1) Coats are always big when bad weather blows in. Move away from the feminine tight tailoring of last winters to a looser fall from the shoulders and a 7/8 sleeve. Frosted wools are good, as is houndstooth – belted, perhaps, to break the challenge to the eye.
A coat in a jewel shade that wraps the waist in a large tie belt is a winner for formal or night wear. Keep the greys and tweed military for daytime assault on the office, and embrace the softer, wider sweep over evening clothes.
2) Furry friends
The bad girl’s cover up, a fur coat, returns to its past and it is bolder and badder than ever. Regretfully, the racoon style faux fur with lateral ridging or layers is getting a look in. Limerick Post can only recommend that your shoes, boots and hair are very, very good indeed to haul you back upmarket.
Cheetah print looks better than leopard thanks to smaller spots and a cooler background tone, but zebra is a new take. Fur coats longer than thigh length can be ageing and ‘totally grand’ in a way not fully intended by the wearer. Why not opt for zebra print footwear or clutch instead?
3) Boot up
This winter, ankle high booties are hot, hot and hot! Also seen in the runway and fashion magazines are knee high boots, laced-up boots and cut-out shoes. Pumps are still in, especially animal print; fringed and tasselled uppers to the front, falling from an ankle cuff; Oxford brogues and two-tone spats set off the shorter ankle to tailored trousers.
The fashion-forward can look to Irish dancing shoes for inspiration as that criss-cross lace up is proving alternative to the multi-strap Mary Jane.
4) Cashmere
From Tesco to eBay, the high street is putting up racks of cashmere mix clothes for a song. Strong, light, warm and in a fabulous spectrum of colour, cashmere makes possible tailored knitwear that stays neat and figure hugging. De-bobble as often as possible and make sure your closet is free from moths.
5) Skinny jeans make the jump to mainstay from alternative. Avoid if you are short or pear-shaped and stick to straight legs or bootcut to balance the booty.
Skinny jeans and a flat pump can look like a golf-club so try other looks such as Converse trainers, cut-out toe boots, ankle boots and knee-high flats with tight jeans. The stiletto, although back, is a hard look to carry unless you have the grace and limbs of a gazelle.
6) Bags have got smaller. The Shopper bag died with the boom and is now working OT as an overhead weekend bag in cabin lockers, or holding the hosiery at home. Invest in a clutch bag of reasonable dimension and make it sequinned. Other than that, studs and the perennial cool of leather buckles in Italian shades of tan, mustard and olive will…. cut the mustard.
7) Waisted
Belted coats, the Curvy Dress, floor-grazing maxis distinguished by a belt – from Halston to YSL, the catwalk embraces the waist for ‘09/10 seasons.
8) Jewellery
What jewellery? Just about all that is truly legit is a big knuckle duster. Whisper it softly but all jewels rock back into the box for a few months. Passé, we’re told.
9) Garden looks
Foliage, feathers, autumnal leaf prints and delicately coloured layers pulled in at the waist inform a lot of evening dress and coat combinations. Go short with a toning opaque tight (black is over, pick a dark or mid-tone) and wear with a shoe boot or open toe high-cut.
10) Graphic prints
Coats and dresses tell a story with pictures, but no text or slogans. It’s all about a soft fall from the shoulder line and pretty prints soaking up the volume. This is an easy to wear look that falls just short of the knee but is no bum-freezing mini. Great with high boots and a flat heel, or try multi-buckle Mary Janes on a platform sole for height.
