I <3 WINTER CLOTHES
I LOVE WINTER CLOTHING. You haven’t heard me say that before, have you? Right now I am feeling the capsule wardrobe. I am leaning so far into it that I’m practically horizontal right now. I’m getting ready in the morning in record speeds (now if only my hair would do that whole ‘effortlessly wavy’ thing itself) and I’m breaking my own personal records for clothing spend, which is basically two of the massive reasons why it’s worth operating in a capsule fashion with your wardrobe. That along with the fact that a lot of us don’t have sprawling wardrobe areas and so it is more practical for us to split up our clothing inventory into seasons and just display the current season’s stock to free up some space – I’m just hitting all the capsule wardrobe talking points directly on the head right now.
So why am I in this capsule wardrobe nirvana? What’s changed? Well that’s what I’m going to attempt to dissect in today’s post, along with sharing my extremely obvious don’t-make-a-drinking-game-out-of-this current winter favourites that I’d quite happily wear every single day until May rolls around.
So why am I just so in love? Well I feel like my general preference for winter clothing over summer items plays a part here. Give me a chunky knit, some straight leg jeans, a wool coat and boots and I’m one happy lady. The cosiness and the fact that I only ever have to shave my leg to ankle-height only is really quite wonderful.
I still feel like I haven’t found my groove 100% with my summer wardrobe – although last summer was definitely the closest I’ve got, it’s a work in progress! – but I think because of the investment pieces I’ve purchased for my winter wardrobe over the past few years, I feel like I’m kind of there. I’ve got a really good group of thick jumpers that I adore wearing, because of the jean haul that I did before Christmas I’ve got denim down and I love my Whistles coat collection (black, tan, leopard print – what more do you need, eh?). Because of these previous purchases I feel like I truly have a winter capsule wardrobe. So much so that my New Year’s resolution of only buying one item a month is going really well. I’ve stopped shopping and I think that give or take some additional items here and there that I’ll pick up for brand partnerships, this year will be my best yet when it comes to buying less.
The other thing that I think has lead me to this clothing happy place is that I’ve been challenging myself more to come up with new ways to wear old items. Firstly I gave the whole ‘planning my outfits for the week‘ thing a go, which actually turned out pretty well. It stopped me dilly-dallying in front of my wardrobe every morning and meant that I was chuffed with my outfit that I wore each time because I’d actually put some thought into it. More recently I tried out the 10×10 challenge; 10 items of clothing to make 10 different outfit ensembles. I organised it at the weekend, packed my suitcase with the 10 items and have had my outfits sorted for each day of this book tour so far. It’s GENIUS and something that I will definitely do for each trip I have going forward. Video coming soon. It’s a brilliant way to not only pack light yet efficiently, but also to fall in love with your wardrobe again.
MY TOP FIVE ITEMS RIGHT NOW
Whistles Faux Fur Leopard Print Coat. Ah come on – you knew that this would be here. If in doubt, wear the leopard print coat, right? I wear it with all black outfits, I wear it with denim, I even wear it with MORE LEOPARD PRINT ITEMS because I just can’t stop myself. It’s warm and cosy and when I’m wearing it people can’t stop hugging me, which is a wonderful thing as an avid lover of hugs.
Topshop Marcel Leather Snakeskin Boots. Shout out to lovely audience members from my book signing at York who pointed out these boots and complimented me on them! BABES. They’re an out there piece, but they add a point of interest to my extremely basic wardrobe and they are comfortable. They feel like they elevate my outfits whenever I want to look a little fancier for events or an evening out.
& Other Stories Roll Neck Jumper. I had this jumper reserved as more of a ‘wear at home to bundle up’ kind of piece, but instead I’ve reached for it whenever the temperature drops to ‘chilly‘. I mean just look at it. How can you ever be cold in that? It’s thick, it washes well and ultimately, it’s practical. I think it looks chic as hell paired with an all black outfit and a statement boot.
Equipment Sloane Cashmere Jumpers. I picked up a grey one and a black one a couple of years ago and literally had to eat beans for five months because of it, but these have stood the test of time in my wardrobe and are by far the best quality knits that I own, regardless of price tag. They barely bobble-up and have kept their shape despite numerous washing machine visits (hand wash setting only OBVS). They are SO. SOFT and are a great layering piece to have throughout the winter.
& Other Stories Leather Lace-Up Boots. The & Other Stories guys very kindly sent a pair of these to me late last year, and I am quite honestly shook at how much I’ve worn them. In fact on this book tour leg they are one of only two pairs of shoes that I’ve bought with me. As the chunky trainer trend just seems to grow and grow, I feel like this is my contribution to that in the way that they are big and clunky, but the classic black boot-ness of them makes them a brilliant addition to my winter wardrobe.
Photos by Emma Croman
*Sign up to my monthly newsletter ‘An Edited Life’ here*
SHOP THE POST
Comments