A Few Nice Coats - Ok, It's Camel Ones Again!

I didn't know what to call this blog post as I've lost count on how many camel coat  blog posts I've done.  I think I''ve pretty much given up looking for one for myself, I just can't find one the right shade that complements my skin tone. That being said, I still think it's a great staple in anyones wardrobe so I'm always keeping my eye out.  I found this gorgeous one below in Zara whilst shopping with a client.  It looked so good on her (not on me when I tried it on another day) and is such an easy coloured coat to wear.  It's 58% wool so not a bad amount of warmth in there for the money. 

Masculine Coat £99.99

Whilst browsing for the above I also found this one which has 50% wool and a double breasted style if you prefer that style coat on you. 

Buttoned Coat £69.99

As much as I've resigned myself to stop the hunt, it won't stop me trying on if I see one.  Whilst returning some kids clothes I spied this one on a mannequin in H&M.  My heart skipped a beat as I literally thought it might be it.  The colour wasn't bad (and I wasn't 100%, so my colour wasn't great!) and it fitted lovely around the shoulders and I loved the belt.  But yep, it was miles too long on little old me.  At £79.99 it wasn't cheap enough to warrant the additional work it needed to get it to the right length.  It was lined so it wouldn't have been a quick job for a seamstress.  Gutted yes!  My husband always goes on about not buying items that need alterations.  I don't 100% agree but his voice was ringing in my head at the time with this one.  It was 51% wool and 37% cotton so actually a pretty good mix of natural fibres as well as a little others.  I can't see it online in camel anymore, there is grey and black which is selling quick.  

How it should look - not like a full length coat!

Wool-blend coat £79.99

Winter Coat Inspiration

So whilst some of you appear to be receiving this Indian Summer that was supposed to be here this week, over in Bucks, we definitely haven't!  The winds have picked up and only today has the sun appeared to take away a little chill.  With that in mind I thought I'd do some leg work for you and get you Winter ready - the early bird and all that!  Over the last few years I've upped my coat game and made sure I have a great selection as I do feel the cold.  So starting with a pea coat - such a versatile style for every day.  I purchased a navy one from Warehouse earlier this year in the sales and being a denim wearer, I think it's a great staple to have.  As always, I'm checking out what they are made of!

The White Company £198 with 75% wool 

Jigsaw at John Lewis £198 (yes, exact price as above!) with 78% wool

I know these both seem a little pricey however anything under £100 that I've found has been made of rubbish and you will get one season out of it so I'm not going to share them!  Think about the cost per wear idea.  If you wear this for say 3 months of the year every day and only over 1 year it works out at roughly £2.20 a day.  This is a staple item that never dates so on your second year you're down to £1.10 then I'll let you do the math based on the many many years you will have out of it.  

Jack Wills £198 with 80% wool 

Throwing the above one in as whilst searching for a little animal print, I stumbled across this.  I seem to have been on an eternal hunt for a decent camel coat with wool in.  This one looks gorgeous.  Straight onto my wish list this one goes, if only I hadn't announced at home how much I 'needed' all those other coats......A running theme with the price you will see - how odd!

Boden £189 with 46% wool & 25% cotton

Back to what I was looking for!  Now I have two animal print coats in my wardrobe (despised by my husband) and I love them both equally.  One is a wool mixed one like the above, it has a smarter vibe to it and was from Zara years ago.  The second a faux fur one from Topshop bought via Ebay earlier this year.  I really enjoy adding a print to the mix when it comes to coats.  Being a school run mum sometimes you just feel like adding a little fun to the standard plain clothes underneath.  The above one from Boden is a great alternative if you don't feel you need a lot of wool for warmth as the cotton is another great natural fibre to make sure it stands the test of time.  

FCUK £150 with 75% wool & 5% cashmere

Going slightly off piste again but sharing as I find - this one above is another great woollen one with a slightly different take by way of the draw string affect.  I like the boxy cut of the top half but also the way it can nip you in at the waist.  It is looking like anything made of decent materials is over the £100 mark at present I'm afraid.  You're just going to have to start out of season shopping like me and buy styles that don't date at the wrong time of year!

La Redoute £87.50 with 60% wool 

Typical, right towards the end I start finding a few little gems, starting with the above.  It goes from a size 10 up and would be a great buy but probably better for someone with a little more height than myself!  

M&S £99 with 63% wool

My last little gem was this one above which does also come in navy but I really like the green.  Not the highest wool content of them all but enough I'd say to make sure it doesn't bobble too much.  I love the wide collar on it and how well it actually works with the feminine dress.

Over to you, get shopping and be prepared, you know how our weather can suddenly turn!

The Wool Coat Saga

I shared a Warehouse navy pea coat last year on here and was hanging on for it to be reduced further. Well that happened but then another one also rocked up when I was ordering it that I liked. Dilemma!  I ordered both then took to Instagram to ask for a little help, some good points raised but the majority were for the striped style.

However it was a plain coat I was after so I was struggling with letting the navy one go. I had pretty much given up on the camel coat search by this stage, I was going with what I'd seen, liked and fitted.  The navy one was £35 eventually and the stripe £50.  I took to eBay to sell a few items and decided (against the husbands advice that I really didn't need more coats - school runs need variety too you know!) to keep both.  £85 for two coats that both contained a good amount of wool felt like a pretty good deal.  

I wore the stripe one straight away, it was the perfect addition to a simple outfit.  

Bag; Prada (via Bicester Village)
Hat & gloves; Moschino (via TK Maxx)
Jumper; Boden
Jeans; Topshop
Necklace; gift

Jeans & Boots; Topshop

I have since grabbed it more than I thought I would.  It has fitted pretty well in to my wardrobe as the stripe makes it a smart casual coat rather than the dressier animal wool coat I have (a firm favourite of mine). 

The navy peacoat started off slowly but once I started wearing it that was it.  My only negative has been that as per someones advice on Instagram, it does show up the fluff.  However at £35 I can put up with that as the fit is lovely.  

My very own black panther of a cat - Rafa!
(It was a different day but yes, same jumper.  More on that in another post)
Jumper; Rag & Bone
Jeans; Topshop
Boots; Isabel Marant

This was the coat I was trying to 'replace' for want of a better word.  It is a very old Zara one I bought when I was working in Brussels.  At the time my mates thought I was nuts as animal print wasn't everywhere (we're talking over 5 years ago) but it's now a firm staple and is brought out season after season.  I wanted more wool ones to wear and so far, I'm pleased with the new additions.  The weather's been so up and down I still think I'll be wearing them for a while yet!