Blankety Blanket Burberry Coat

We saw. We lusted. We...started saving up?  The wonderous blanket coat from Burberry has turned many a head, and probably busted many a bank, already this season. A "must have" piece my friend so politely calls "the personalised car rug lookalike" is an easy one to replicate. 

Image from The Telegraph

A few years ago I was visiting a friend in Barnard Castle and I had overwhelmingly under-packed, Being far far north of the Watford Gap, I was FREEZING. The only shop that was open was an Edinburgh Woollen Mill where, in my eyes, style came to rest its weary legs and fashion came knocking oh so rarely. Comfort, ease and gillets were the order of the day. As I poked around the rails for something that I would actually wear, I spied a rack of what looked like blankets. My spidey sense told me I was on to a winner and lo! a navy and green checked blanket crossed my back. 

Good things DO happen over time - just wait 'til you see the next picture...

Such an inexpensive item is a great piece to have fun with this and get involved with this seasons blankety blanket coat trend. I've popped my Gap denim shirt underneath, rolled an Hermes scarf tight looping it around the collar and secured everything with a leather belt. You can see the length of the drape on the front of the blanket wrap hits the knee so this would be great with coated skinnies and ankle boots. 

oooof that's tasty

And here we have the magic filters of Instagram at work!

Short Sleeve Style Spotting

I was never a cheerleader of fast fashion in my 20’s but I admit… I had a few Primark pieces. The shame. But now I am knocking on the door of 34, my aim has become a halo inducing wardrobe filled with ethical, sustainable, quality clothing that I can actually wear. This may seem like an odd concept, of course you wear clothes, but trying to get dressed every day using a hotch potch of trend lead garments in my 20’s made my wardrobes (yes, note the plural) a nightmare.

Enter my 30’s and I’m after easy combinations, lots of versatility and garments which are wholeheartedly ‘me’. I’m a big fan of Lisa Armstrong: her no nonsense Investment Dresser column in the Sunday Telegraph Stella magazine has been a guideline for many of my post 30 purchases. When I read her recent column on short sleeved jumpers I lapped it up – when your wardrobe is stocked with basics it can err into boring – so the short sleeve jumper called to me. I guess it’s all about the nuances, and luck, as I picked up a short sleeve Whistles jumper for the princely sum of £5.99 in the Barnados charity shop in Chorlton, Manchester about a week after reading Lisa Armstrong's column.

In winter I like natural fibres as opposed to man-made fabrics (here’s looking at you, acrylic) which aren’t half as warm as wool and will last your half as long. The material mix on my Whistles beauty is good – mainly wool with a bit of Alpaca thrown in for warmth. It’s a rich, dark, textured green fabric which also gives the eye lots to look at. Add a bit of leopard and you are on to a winner.

I styled it with my Alice & Olivia blouse from The Outnet, H&M Trend midi pencil skirt and my Kurt Geiger leopard boots. Oh, and my glasses. A short sleeve can sometimes look a little masculine if it finishes at your nipple line so I pulled out the blouse sleeves and rolled them back for an extra bit of textural difference. Et Voila!

Pure Collection Cashmere me up

It's been well documented on this here blog that I LOVE cashmere and it is one of my ultimate wardrobe staples along with seam free pants and a silk blouse. I am the very proud owner of not 1 cashmere jumper but 4 (black, navy, camel and lime) and each time I wear them I get a compliment. Case in point - I met my friend Amy a while ago and the first words that tripped out of her mouth when I exited the wardrobe mobile were

"You look so expensive."

Not bad, eh? I was wearing my Pure Collection navy crew neck jumper with phat jewelz, grey suede Zara court shoes and a Preen lace skirt. Cashmere is versatile and stylish and warm - now that winter has firmly set its sights upon us we need to wardrobe-up and bring out the big guns! Acrylic may be half as expensive but it'll only keep you half as warm and last half as long as a proper cashmere investment piece.

Ever wondered why the price of cashmere differs so widely on our Great British High Street? Pure Collection uses the longest fibres of cashmere to weave their jumpers which cost the most but means they pill (bobble) the least. Brands like M&S use the shorter ones which cost less but pill more when you wear them. 

This week I am styling at the Pure Collection shop in York showcasing their new Autumn Winter stock. Pure Collection is the largest online and catalogue retailer of cashmere in the UK and it is always a joy and a pleasure to work alongside them, inspiring their customers at seasonal events. Here's the info in case you'd like to pop along:

Pure Collection exclusive Winter Styling Event at the York store, on Wednesday 8th October 4pm - 7pm including 15% off our full price collection. The perfect opportunity to build your winter wardrobe!

The event is FREE TO ATTEND, including a glass of Prosecco and a goodie bag. Awesome!

To reserve your place at this exciting event, please call the York store on 01904 466477 or email shopyork@purecollection.com. 

I've been drooling over the Pure Collection website all week and these are my top picks:

For those cosy winter nights in with a DVD and a mug of tea the Gassato Cashmere Cowl Neck in heather grey worn with the Cashmere Lounge pant are beyond perfect. How decadent!!!

Duster coats and mannish tailoring are BIG again this winter and the Pure Collection Revere coat has not only nailed this trend but it's a coat you'll be wearing for seasons to come. Not for the faint hearted - the colour is so striking and impactful:

And then this skirt - my oh my how perfect is this sequinned skirt for me  the Christmas party season. Hell, I'd wear this with a white tee tucked in in summer. BIG YUM:

See you on Wednesday night!

THE Dress

THE Dress is the dress which you can pull out and it will do for most occasions: weddings, parties christenings. My DVF dress always stood up pretty well in the afore mentioned categories but then Zara came along and trumped DVF. I know - whodda thunk it? - but DVF is a bit short. So tights and boots it is for DVF. And all hail the all-rounder from Zara!

I've become more and more body confidant since starting The Wardrobe Angel and this Zara dress really highlights how far I've come. It's a gorgeous deep navy which doesn't really 'do' anything until you hit my mid thigh. Then along come the frills. I wore it to an engagement party a few weeks ago and styled it with a faux fur wrap, snakeskin clutch and black pointed stilettos. 

Love the movement in the frills!