WHAT TO WEAR WHEN YOU HAVE THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS IN ONE DAY

Hello dear friends, hope you are all ok

Now that my holiday story is done and filed, I can go back blogging about clothes.

I can’t speak for every fashion blogger but for me blogging about winter fashion has always been a challenge.   First, as we in OZ don’t have a winter as you might experience in Europe or Northern America, we tend not to focus too much on having multiple winter coats, present company included. I have been wearing the same wool coat for years.  It looks good, it keeps me warm, has a classic style and I don't see a need to replace it.  Thanks to my older daughter, a couple of years ago she handed me down a coat from COS (worn throughout) so now I have two and can alternate.  Some people I know don’t even have a need to wear a coat, just a puffy jacket if the want to go for a walk.  Otherwise they just wear thick jumpers, vests or quite often just a t-shirt will do.

As for me, after living in the former USSR for the first half of my life, I am conditioned to wear clothes appropriate to the season. 

Second, when taking photos of your winter outfit, you don’t just take images wearing a coat, you need to show what you are wearing underneath and I quite often feel too could to take the coat off.

I usually end up photographing the outfit in the comfort of my own home.  This time, however, it was different.  It was rather a strange day, it is started on a somber note because we had to attend a memorial, followed by lunch with my husband’s business associates after which I had to pick up my granddaughter Edie from school and her little brother Theodore from the day-care, so I had to come up with the outfit suitable yet comfortable for all three occasions.  

Since it is expected to wear dark colours for sad events, I settled for a monochromatic black and white palette.  I wore a black cashmere jumper, black cropped pants with occasional white horizontal and vertical stripes, black boots and scarf and topped it with the grey coat.

Bearing in mind my business lunch and not wanting to look too severe, I wrapped a long string of pearls around my neck and paired it with pearl tea-drop earrings to add some lightness to the look.

I was debating between wearing more formal footwear, but it would be difficult for me to keep up with the kids, so I opted for a pair of black and white sneakers from LV instead.  Besides, the days when the sneakers were worn to do some sort of physical activity only are long gone and since have become the footwear de jour. 

Somewhere between the engagements, I asked my husband to take few images of my OTD.  The day was not too cold, yet I wasn’t ready to take my coat off completely, so I just loosened the belt slightly so you can get the idea.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo

WINTER WHITES OR HOW TO LOOK STYLISH IN A PUFFER JACKET

Hello lovelies, how are you?

Our winter has been quite cold from day one, which is quite unusual, especially in the mornings.  The chill factor makes things much worse, sometimes I feel that my face is about to freeze and fall off.  The puffer jackets are flying off the racks like hot cakes and given that most manufactures stick to the colour black, we all now look like universal soldiers 😄.

As you can see from the previous post, I also wear a black thick jacket and it provides me with warmth  and comfort.  However, this winter I wanted to break away from the mainstream colours of winter such as your blacks and browns and explore other options such as shades of pale.  I started looking for a jacket that would not only be warm and cuddly but also helps me to retain a sartorial look.  I found my solution in a Uniqlo store when the jacket in a light tan colour caught my eye.  

It became my starting point and I went from there.  There is some unspoken rule saying that you only wear your whites in warmer months but I wanted override this misconception.  I believe that there is nothing wrong in wearing light colours on a winters day if you follow a few quite simple rules such as:

Avoid being dressed in white colour from head to toe.  If, for example, you choose to wear white denims, make sure that the other elements of your outfit are not.  Choose a soft neutral palette in tan, cream, nude or off white in soft warm fabrics and cosy styles.

Layering your clothes is a good idea for keeping you warm and mixing up different tones and textures.

We tend to wear less accessories during the cold months, so don't hesitate to go bold on sunglasses, handbags, thick scarves in interesting patterns could always add a pop of colour and interest to your sartorial winter look.

Have a great day, dear friends

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo

WINTER CLASSICS

Hello dear friends,

Contrary to the popular belief that we Australians live in perpetual summer, we do have winter and it does feel cold.  And that is coming from me, who used to live in Russia where for three solid months of winter the temperature would fall below zero.  Surely, in Sydney at least, this is not the case, however you do need a puffy jacket or a good warm coat, a scarf and a couple of thick jumpers to get you through the winter months (June-August).  

The thing that struck me when I first arrived here 28 years ago and still continues to fascinate me after all those years is that lots of Australians are dressed in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of thongs (flips-flops) in winter as they do in summer. Sometimes, as a concession to a cold air they can tie a jumper around their waist.  That is about it.  I think they are in complete denial!!!

I, on a contrary, love to have a couple of warm jumpers, skirts, scarfs and coats in my wardrobe that will help me to go through winter feeling warm and looking stylish.  Case in point, my new cashmere jumper from COS.   It is soft, warm and very gentle on the skin due to a high-quality yarn it is made of.  It was not cheap, as good quality clothes should not be, but I treat it as a good investment that will last me many years.

Despite my love for colours, I am quite happy with my choice of soft neutral grey which I can accessorise anyway I like depending on the time of the day, activity or simply the weather.

And don't you forget about scarves, they are not only keep your protected from the wind bur also great accessories.  This season my two most popular ones are one that has black big and small dots on a white background fringed with alternate coloured tassels and the other is with white dots on a light grey background.  I am demonstrating both today, please tell me which one you prefer.  

A short string of pearls and onyx beads is another option when I do not want to wear a scarf and add a bit of glamour to my outfit.

The maxi skirt I am wearing is from last season.  The fabric is quite thick so I only wear it during the  winter months but I like its classic pencil-like shape with a split on one side that allows me to walk in wide strides without being limited by the skirt's circumference.  When the weather will warm up a bit, I am planning to wear it with my leather biker jacket.

Classic clothing is timeless and is a perfect base on which you can build your whole wardrobe.  It speaks of elegance, good taste and will never go out of style.

What is your take on the classics? Please share your thoughts.

Until then

Ann

xoxo

 

HOW I WORE A SILK SLIP SKIRT IN COOLER MONTHS

Hello dear friends,   

Things seems to be getting slightly better as the lockdown restrictions continue to be lifted, here in Australia, at least.  Although, it became perfectly clear that in 2020 we will not be travelling overseas 😞.  Oh well, better to be safe than sorry.  

But life goes on and so does fashion.  I say, it’s time to give our athleisure outfits a break and start wearing proper clothes.  I, for one, never stopped working and was able to wear my regular office outfits over the last crazy months and that felt great.  One of my go-to outfits was an ivory colour cashmere jumper over a silk midi slip skirt with short kitten-heel boots. 

You probably don’t remember the story behind this Bec and Bridge skirt or have not read about it altogether, so you can refresh your memory here.  When I first got it, I attributed it to my spring/summer wardrobe but then I thought that it’s silly not to wear it all year around and the days grew colder, decided to give it go.  

I chose this V-neck jumper from Sass & Bide which looks like an ordinary jumper from the front but from the back it is not that simple:  first, it is much longer than the front and is split in half giving the impression of the back of a tuxedo.

I love V-neck tops, you can wear them as is, leaving your neck open and framed by long dangling earrings or accessorise it with a long or neckerchief scarf which not only look chic but keep you warm.

It is made of a very light cashmere yarn and you wold never guess how warm and comfortable it feels and because the skirt is also made of light delicate silk, they belong together.

I paired this combo with my new short kitten-heel boots from Bianca Buccheri.   The heels are far smaller than I used to wear but I am slowly weaning myself from the high heel shoes, they seem like the ghosts from the past 👻, however I can’t see myself wearing sneakers to the office like so many young women around me do.  

They are cute and super comfortable, sneakers not women😉, I totally get it, still when it comes to footwear, and I like to dress for the occasion.  I guess it is all depends on the working environment and whether you should or want to adapt to it.  

What is your office go-to “uniform”?  Do you wear what you like or do you mimic other people’s style?

Until then   

Anna

xoxo