The Duvet Coat aka The Puffer Coat

With temperatures plummeting this week it was time to bring out the duvet coat, not the most stylish, but certainly the toastiest option for school runs/waiting for small people to finish football training etc etc.

Coat - Zara AW13

Grey Jumper - Whistles AW14

Snood - Mint Velvet AW14

Gloves - GAP (old)

Jeans - Zara SS14

Biker Boots - Zara AW14

Bag - Longchamp

My puffer coat is from Zara a couple of years ago, bought in the sale. It's a great investment if you can find one in the sales as it's such a practical coat that won't date. Zara currently has this one in the sale, love the fur collar:

Zara Long Down Anorak with Fur Collar £69.99 from £129

And a black one from Zara, with detachable lining, available in more sizes:

Zara Down Anorak With Removable Lining £129

I also love Uniqlo's ultra light down coats, a great price for such a warm and lightweight coat, perfect to take away for a weekend:

Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Hooded Coat £79.90

And I love this navy belted version with gold detail in the sale at Phase Eight, similar to my Zara one:

Phase Eight Paula Puffer £120 from £150

What has everyone else been wearing in the cold weather?

Abbi x

The Ultimate Accessory - Leopard Print Scarf

Leopard print scarves are a timeless investment and a wardrobe essential - you can wear them throughout the seasons and they can transform a casual outfit in seconds. There are endless options - pair them with neutrals for a chic and stylish look or clash with other patterns including stripes, spots or camouflage to create an edgier outfit.

I've got a lovely lightweight leopard scarf so I wasn't planning on buying another, but Mr DF bought me the cashmere shawl version from Hush for Christmas (unprompted!) and it has to be the ultimate in leopard print scarves - super soft, cosy, warm and big without being bulky. And it's still in stock, but this keeps changing, so if you like it be quick:

Hush Cashmere Leopard Shawl

It really does make an outfit feel special, I seem to be wearing it all the time, this was yesterday:

Leopard Shawl: Hush AW14

Jumper - Maison Scotch at Yard AW11

Cargo Trousers - Hush AW14

Boots - Office AW12

 



I've had a quick look at what else is out there and even though this would be totally out of the question at this price, how amazing is Burberry's leopard print scarf printed over their trademark check?

Burberry Animal Print Check Cashmere Scarf £395

Still a luxury option, but a great bargain in the sale is this beauty from Jaegar, made from a modal blend so would be cosy yet lightweight:

Jaegar Natural Leopard Print Scarf £30 from £75

A wider style, more like mine from Hush, is this classic scarf in the sale at Hobbs:

Hobbs Leopard Scarf £39 from £49

Reiss also has a classic animal print scarf in the sale, edged in black:

Reiss Animal Print Scarf £45 from £69

And finishing with an amazing bargain in the sale at Warehouse, a lightweight classic scarf for £5:

Warehouse Classic Animal Print Scarf £5 from £18

 

 

Has anyone else found any sales bargains or have you moved on to new season?

 

Happy Friday!

 

Abbi x

January Essential: Oversized Knit

As I said yesterday I'm not buying ANYTHING this month, but if I was going to invest in one item it would probably be an oversized knit jumper, the perfect treat to keep you warm, cosy and stylish for the rest of the winter, as well as hiding any excess Christmas pounds!

I did manage to bag one in the Boden sale before Christmas and am so so pleased with it - definitely ticks all the boxes, it's long, slouchy, super comfy and I really love the tight fitting sleeves when the rest of it is such a relaxed shape:

Jumper - Boden AW14

Jeans - Karen Millen SS14

Boots - Office AW12

Bag - Longchamps

The jumper is still available in the sale in the gold colour:

Textured Off Duty Jumper £89 to £53.40

At the luxe end of the scale is this similar oversized jumper in cashmere from Boden, which comes in black, navy and red:

Cashmere Off Duty Jumper £199

Another luxurious version in cream, and in the sale at Reiss:

Malin Oversized Roll Neck in Chalk £125 to £89

And a lovely chunky jumper in pale camel in the sale at Baukjen:

Neilston Roll Neck Jumper £129 to £103

Of course the shade I like isn't in the sale, this beautiful berry colour:

One of my favourites and an all round winner is this khaki green ribbed sweater from Topshop - size up for an oversized fit:

Grungy Lofty Ribbed Sweater £38

And outstanding value from H&M, a textured grey slouchy polo neck in the sale:

Knitted Polo Neck Jumper

Is anyone else hiding in big cosy jumpers this month?

Abbi x

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my readers! I must apologise for the lack of blogging in December, real life kind of took over, but a big thank you for all the lovely messages from so many of you asking me when I was coming back.

So how are all the New Year's resolutions going so far? I am not very good at sticking to a strict diet or doing the no drinking rule in January but I have imposed a spending ban and it's going well so far. I might extend it to the end of February, but let's see how things go. For me, this month is all about wearing what I already have, having a good clear out and trying to wear things I'd forgotten about.

Yesterday we had family over for lunch and I decided to wear the dress below from Hush. I bought it last year and wore it loads, but this was the first time this winter, and I'm feeling the love for it again:

It's so comfy and slouchy enough to hide any extra pounds gained over Christmas, but you still feel like you've made an effort. For me, it's the perfect winter dress, and it's still available in a size M/L in the Hush sale in the same colour:

Hush Rosie Dress £40 from £65

It's also available in the sale in grey/black:

And in most sizes in the mallard/black:

Or the full price version in damson/navy:

I'm so pleased to have rediscovered it and will be wearing it with biker boots next time for a more dressed down look. Do you have an easy winter dress that is the perfect mix of comfort and style?


Abbi x

A New Coat...

I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to buy one this year (except maybe a camel coat in the sales) but it was the biggest bargain ever and I didn't even buy it myself! It's a navy blue pea style coat from Mango and is going to be super useful as I don't have one, or any kind of navy coat for that matter, except for a very practical parka, but nothing as versatile as this, that can bridge the gap between smart and casual:

Double-Breasted Coat £39.99

I love the length and it's a really great price, even better in Spain, where Mr DF paid around £30 for it a couple of weeks ago! It will go with almost everything, but I love this classic combo of jeans and check scarf:

Coat - Mango (AW14)

Scarf - Zara (AW14)

Jeans - Maison Scotch (SS 13)

Boots - Office (AW12)

Have you found any fabulous coat bargains this year? If so, I would love to know about them, especially any discounted camel coats!

You may have noticed I haven't been around for the last couple of weeks - this wasn't intentional, but was kind of inevitable! I turned 40, so have been partying and celebrating and been generally spoilt by all my loved ones, plus a little trip to Barcelona, which was amazing! I have lots of outfit posts to share with you, or bore you with, in the coming days!

Abbi x

Autumn Essential: Shirt Dress

The one good thing about the falling temperatures is that it's finally cold enough to wear tights with all my favourite autumn/winter dresses. I'm a huge fan of jumper/sweater dresses in the winter, so easy and cosy to wear with flat boots and scarves, but before it gets really cold, a shirt dress is a great trans-seasonal item. I bought this one from Hush ages ago (August) but have been waiting for colder weather to wear it with tights:

Iris Shirt Dress £79

It's first outing was to the theatre during half term to see Charlie and The Chocolate Factory en famille in London:

Dress: Hush AW14

Boots: Ash AW13

Scarf: Becksondergaard at Yard AW12

Vest top: Boden SS12

Backpack: Mint Velvet

It's so versatile, easy to dress up or down, and it's quite a relaxed fit, so perfect for layering over a long sleeved top on a chilly day. I would also style it with biker boots and leggings for a grungier, more dressed down look.

And here are some other shirt dresses that I like:

Love this check one from Mango, and its such a great price:

Check Shirt Dress £19.99

And fabulous animal print one from Baukjen, that could easily be dressed up or down:

Felsted Shirt Dress £119

And a denim one is perfect for every day, to wear over tights or leggings. This one from Boden is reduced:

Casual Shirt Dress £47.40 from £79

Are you a fan of the shirt dress? 

Abbi x 

Accessories: Faux Fur

So, earlier this week I had the lovely unexpected bonus of a fabulous faux fur coat given to me by my Mum, see here) but that hasn't stopped me coveting some of the gorgeous furry accessories around at the moment. They are also the perfect way to inject some fur into your wardrobe if the coat trend is too full on. Here's my favourites, starting with this gorgeous faux fur clutch from Topshop, I like it as it's quite big for a clutch bag, although Mr DF has just pointed out it wouldn't be very practical in the rain!

Topshop Faux Fur Roll-Top Clutch £32

and in black

And there's nothing cosier than a fur snood, I love this one from Oasis:

Faux Fur Snood £25

A little smarter from Jigsaw, I love how this would look over a plain coat:

Fur Tippet £39

and a plain black one from Accessorize:

Faux Fur Square Edge Tippet £29

Also from Accessorize, I love these fur hats, very Julie Christie from Dr Zhivago;

Vixen Faux Fur Cosack £25

There are lots of furry scarves around, my favourite is this one from ASOS:

ASOS Faux Fur Colour Block Scarf £35

It's a little bit like this one don't you think?!

Atterley Road Helen Moore Striped Blue Vixen Scarf £120

And for my favourite fun fur accessory - I would really love one of the fur pom pom key rings that I keep seeing everywhere! These are from local boutique Yard:

And I'm wearing a little bit of faux fur today with this fur and shearling gilet from Mint Velvet last year:

Gilet: Mint Velvet AW13

Scarf: Becksondergaard at Yard AW12

White Top: Zara AW14

Jeans: Mint Velvet AW13

Boots: Jigsaw (ancient)

Do you like any of the furry accessories around at the moment?!

Abbi x