Winter neutrals
The colours that fall under the umbrella of ‘winter neutrals’ are probably the colours that you would associate more with a summer palette. Pale pink, soft grey, cream, white and tan, tones that most of us gravitate to in the warmer months rather than in these colder climes. Maybe it’s a practicality thing but if you are brave enough to plump for pale, then please read on….
Corduroy has been a favourite fabric of mine since Oshkosh B’gosh did pinafore dresses. It is BACK in a big way. The high street is awash with corduroy but rather than the traditional browns, reds and navies, the fabric has been playfully reinterpreted in a myriad of amazing colours. Miuccia Prada and Gucci paved the way and since then many designers and of course, the high street, have followed suit.
Here mum is wearing cords in pale pink. I love these trousers. The high waist and covered belt are perfection, and offer a flattering, supportive shape in a sometimes tricky-to-wear fabric.
The wonderful thing about buying clothes within a specific colour palette is that you quickly build up an interchangeable wardrobe. So for instance, my jumper would look great with mum’s trousers and coat, and mum’s top would look perfect with my trousers and shoes. At a time when most of us are very aware of not over indulging in clothes, this is an effective (and indeed cost-effective) way of building up a chic, easy-to wear wardrobe.
If I had a pound for every time I go to a client’s house to look through their wardrobe and find that they have lots of fabulous pieces but nothing that actually goes with anything else, I would be a wealthy woman. Of course, buy the fabulous top! But make sure that you have things that will go with it. When you buy a new item of clothing, think to yourself first, what do I have to wear this with? This way, you will, over time, build up a capsule wardrobe where many of the pieces are interchangeable. I can assure you, this makes life so much easier when getting dressed in the morning!
Both my scarf and mum’s top are great ‘outfit linkers’, i.e. they are made up of a few different colours which can be picked out according to your outfit. So my marl grey jumper and tan trousers are both colours that can be found in my scarf as are mum’s pale pink trousers and soft grey coat in her top. Equally I could have picked out the burnt orange and dark green, and mum the pale blue and chocolate brown.
Now I hope that it goes without saying that you most certainly do not need to only buy ‘Winter Neutral’ colours or that your whole wardrobe needs to be within one colour palette! It is possible to have a fully functioning wardrobe that encompasses a myriad of colours! I just hope that by thinking about some of the points that I have made, it will help to create a more cohesive wardrobe that makes getting dressed in the morning, and feeling good in what you are wearing, an easier thing to achieve.
SUE
Trousers, Whistles . Top, Zara . Coat, Zara . Earrings, J Crew (sadly sold out but these would look great) . Brogues, old favourites .
HANNAH
Trousers, Zara . Jumper, COS . Scarf, COS . Bag, J Crew . Socks, COS . Brogues, old favourites .
Photography and Artwork by Alexandra Mooney .
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(click on the brand name to take you straight to the item)
Cable knit jumper, H&M, £49.99
Silk cream blouse, Arket, £125
Beige chinos, Arket, £45
Leopard print scarf, Zara, £17.99
Tan peacoat, COS, £150
Cream merino jumper, Uniqlo, £24.90
Pale pink velvet culottes, Jigsaw, £140
Burgundy loafers, Sam Edelman, £120
Beige wool coat, Hobbs, £399
Wool cardigan, COS, £79
Cashmere cable knit jumper, Whistles, £249
Scarf, Zara, £19.99
Blocktech Coat, Uniqlo, £79.90
Taupe bag, Gap, £30.99 (currently in the sale)
Leopard print loafers, Russell & Bromley, £245