It's that time of year again, but, actually, I'm kind of excited. I've been planning these next season purchases for so long. I love winter, I really do. Coats and sweaters and boots oh my!
1. Oversized Navy Blue double-breasted pea coat
So by the time I finally realised that I wanted this coat it had sold out on Net A Porter - such is life, right? I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed that I'll find this hanging out on a sale rack somewhere in Hong Kong or New York, lonesome and winsome, hoping that some scruffy-haired Australian girl is going to scoop it up and take it home. But, really, any oversized pea coat in a deep, dark marine-hued french navy will do. I have plenty of boxy, man-style coats and even a lovely swing number, but of pea coats I have none. The bracelet-length sleeves and the huge, novelty-sized pockets are a nice touch, but really the best thing about this topper is how bloody huge it is. It's not like it gets that cold in Sydney, but wouldn't it be something marvelous if, when it starts to get cool and the mornings are truly brisk you could grab the lapels of a pea coat and wrap them around you, hunching your shoulders up against the early chill. With a coat this big you could fit your favourite sweater or a shearling vest underneath for extra warmth if you needed it. And if it wasn't that cold you could leave it open, bulking down by your sides, with the sleeves pushed up real high. What's not to love?
How great is the way US store MNZ styles their product? The Azuli coat looks fantastic, bulking out at the front when open or buttoned up and sleek. Seeing the product on a real, live model, not just a mannequin, improves the appeal of the Azuli greatly indeed!
2. Isabel Marant Dicker Boots
Finally! Finally! I'm finally committing to an item that I've wanted for a very, very long time. Yes, there's a hype, and yes, there's a million different people (most of them in the blogosphere) who have these low-heeled suede booties, but some things are hyped for a reason. And these boots, with their wide ankle opening, low front and just best-western enough cowboy detailing, are amazing indeed. I'm definitely leaning towards tried-and-tested Khaki, a light neutral not dissimilar to my favourite shade; oatmeal. But, you know, for argument's sake, the milky chocolate brown Taupe is kind of lovely, as is the bruised slate of Anthracite. Imagine these, peeking out from underneath a fitted black midi skirt, or tapping away, a parisian full stop to tapered navy blue trousers or straight leg jeans and a boxy blouse. I'm not a heels girl, never really have been and never will. This stacked heels, short and sweet, is about as high as I will ever go, clicking away down the street feeling very tall and proud indeed, until I run back home to slip into comfy flats. Old habits die hard.
3. Celine Sunglasses
Seasonless and timeless, not really just for winter, but not really just for summer either. Everyone needs sunglasses, right? I love this oversized pair with a washed out blush-pink beige frame. I was first introduced to Celine eyewear through Decade Diary, and then I tried a couple on when I was in Hong Kong - a tangerine pair in a lovely resin or an opaque navy with a hard upper - and was totally charmed. There's something so right about the fusion of the vintage shapes and the gradiated lenses. There's something so right about perching a pair of these atop your head for a Christmas in July picnic. And I actually do need a new pair of sunglasses, since I've been wearing a broken pair of Karen Walkers for the past 8 months. How fortuitous!
4. Oversized colour-blocked and two-tone sweaters
Colour blocking was one of those trends I never whole-heartedly welcomed last season, but in murky autumnal shades of teal blue and grey and black I might have to rethink that. In fact, I'm feeling all kinds of oversized two-tone and colour-blocked sweaters - like the Thursday Sunday hand-knitted number I keep talking about, or an Amy Kaehne sweater, all grey wool with a contrast navy collar. I have a few pre-requisites when it comes to knitwear. Firstly, it has to be big. Really big. Hugely, insanely oversized big. I like my knitwear with a lot of room to breathe. Secondly, I like natural, simple, neutral tones. Oatmeal, beige, navy, khaki and grey will be my go-to colours for knitwear this season, and I'm hoping to pick up a couple of pieces that features some - or all! - of those colours, colour-blocking away. Thirdly, I like sleeves that can be pushed up and a longer length. I've done the whole cropped sweater thing, it was very 80s, very Pretty In Pink. I'm much more of a 90s girl at heart, really. The longer the sweater, the better. Like this one - raglan sleeves and a tunic-length hem, just like the good old days.
5. Navy blue printed midi skirt
Midi skirts are my bread and butter, and so it seems odd that I only own a few. And they're almost all black. What I really want is a navy blue one with a small print on it so that it can provide that point of difference that I'm searching for this season - in colour blocked cardigans and oversized toppers - that will upgrade my wardrobe building blocks to seasonal variations. I have a lot of basics, this has always been true of my wardrobe, and a lot of simple pieces. I think a printed midi would slot into my wardrobe really nicely, and would work well with my raft of favourite pieces.
One thing I've noticed already from the outset is how expensive this winter list is. Even if I can get the Azuli coat on sale in New York (and i'm keeping all fingers and toes crossed, believe you me!), there are still three big ticket items on this list - four if I can't get the midi from an obliging chain store. Normally in my seasonal shopping lists there are one or two big ticket items, but three, possibly four? A lot of careful planning and budgeting will be occurring, as well as a pinch of restraint on my behalf. Luckily this wardrobe plan also serves, somewhat, as a shopping list for my trip in two weeks time. The coat, the boots, the sunglasses and the cardigan (money permitting) are the items at the top of my very short list, along with a scant few pieces of jewellery from Catbird and Me and Ro. Since I've got some money saved up already, I think this will help with the budgeting issues that I'm foreseeing... I think for various reasons this season is going to be a really interesting one for my wardrobe and my shopping habits. If I do cross off most of my list in the next month or so then that leaves most of this season with no shopping, which will be an interesting experiment and one that I think will help me a lot. If I don't cross off most of my list while away and I come back I know that it will be difficult to keep shopping and find these items here, and therefore will be an exercise in perseverence if I'm going to stick to my list - as I have in seasons past. And I also think that this is the first season where I've been so clear in what I want. I can see all of these things in my wardrobe. These are all items that I'm certain I will cherish and adore for many seasons to come, which is surely the point of the french wardrobe, no?
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