First up, let’s talk about my hat. This hat was designed by Tara O’Callaghan (TO’CA) out of a personal need for a cap that offered real comfort and protection for light-sensitive skin but that was also warm. I can confirm, Tara has succeeded. Not only has she created a cap that works on a practical level, the sharp and clean design looks really cool too. The caps have an elasticated band on the inside designed to sit snugly over your ears so that not only is your head not left out in the cold, your ears aren’t either! I was thinking only this morning while hatless on the school run, I don’t remember the tops of my ears ever getting painfully cold and now they do - is that an age thing?!! Anyway, I digress, the option of colours is super chic too. In my opinion, there is nothing more striking than a hat that matches your coat.

Tara has kindly offered us a 10% discount with code grahamst10.

What a great segue into talking about my coat. This one is by Jigsaw. If you are looking for a beautiful, classic, longline wool coat, then I really don’t think that you can beat Jigsaw on the High Street. The sharp tailoring of their coats is incredibly flattering. Particularly as you get older, you cannot underestimate the benefit of a sharp, clean shoulder!

Another item of clothing that deserves a shout out is this jumper - how cute is it? As you can imagine, I spend my whole life looking at clothes, searching for things that stand out to me. I am always on the lookout for pieces that are interesting, but not ‘whacky’. Given how many clothes are out there, it is surprisingly difficult to achieve sometimes. So, I was so excited to come across this jumper by Rove Knitwear. It works because the design is fun but the colours are muted. I found that adding the dash of bright blue really lifted the overall look, making the jumper pop. It’s always worth giving some thought to the colour of the layer under your jumper, as it is to the knitwear itself. A striking colour combination can often add new life to an old friend. Stripes often work extremely well as an under layer too.

I’m on fire with the segues today….as this blue, cotton Oxford shirt is by Uniqlo. It’s actually part of their collaboration with Jonathan Anderson (his eponymous label as he is also head of design at Dior). These shirts are a boxy cut and quite cropped, making them perfect for loosely tucking into high waisted jeans and trousers. The quality is lovely and they come in a really nice variety of colours and stripes. I have my eye on one of these next.

Mum’s corduroy trousers are also by Uniqlo. I can find shopping in Uniqlo quite a confusing experience. Even after all these years, I still can’t quite get my head around the layout of the shop and which section is where. However, it is a shop that is worth persevering with as the quality to price is generally extremely good, as is the Japanese design; clean, utilitarian but stylish. These corduroy trousers are a case in point. A selection of easy but interesting colours, nice quality material in a simple, high waisted shape with a nod to the curve leg trend.

Obviously it depends on your own personal taste, but mum and I when wearing brightly coloured or patterned trousers, tend to keep things simple up top. So with these rust coloured corduroys, mum is wearing shades of dark blue. The turtle neck in navy is one from COS (along with Arket, these very fine wool tops are extremely useful), the dark navy blue coat is by TOAST and to break it up, a denim jacket. If you own a denim like this one, think about layering it under a wool coat, it’s such a cool way of breaking things up - and adding warmth on a frosting morning!

So that the overall look doesn’t appear too ‘blocky’, the dark blue top half is broken up with one of Rove’s gorgeous little patterned scarves (which would make an excellent Christmas present IMO!). It’s worth having a selection of scarves in your arsenal as we find them to be the perfect ‘outfit completer’!

P.S. On a completely different note, I keep meaning to say, if you have ever sent me an email and have not received a reply, I haven’t got it. Sometimes emails from this account go into Junk Mail so please do check. It may take me a bit of time but I will always reply - I love getting your messages!