zara always has lots of different prints (although it's better not to go in there after 9.35am because it looks like a jumble sale). Warehouse is always strong on both print and colour - plus the quality is better than Zara too and walking in there is so refreshing, compared to some other stores. Both the Monsoon and Boden prints stand out a mile away - and not always for the right reasons. Whistles has great prints each season which they usually also do in a scarf for anyone who just fancies a touch of one. Sometimes it's just about giving them a go.

I always like Great Plains. The price point of the brand is good and they often do more than one piece in a particular print. The Hoxton top from Great Plains (£40) is a nice fit and is a non scary print type option. It also comes in a long sleeved knee length dress.

Despite being largely a dark print, the blue in it is really vibrant and it looks great on people with blue eyes.

The Great Plains City Scape trousers £60 are a good place to start for anyone tempted to try a print on their bottom half. The print has a dark background and can be worn with black, navy or grey. Also they're smart enough for work with a blazer, or relaxed enough for out of work with a jumper, so they're pretty versatile.

The French Connection wilderness bloom comes in both a pencil skirt (£75) and a fitted dress with a zip up the front. Made of cotton and with stretch in it, it also straddles the work/casual boundary really well. It's easy to pick up the navy, cream or burgundy in a top. The model used is 5ft 11" so on most people it will come up longer.

Generally known for its very plain and slightly more architectural pieces, each season Cos does a couple of prints. This one has been around for a while and Cos have done this print in both a bomber style jacket (£79) and a pencil skirt.

This Warehouse floral jersey tee (£28) is good for a first foray into the world of prints. It's plain grey on the back but with nice shaping down the side and the print is modern but subtle - it's the kind of top that could work its way into your wardrobe and sit their quite happily amongst those black and grey pieces until it's required to give the a bit of a lift. Do suss out Warehouse if you're after a printed top.

And whilst this isn't my favourite print of all, LK Bennett can always be relied on to do a couple of striking prints each season. The Joe Rose print full skirt (£195) has a graphic floral print which is great for a winter wedding.

At this time of the year the stores can start to look a little dark and flat and I think that can be true of our wardrobes too, so it's good to pick up a print every now and then, just to keep everything balanced.

My favourite printed dresses on the High Street - and what they can do for you...

 

I realise that you've seen this dress several times before but I still like wearing it and I wanted to do a run down of some nice printed dresses that I have seen recently.

Printed dresses are good on several levels. They keep the eye on the move and give a cleaner silhouette (Oh OK, let's be honest, they hide lumps and bumps) they can add colour and interest to your wardrobe and a dress in a print of the season can look so much more up to date than its plain counterpart.

This Riviera shirt dress Boden (£69) - otherwise christened "my Kirsty Allsop" dress by a lady I was working with today, is a great dress for hourglass figures. It's beautifully fitted over the bust, without any gaping, nips in at the waist and then flares gently over the hips. With nude wedges it's a really simple, elegant look.  My only advice would be to tie the belt to one side (rather than over the tummy as above) just where you have those little "dips". Also try to make the belt as flat as possible, rather than tying it in a bow which can add bulk.

The Atlanta dress from Coast (£75) has a great big bloomin' print (literally) over the upper torso, which can serve to either attract, or distract, attention from a particular area. So if that's where you want to draw attention - either because of a shapely bust or a flat stomach - or if you want to use it as a diversion away from curvier hips - or just because you like it - this is the dress for you. The colours in the print are quite unusual and I really like the pale pink which I would pick out in accessories.

 

This abstract floral print dress Warehouse (£46) is the current version of the dress that I am wearing. The model wearing the dress on the website is 5ft 10" so don't be put off by how short it looks on her. I like the grey, lilac and yellow in this dress, which would look good with a jacket such as this one from Zara (£59.99). It's a great style with a lovely pleat at the back.

This Forget me knot midi dress Great Plains (£65) is a simple shape in a stretch cotton fabric which offers support. A dress with a sleeve and a good length such as this can be hard to come by so this is a particular favourite of mine. It also comes in a different colour way.

Here's a little collage of the dresses, which I then decided wasn't as good as the individual images but it took me so long to do, that I've decided to leave it in anyway - plus the links may be quite handy!

 

Clockwise from top left:

 

Riviera shirt dress Boden (£69)

 

Forget me knot midi dress Great Plains (£65)

 

Abstract floral print dress Warehouse (£46)

 

Atlanta dress from Coast (£75)