A new autumn coat

I went to Kennington yesterday to the teeny-tiny gallery space of The Camera Club, a members-only photography club where you can hire studios and dark rooms, to see an exhibition of fashion photography. It slightly reignited my desire to do photography myself, as I used to really enjoy developing pictures back in the pre-digital days. I’m more designed to sit around in cafes reading Look magazine than I am to dedicate myself to art but regrettably the Club is too serious to have a cafe.

Kennington turned out to be pretty posh. I was under the impression it would contain mainly tower blocks and an air of menace but in fact it had a Pizza Express.

I mainly post in order to show you my new coat, brought all the way from New York’s Banana Republic. I know we have one here now but it’s quintessentially American y’all! It has a Mad Men/Gossip Girl feel because of the “bracelet-length” sleeves and lack of collar. My posing and British wintertime does its niceness no justice. I wanted to wear some original 60s vintage under it but it’s really hard to wear calf-length skirts in 2009 without feeling terribly frumpy.

The addition of some gloves would make this outfit the business. I already felt like an old lady from the 50s when I was tottering around Kennington with the coat buttoned up and with my Lulu Guinness cameo lady bag ramping up the twee factor. Buttoned-up old ladies are my idols. The brooch and the lace top are needed to stop this being gloomy. Maybe some silver lurex tights are what this outfit is really hankering after – something to reflect some light!

S

Duffle coats and autumn colours

I spent a lot of time as a teenager wishing things were other than what they were. A big factor in this was my consumption of teenage magazines, including the dreadful US magazine Seventeen. When I saw the Orla Kiely coat, above middle, all my fantasies of being a cutesome college student were re-ignited. I was actually at university for a few years and while I was there barely brushed my (dyed black) hair let alone looked this adorable and fawn-like.

I love the idea of duffle coats but they really don’t look the way they should on me. The correct way to wear a duffle coat is to simply be Alexa Chung, and look fresh-faced and glowing, as if returning from a walk in a field. Quintessentially British in other words.

I do own a lovely powder-blue duffle coat that I look forward to wearing but it’s so snug there needs to be snow being blown at you by gale force winds before it really makes sense to wear it. I know I’m a nerd, but I’m also really looking forward to dry-cleaning it. It’s lovely to have a stack of freshly dry-cleaned coats and dresses all ready to wear. I’m also really looking forward to doing some wardrobe maintenance. No point having lovely things if they’re all in a pile on the floor!!!

I’m turning into my dad.

S

Return of the chill

After a few pleasantly spring-like days, the rain and cold returns to London, rather predictably. I now have to go work and look acceptable to other human beings so a natty new coat will soon be in order to protect my delicate frame.

Although the collection was rather dull in comparison to S/S’s lovely lilacs and neon pinks, this Luella coat with its pretty details and drab colour would suit the current climes, both meteorological and economic, quite nicely.

S

Luella a/w 09

Men’s coats

I’ve been tasked with a little fashion challenge. My dad has just gotten a swanky new job and so is treating himself to a new coat. He’s quite a smart guy in general (think black-framed glasses and striped shirts) and apparently we are talking a trip to Selfridges and not Burtons in terms of budget. He doesn’t like big collars; it has to be knee-length or longer, not a little jacket. He’s in his mid-50s.

We’re going shopping for this golden coat next week and I am taking any suggestions for what you think I should make my dad wear! I will post pictures if he will let me take any.

S

Frosty

Those cups must be giving her chilblains. What are chilblains exactly?

I have two things to say. Firstly, I am jealous of Agyness’ cloak/duffel coat thing. Secondly, she looks as cold as I feel whenever I have ventured outside in the past couple of days; I do that thing of sticking as much of my face as possible inside my scarf and coat. Dear fellow blogger A displayed her Heat Tech t-shirt to me yesterday and I was very impressed with how warm she said she felt. I need one of those post-haste.