Hello again, and here's another joint feature from Sasha and I. This week we styled up our leopard print coats (which actually was the easy part) and then ventured out into the brisk North wind to get some shots. Not only were we trying to get out of the wind, but we got caught in a sleety shower too.
I've had this fur coat for over 20 years now and up until a couple of months ago it had been lost in the loft. When Sasha moved home in September Steve and I had a massive sort out and found it bundled up inside a few black sacks. As moth proofing, this had worked, but it smelt a bit musty. Dry clean only said the label. One of the downsides of living here is that we don't have a dry cleaners on the islands, meaning you either post things away or wait until your next trip to the mainland. As a stopgap, I draped the coat across one of the garden chairs on our decking while I was pottering about in the garden sorting through our evicted boxes of detritus.
Fast forward to two days later when I came home one lunchtime to discover a note from hubby saying "Fir coat on the deck" (yes, spelt like that, such a joker). I had completely forgotten about it and in the meantime it had rained, been sunny, rained again and then another sunny day - all with my fab faux fur exposed to the elements. The moral of the story is Don't believe all it says on the label. My coat is refreshed, smells of the big outdoors and is soft as ever. I gave it a brush down and it's good as new.
This seems to be my go-to necklace of the moment, making me think I need to find a similar alternative. Conversely, I don't seem to have featured these citrine rings from Gemporia for ages.
The winter white trousers are new and also a real step into uncharted waters for me. If you're a keen follower, you'll have noticed that white trousers aren't something I do often, if at all. Anyway, I came across these in Tesco's in September and asked Sasha's advice about them. I love the wide cut and the crop length, plus the material is really lovely, very drapey and not too see through. She said yes, give 'em a go. This is their first outing and I'm aware that the challenge of leopard print plus white trousers could indeed be misconstrued as trailer park trash. By adding the black cashmere sweater and these toning brocade boots, I'm hoping to have turning this into classy winter styling.
Outfit details - Coat: Dorothy Perkins, trousers: F&F at Tesco, sweater: M&S, boots: River Island, necklace: Du Barre, rings: Gemporia, sunglasses: Quay Australia.
Sasha's pink satin boots and gold chenille jumper give her leopard coat a modern twist that I love. It's great to see the coat styled in this playful way.
Likewise, the baker's boy hat is young and fun and suits her features so well.
By dropping down behind the sea wall you can barely notice the howling wind!
Fuchsia and satin - what could be better?
Outfit details - coat: New Look, trousers: Pretty Little Thing, jumper, boots and hat: Primark, jewellery: LVNDR.
Sasha has come across a new website where she bought this gold dipped shell pendant and also these rings. Check our LVNDR jewellery site here.
I'm on a steep learning curve being on the other side of the camera. I know I have a lot to learn, but am always keen to expand my skills so this is really good for me to have Sasha tutor me. Her background in marketing and advertising means she has a good eye for what works and what could be improved. Background, lighting and settings are such basics and yet I've been guilty of letting Polly deal with them rather than become involved. I've always thought of my camera as a point and shoot, but seemingly it's got quite a lot of useful features that I've not been aware of, therefore never accessed.
December seems to be the month when fur coats really come into their own. Not just for the glamour factor, but for warmth too. I'm bringing all of my furs out of storage so that I can get the best use of them over the next couple of months. The 5Over50's challenge for January is fur so that gives me another chance to feature something snuggly. Our group challenge for December is Christmas jumpers and has been moved to the18th, so do drop by to see how we've done with this most seasonal of items.
In the meantime, I'm off to take some shots of the new additions to my wardrobe as well as shaking out the glitter for another trial. Velvet too is something I'm hoping to get together so maybe sequins and velvet could make an appearance together. I'm off to play with fabulous fabrics and sumptuous sequins to see what I can come up with. Have fun with your week and keep warm!
Linking with -
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
Samantha of Fake Fabulous
Anna x