For all the fanfare around puffy jackets and duvet coats, it has to be said – they don’t suit everyone. I was reminded about this at the weekend at the sight of a diminutive soul in her blue Bacofoil number, hoisted slightly askew a la Vetements, but not really fooling anyone. No wonder then that the sensible stalwart, the trench coat, is more popular than ever, on and off the catwalk.
These Trademark AW16 look book pictures are giving me flashbacks to my German au pair Uschi (she of the classic Vuitton shoulder bags). It’s partly the model and partly the combo of flares, mules and sensible polonecks. OK, I’ll pass on the flares (not with my diminutive proportions) and you know how I feel about mules, but there are so many other things to love in this collection.
For starters, yes please to the wrap-over quilted jacket with its cute but maddeningly impractical tie-up sleeves. (more…)
In case you hadn’t noticed, duvet coats, puffer* jackets, padded parkas, call them what you will, were all over the AW16 runways. Why duvet coats? The short answer; because it’s always bloody cold! The long answer; well, how long have you got?
Before the AW16 shows kicked off, supersized sleeping bag coats were already on my radar, having seen the above Norma Kamali example on Instagram (side note: do give Magazine_fan a follow if you’re a vintage fash-mag nut). And then the floodgates opened with outpourings of padded down goodness by everyone from Stuart Vevers at Coach to Alexander McQueen (a peachy satin butterfly-embroidered duvet coat fit for a princess), to the Stella McCartney one most likely to be copied by the high street.
So the clocks just went forward and April is in sight but I’m still welded to my winter woolies. April is a transitional month for me, when I want to break out lighter, brighter colours but I’m not quite ready to detach from my cashmere layers. Plus, it still rains bucketloads, so a sensible top layer is non-negotiable.
Some things I swear by: Hanro vests and camisoles (there’s a new one out – ‘Ultralight’, 70g of mercerised Pima cotton, half the weight of the classic Hanro camisole. Can’t get enough of these), Levi’s 501s (there are the new C&Ts if you want the fashion version, or the old school ones in mid-blue are my go-to), cashmere socks (in pastel colours, from Paul Smith or Johnstons of Elgin) and Church’s shoes (new service launching soon – take in an old pair and get £40 off a new pair or a repair).
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