Cream jacket

Autumn dressing is a bit of a challenge for us in the UK. One day we have rain and fog to contend with, the next a watery October sun makes an appearance. I usually chose what to wear before my morning dip in the sea, and by the time I return the day may look quite different. This was my third attempt at having the right combination of clothes for what was a bright, but cool morning with a forecast of sunshine later in the day. The gallery is a suntrap in the afternoon meaning Polly and I stand in direct sunlight for a few hours, baking in our woollies which seemed necessary at the start of the day. Layering is the obvious answer, hence this cute woollen jacket today. It was an exciting find for me a couple of years ago.

For those who know me it will come as no surprise that this was not a high street purchase, but a bargain charity shop find at the rock bottom price of £9.99. It's designer piece direct from a London boutique who send their old stock to a certain Exeter charity shop. I'm a regular at some of these shops and have made friends with the staff. My 3-6 monthly visits may not seem like being a regular, but I suppose what makes me memorable is that I do bulk buy rather than purchase just one item a week. My story of living on an island and therefore not having access to retail therapy of this kind very often is useful for capturing the attention and can sometimes mean the staff will keep choice items to one side ready for my next visit. That was the case with this jacket. I don't know who got the most pleasure from this sale - the manager from seeing that the jacket fitted or me that this was such a very unique piece. I think a short jacket suits my build and height, and the sleeve length is good too. I love the pleats that extend into the floral trim on the front and the pleated collar is pleasingly unusual. And cream is such a good colour for my hair and complexion too.

The trousers were a recent purchase from H&M and are a great fit made perfect by a good percentage of stretch. I like straight cut, slightly manly trousers and think they work well against the feminine jacket. I've added a navy leather belt with gold buckle which neatens the trousers too. (I remember reading an article years ago about "good dressing" and some tips on how to achieve this. One thing that stuck in my mind was that if there are belt loops then always add a belt. I'm usually one to rebel against rules, but have found time after time that I prefer the look of adding a belt rather than leaving loops looking forgotten.) And I've finished the look off with these brilliant ankle boots with retro heels - £6 well spent at another charity shop in Exeter. I picked the bangles up in a different charity shop and thought they would tie in to the geometric print of the trousers. I could easily have added a cream shirt or a frilly blouse, but decided on a classic navy tee shirt as there was quite a lot going on visually without needing to add any more. My green pearls were just the understatement I wanted to top everything off. 

Jacket: Tabitha (charity shop). Trousers: H&M. Tee shirt: H&M. Boots: charity shop. Belt: old. Pearls: Rose Cecil. Cream ring: charity shop. Beige ring: Dorothy Perkins. Bangles: charity shop.