Autumnal favourites

There’s a chill in the air all of a sudden (and about time too, amiright?), Game of Thrones references are circulating throughout the internet, and I wore a really chunky jumper dress yesterday. I’m seeing winter wardrobe planning popping up all over my favourite sewing and fashion blogs, and I even had my first pumpkin spiced latte the other day. In a word, underwhelming. Autumn is officially a go!

Yes, that is another Coco top (see Cocos one and two here), and yes, it is awesome. Probably my favourite to date; worked in a cheeky sale purchase medium weight stripy double knit from Minerva, smart enough for work but casual enough to slip seamlessly into the rest of my closet. I love the weight of this fabric, it is more substantial than my previous Cocos and has a lovely texture. I tried my best with the stripe matching as well… sort of… While I firmly believe that one woman’s ‘wardrobe staples’ are another woman’s snooze-a-rama, the striped top beloved by many a fashion fascist is also one of my key pieces. Along with a neoprene sweatshirt.

And to add to my stripy wardrobe I have some new fabric, which I have been looking for since at least forever. Or since I started making Cocos, because quite frankly a classic jersey dress pattern is just screaming out for a classic Breton stripe. I’ve been hunting high and low for the right one for ages, and at last the Fabric Godmother came to my rescue with this pile of loveliness. I am so excited to wear the dress that this fabric will become!

I also splashed out on this month’s edition of Burda Style, because there was one pattern in there that really caught my eye: a really simple top with raglan sleeves. The pattern suggests silk, which I’m sure I’ll work my way up to eventually, but for the time being there are some lovely light cottons in my stash that would fit the bill.

Also a sure-fire  way to get my interest in a pattern is to model it in pale pink for some reason. Or a lovely marl grey. Gotta love that Grace Kelly headscarf styling as well.

And finally, a little love for some Autumn staples. As I got older something quite odd happened to me, the mass consumer of all things fashion: I became the pared down wardrobe woman. One coat, one scarf, one pair of boots. One nice thing as opposed to fifty average ones. My last pair of perfect boots died earlier this year, and I have newly replaced them with these beauties from high-end H&M spin off & Other Stories, who I think are nailing it with their footwear this season. Perfect for someone like me who wants a good quality basic with a fash-un edge. I bought some plain black court shoes for work there recently that I love (not something I ever thought I would feel about work shoes).

And who needs more than one scarf when you have one this frickin’ cosy? I bought it on a Christmassy trip to Edinburgh last year from a shop on the Royal Mile called “Thistle Do Nicely” (win). It doubles as an excellent blanket when fights break out over the temperature in the office (which happens a lot).

That’s all folks, I wish you all the pumpkin-flavoured crispy-leaved joys of the changing season. If anyone needs me I will be masochistically purchasing a pumpkin spiced latte. Again.