Some of you may have noticed that we had a few technical hiccups this week. As a result, I was unable to share any blog posts. So here’s a little weekend treat to make up for the silence!
I woke up yesterday morning to a literal blanket of NO snow; we seemed to have missed the weather here in beautiful Bedford. I felt super smug and then the snow arrived! We had 45 minutes of flurry and it disappeared as quickly as it fell. No snowmen for me.
Still, it’s nippy out so I could think of nothing more appropriate to write about than my beloved Pearl coat from Collectif.
With a matching beret for easy winter walk chic
Priced at £196 – £205 depending on the fabric that you opt for, this is a big ticket item. However, I was raised to believe that a winter coat should be an investment. My mother bought a simple black wool winter coat in the early nineties for £200 which she wore for years, passed down to me, I had it altered to imitate a style I’d seen in All Saints, and it still hangs in my wardrobe. I own a stunning wool coat from the 1950s too… these things were built to last.
So while £200 for a season is undeniably extravagant, never underestimate the power of ‘cost per wear’.
To say that I am getting some wear out of my Pearl coat would be an understatement!
Paired with a turban from Sarah’s Doo-Wop Dos (click image to shop)
I initially bought the coat ahead of my visit to Edinburgh with Foodies Festival at the end of November. I was expecting cold weather. If I’m honest, I was a little disappointed! It was chilly but walking the streets of the city, I did not shiver once. It was the coat!
Countless people stopped me in the street to tell me how lovely my coat was. I lost count – because I was counting – at ten or eleven. I have genuinely never had so many compliments on a coat.
In fact, on Sunday last week, I popped into the Harry Potter shop at Kings Cross ahead of our trip to see Lazarus and was stopped by a very kind lady…
“I just have to say how lovely you look and how well you fit in here. You could be a teacher at Hogwarts.”
I solemnly swear, I am up to no good
Thinking about this interaction for the best part of a week, I’ve decided I’ll be the Potions professor and marry Snape.
Despite being a Slytherin, I am not evil; the trim of the Pearl coat is 100% faux fur. It looks and feels incredible. In fact, it looks so good that I have been asked a few times if it is real fur. I have considered carrying a huge picket sign saying, ‘I’m a vegetarian, this is faux!’ When faux fur is this good THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR WEARING FUR IN THE UK. It’s just not that cold.
Before you denounce me as a hippy, please know that I really know my stuff on fur coats. One of my earliest jobs was cataloging the fur collections of several members of a wealthy family each year, when the coats were removed from cold storage. They felt amazing. They have to be kept in a fridge or they’ll go off. It’s not right.
Three girls, three Collectif coats!
The quality of the Pearl coat is stunning. It’s mix of wool and polyester is crisp and doesn’t hold on to too much water when you inevitably get caught in the rain. It’s warm, it looks fab, and because it is full length, you will look dolled up to the nines even if dressed down underneath!
Each year, Collectif releases a limited number of these coats in a couple of colours. Mine is the wine, which seems to now be completely sold out. However, there is a black textured version which is in the 50% off sale. You can get this coat for £100! *falls off chair.
Just click on the picture to shop. It’s not available in all sizes so please take it as a sign from the shopping gods if your size is in stock.
Happy shopping.
Stay gorgeous!
Cxx
