Winter Warmers...

The weather is definitely on the change.  My body instantly reacts when temperatures drop. I have a constant runny nose, my fingers and toes are often a blue hue and I put my husband, dog and bank account through hell with sub-tropical heating inside the house, car and anywhere else I can control.

I am definitely not a cold weather girl.  I am half Arabic after all. I am of the desert. Of lands of sun and sand. I am definitely not destined to spend half a year, every year, wrapped up like the Michelin man with two pairs of gloves and socks at a time. Until such time however as that lottery win graces my palm with much silver, I must learn to somehow cover up (in style) and fight the good fight.

So, around the latter half of the year, I usually do some kind of coat edit. I look at what I have, what can be given to charity shops, what needs dry cleaning and then assess the gaps for potential new purchases.  This year I have been very lucky as I found two lovely second-hand coats down the road in my local village charity shops.

This is the first one, originally from Windsmoor,  which is going to be my smart going out coat (I just need to go out more!),  it's too lovely to be used on a day to day basis.  It was £10 which I didn't mind paying as it was in excellent condition and I could tell from the label that it was a true vintage piece. The label is a very old style when Windsmoor was the label of choice for people like my nan.  It has a velvet edge around the collar and cuffs with a slightly Russian edge to it.

The label on this one is Savoir and was only £6. Brand new with original tags (quoting a silly price of £75). I almost feel like I'm ripping off the charity shop when I buy things like this. 

It's as if I'm getting too much of a bargain and I need to say "put your damn prices up..........please!!!!!!"  The photo doesn't show the true colour, it's more terracotta than red and is a gorgeous thick ribbed wool material. 

  P.s...... Apologies for the uninspiring pictures above and below, I had two choices. Hang them in the hall and take the pic without thinking, or wait for daylight, a willing husband and a good photo opportunity.  The latter would be at least a week away so I went with option 1. 

This beautiful cape was a birthday present from my friend Jo.  We spent a great day together back at the start of the summer in Wells and she bought this very generous gift for me and kept it for my birthday in July. The only good thing about winter is that I have been waiting to wear this beauty. Our summer this year has prevented it from coming out sooner.  You simply slide your arms through the slits on the front that look like pockets et voila......   

Little Red Riding Hood lives.  I am thinking skinny jeans, long leather gloves and some lovely winter boots. It was around £40 from The Wells Trading Post which I have written about previously.  It's a truly amazing place and I am very lucky to have such a good friend.  What a gift. 

So there you have it. Despite the big freeze, I am hoping that I will look smart at least, as I wipe away the icicles hanging off my nose. 

Sniff.