-
Mayhem in Milan
I was lucky enough to spend a day in Milan at the end of a well-deserved break, and it coincided with the start of Milan Fashion Week. For someone who enjoys and write about fashion on a daily basis this was a dream come true, although I suppose I could have made a bit more of an effort rather than my jeans and vest, but hey, it was hot.
Fashion Week in Milan started on the 21st of September and the biggest names are on the catwalks flaunting the spring and Summer Collections for 2012. Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dolce and Gabbana who strangely decided to close their sister label D & G after their last catwalk show.It was bustling with celebs. We took a walk around the fashion district and shops were closed off, crowds were waiting outside to see if they could get a peep of the A list celebrities in the shops. All of this excitement in glorious sunshine. Back in the UK, I noticed reports of possible snow, which has been forecast for October and throughout winter, well as soon as I get back maybe I should put the summer wardrobe away and get out those winter coats, the cute Duffle Coat, The practical Ski Jacket and the high fashion cloak style coat.
Low and behold as soon as we land in the UK, preparing ourselves for the onset of winter, we’re greeted with amazing sunshine and now reports of an Indian summer for the next week. Can this country make its mind up? Coats on or Coats off??
Anyway, I shouldn’t complain, designers probably don’t have this problem and prepare themselves for all possibilities with a range of designer’s coats and jackets, which are light for summer wear and thick and warm for winter.
-
Donkey Jackets
Donkey Jackets were originally made for the workers of the 19th century. Made from woolsack the Donkey Jacket was normally a dark colour, black or navy with leather shoulder panels and back. For night workers the panels would normally be a brighter colour like yellow or orange, and the company name was normally seen on the jackets. These were short jackets with hip pockets and were only worn in the United Kingdom.
This jacket bears a massive part in the history of clothing for manual workers and has been the stable uniform for council workers and was adopted in the 1970’s by the skinhead culture.
John Partridge is to thank for the invention of the Donkey Jacket in 1870 and then the Duffle Coat in 1890.
Today John Partridge is one of the biggest names in country clothing and attire and has retail outlets all over the world.The Donkey Jacket is still worn by workers today, the jacket is thick and warm and also protects workers from dirt and grime. The leather shoulders not only protect the wearer from rain showers, and the coat from wearing down, but coloured panels make the wearer visible at night.
Top designers and high street stores have also produced their take on the traditional donkey jacket.
From Asos, A Child of A Jago offers this Donkey Linton Tweed Check Jackets offers the traditional Donkey Jacket with yellow or green checked sleeves.Barbour offers a twist on the traditional design with this Dunsford Black Jacket.
Donkey Jackets are perfect for dirty work and winter, although you will find designer versions, I would not personally wear them as a fashion item, leave it to the workers, it actually looks good on them and says, I am a man and I am off to do some dirty manly work.
-
For the love of Wool
It’s a material that is used every day all over the globe. It’s a material that has been used for thousands of years and is still as popular today. We are talking about wool.
You probably have numerous pieces of clothing in your wardrobe made from wool, jumpers, sweaters, coats and scarves. It’s such a versatile material and is used because of its warm properties.
As if you didn’t know already, wool comes from sheep. It has several qualities that distinguish it from Fur and hair. It’s elastic, It crimps and it grows in clusters. Because of the structure of the wool fibre, it makes spinning incredibly easier as the fibres stick to one another, and it creates a bigger bulk than most materials.
It’s an amazing material, it absorbs up to three times its weight in water, because the fibres are hollow, its anti-static, and it burns at a higher rate than cotton leaving a char, which self-extinguishes, this is why many carpets are made from pure wool as they are a lot safer.
The process that goes into producing a wool garment like a duffle coat is quite a long one.
Firstly, the sheep are shawn and the wool is classed in 4 different categories, fleece, broken, bellies and locks.
Wool taken straight from a sheep contains a high amount of natural oils- lanolin as well as dirt and grime. The wool is scoured which basically washes away all these elements to leave you with clean wool. The wool is combed to remove any knots, and thinned out. There are a number of processes hereafter which include dyeing, spinning and weaving to create different coloured wool, a range of yarns and an array of materials such as tweed, felt and twill which can be used in the production or suits, coats and a huge array of items.
-
Quilted Jackets
Years ago the only types of people you would have seen wearing quilted jackets were those who lived in the country, probably owned a mansion and enjoyed the odd bit of shooting on a Sunday. Today the quilted jacket is incredibly popular and everyone from the high street to online stores and designer fashion houses have produced their own versions.
Barbour, the first name in quilted jackets has been around since the late 1800′s creating jackets for motor cyclists, and classic Waxed jackets. Barbour routes its ethics deep in the British countryside and all that entails such as country wear, specifically designed for shooting, riding and other country based pastimes. The brand has developed and has over 2000 products across two ranges. It is now not just for the country types, but can be seen on the most stylish ladies and gents in the towns and cities.
A Barbour quilted jacket can set you back around £80 which isn’t badly priced, but there are many places that you can pick up the same style of quilted jacket at a lower price for both men, women and children.
This men’s nylon quilted jacket from Zara is only £39.99. Top Shop offers its own version with this Cord Collar Quilted Jacket, totally country chic at £55.
Gorge at Asda offer this child’s quilted jacket at just £14! You cannot sniff at that.
Quilted Jackets are the perfect garment to throw of if you’re taking the dog out for a winter walk or to wear on a night out. They are warm and some are shower proof. They are incredibly stylish and look great on both sexes. If you wanted to go the whole hog and splash out on a designer quilted jacket, take a look at this quilted ski jacket by Stella McCartney at Adidas.
Look like part of the country set this season with a smart quilted jacket.
-
Drop em!
This season’s trend is all about dropped hemlines. We are talking skirts, tops, trousers and coats.
Skirts and dresses below the knee cast a beautifulsilhouette and another bonus is keeping those pins warm during the winter months. All these elements are interspersed with other trends such as rich colours, 40′s glamour, monochrome and 60′s swing. It is all going on this winter. Therefore,we have decided to take a look at dropped hem winter coats and longer versions.
Firstly, Zara offers a great range of coats that look like they have popped out of Twiggy’s wardrobe from the 60′s. The majority of coats you’ll find are longer length this season, yes a few are shorter parker style jackets, but we’re loving those longer lines on coats such as the knitted cape, this gorgeous mustard yellow double breasted coat, and this delectable Cheviot coat.
Capes seem very popular, stylish and simple, basically pop your arms through and off you go, complete coverage for the winter weather.
Duffle Coats are a great way to keep warm, look fashionable and offer a longer length of coat. Some of us can be slightly obsessed with covering our behinds during winter, I cannot agree more, what is worse than a cold bottom.
Well with a Duffle Coat,your bottom will be snug along with the rest of your body. There are so many different colours, styles and variations on the traditional Duffle coat, with different styles of button fastening and straps.
I love this pretty pink checked duffle coat. These coats are naturally long, but you can find longer versions like this Burgundy Duffle Coat.
Long is in, short is, well out, unless you really have to, and when we say long, please, please, please don’t offend us with those terrible sleeping bag type coats, invest in something beautiful and stylish.