Hazy Shade of Winter

I had a day off this week, and spent some time at the big shopping centre nearest my home, to see the fashions being stocked for winter and to plan my purchases for the months ahead. It was with some surprise that I found a good number of shops are already having their mid-season sales. This autumn has been so warm that I have barely dipped into my winter clothes at all and I have become quite content with the endless summer. Last winter, I didn't feel very stylish or attractive in the clothes I chose, so this year I have made a rough list of items I think will work with what I already have and the aesthetic I want to move towards. Feel free to skim over this if you hate lists!

Ankle booties: Black. Possibly a tan pair also.

Knit skirt(s): I plan for these to be my default casual bottom. They are SO comfortable, and my husband loves them on me.

Pant: 1 pair only, as I prefer the more feminine vibe of skirts for winter. I was initially thinking boot-cuts or flares, but the heavy rain over the past few weeks has given me a renewed appreciation of skinnies!

Winter tops: Long-sleeved and either trapeze-shaped or cropped and boxy. This will definitely be the most challenging category. I think part of the reason I didn't feel good last winter was because I failed to really get this nailed down.

Bomber jacket: Cue

Pants: Carla Zampatti

Sandals: Joanne Mercer

After my shopping trip, I managed to tick several things off my list. I will show them to you over the next few weeks, but I will start with this top. It is actually a light-weight bomber-style jacket, but I plan to wear it as a blouse. Bomber jackets seem to be very popular at the moment and I think it is a shape that works really well. I like the way the fabric is loose over my torso but fitted on the waist. Cue have done a range this year incorporating prints from from the 70's, and this was one of them.  It is lined, so will be warm enough to wear alone or with just a camisole, but I can also wear a long-sleeved T-shirt underneath for added insulation when the August winds arrive.

I find that the thicker fabrics and boxier shapes of jackets are more forgiving on a flat chest than most of the knits I have encountered, and I plan to use both this new piece and this trapeze jacket from last year as stand-alone tops over winter. Just now though, winter still seems like quite a long way off, lost in the heat haze of a beautiful autumn! Have you starting planning your wardrobe for next season?


Hazy Shade of Winter  cover by Bangles (I actually prefer this version to the original Simon and Garfunkel, which must be a first for me.)