Looking Fabulous @ Fifty: MY WINTER BASICS

Hello dear friends, hope you are all well

Just wanted to share with you a couple of staples that I bought for myself for our Australian winter. People often tease me about how cold the winters were back in Russia when I complain that I feel the cold. True, it was freezing cold, as it is in the most of Europe and the US in winter but we were wearing weather appropriate clothes and the houses were properly heated and insulated while here, the Australians are in total denial, they strongly believe in perpetual summer and that's why you can see people wearing shorts, t-shirts and thongs (flip-flops) all year round.

It is also true that on the coldest day in most of the country the temperature is always on the plus side and it never snows, but the weather still bites and you need a decent coat, a woollen jumper and a pair of boots to survive it. I love feeling warm and comfortable and always prefer to be dressed according to the season.

It is all about layering as quite often a cold morning turns into a nice warm day and if I want to shed a layer or two so it is important to get the basics right starting with a skirt. I bought this maxi skirt at the same shop at which I bought my black slip-on dress (worn here), Natalie Alamein. As I mentioned previously, the bulk of her clientele are the millenials, however I managed to score quite a few pieces from her store that I feel quite comfortable wearing.

I am all for colours and fun prints but when it comes to basics, my choice always falls on black and neutrals as they act as a blank canvas that allows you to express your taste in accessories, shoes and other embellishments of your choice.

"WINTER CLOTHES IS ALL ABOUT LAYERING

SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE BASICS RIGHT"

This maxi pencil skirt with a side split is another gem that I found on the rack marked "Sale". It is made out of very soft and warm woven fabric and hugs my contours rather nicely and I am sure I will be wearing it a lot, to and after work.

My other purchase was a neutral colour v-neck jumper. The main feature that attracted my attention was its long oval shaped back with a split detail that adds a contemporary twist and a sense of fun. Although it looks thin, almost transparent and feels very light, its made of pure wool and is very warm. I bought it during the Christmas sale from Sass and Bide.

My first look is how I dressed for a day in the office. I was about to wrap a thick woollen scarf around my neck but changed my mind and instead settled for a lighter one in silk that I don't have to take off once inside, with black and orange print that added a colour punch to my neutrals and some urban panache to my look.

A pair of tall black boots and a black handbag completed the look.

Later that day I was about to meet a few friends for midweek drinks at one of our local wine bars. I normally stay away from drinking during the week but our weekend already looked quite busy and we have not seen these people for a while and didn't want to postpone our get-together much further.

Besides, my teenage daughter was giving me hard time and I welcomed any excuse to get out of the house.

Not wanting to look like I just stepped out of the office, I swapped the boots for a pair of shoes in bright red (previously seen here) and fishnet stockings (I just love the fishnets and wear them as often as possible).