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Wednesday 16 August 2017

What I'm buying for AW 17

Creating a mood board and identifying where you have gaps in your wardrobe are great for giving you a head start in buying clothes for a new season.
The good news is, I have got a new job and will be back to work very soon. While being a lady of leisure has been fun for the last few months, I'm looking forward to being back in the hubbub of office life. Plus I can splurge again on clothes!
Apologies if you don't want to think about AW17 yet. I started a few weeks ago here and here! I've been creating a mood board in my office and adding some ideas to Pinterest 

How I came up with my list


The first thing I did was an audit of my existing wardrobe. What's still good to wear? What needs to go to the charity shop? What needs to be updated?

I identified a few gaps:
  • A new winter coat. Always a must-have. Although they last for years, there's always a new shape and colour each winter.  I tend not to buy very expensive, classic coats because I prefer to have a more fashionable item and to buy a new one each year
  • Skirts in navy and black. I always have these staples but like to get the latest cut. 
  • A tailored jacket in a dark colour. Haven't seen any I like yet. They've either been too short, or not fitted. I'll bide my time on this one.
  • A glamorous dress for evenings out with Mr Mutton (and a Christmas party, if my new company has one!).
  • Some well-cut silk blouses. 
  • Shoes and boots. 
  • A wow jumper

My Coat Choice

I was very tempted by the idea of a red coat, but I wear a lot of bright pink and I don't like the two colours together. Hounds tooth, or Prince of Wales check, is a different proposition! I'm quite excited by the idea of hounds tooth because it's a long time since this was around. The coat on my mood board is from Hobbs and hasn't landed yet (£289). 

I also like this embellished wool coat, £229, from Massimo Dutti.
Bang-up-to-the-minute in this wool coat for AW17 by Massimo Dutti

My Colours

When I buy new season clothes, I keep a look out for the colours which really suit me. These are not necessarily the on-trend colours that are flooding into the stores. Boden is a really good place to find lots of colours, and I've ordered this British tweed pencil skirt in on-trend Prince of Wales check (£90) to go with the pink Bernadette jumper (£65). I'll also be looking at the new arrivals from Kettlewell to find silky polo necks and scarves. 
A pencil skirt is always a great buy for autumn and winter, particularly in the latest Prince of Wales check



Bright or millennial pink is still a big draw in the AW17 fashion stakes

Silk Shirts

I find silk shirts invaluable for wearing under a blazer of jacket, or with jeans. They need to be good quality with no gaping between the buttons or wrongly shaped shoulders. I find Pure Collection great for silk blouses. 
A smart silk blouse can either go under a jacket at work or be worm with jeans at the weekend. It will always look immaculate

Asymmetric skirts


I like skirts to have a bit of a shape, so either a pencil or a fluted or asymmetrical bottom. AW17 looks to have some great selections.  I've already bought this black trumpet hem skirt from Jane Norman, £25.
Black trumpet hem skirt from Jane Norman for killer curves

I'm eyeing up this navy bias cut, asymetrical skirt from Marks and Spencer:
A navy or black skirt is a woman's office staple and this winter it will be asymmetrical

Accessories

Accessories used to be a bit of an after thought for me. It was only when I started Is This Mutton? in earnest that I realised I needed more bags, belts and jewellery.

For AW17 I've identified a need for handbags in green and red. This cross-body leather bag  from Uterque comes in both colours, plus three others. I love the embossed faux alligator skin finish.
The cross-the-body bag is still a key trend for AW17 and this version from Uterque has a mock croc finish
I'd like a wide waist belt in black, as cinching my waist over a cropped cardigan makes me look slimmer  (we learn all the tricks, girls). 

For jewellery, I'm waiting for more AW arrivals at places like Topshop and Asos before I make any decisions. Cheap costume jewellery is a great way to update a look and put a new spin on last season's clothes.

I've been buying a few hats.  The Next sale brought me fedora type hats in burgundy and navy. I'm on the look out for a killer red hat. Etsy is a great place to look. 

Shoes and Boots


Here's the thing. I have to choose my footwear carefully now, because in the last year my feet have grown wider and I have a tailor's bunion on the right foot, so I can no longer wear pointed styles. I don't like heels to be too high either. The best shoes for me are Mary Janes, heeled brogues or T-bars. Heeled brogues don't seem to be in fashion in AW17, but I didn't let that deter me. I found a US retro site, Modcloth.com,  that has an abundance of the styles I love, and in GREEN, swoon. 
Modccloth is a US website and great for retro looking shoes and clothes
Green velvet block heeled shoes from Modcloth.com, $64.99
Pewter t-bar shoes from John Lewis
John Lewis Adaline Cross Strap Court Shoes, Pewter, £79

The Wow Jumper

I like to buy a stand-out cashmere jumper and I'm drawn to this On Stage rainbox luxe knit from Donna Ida, £250.
Look no further for a wow jumper than this cashmere jumper emblazened with stars from Donna Ida.

The Bombshell Dress

I've always wanted a Katya Wildman Bombshell dress. They are cut very cleverly with shirring at the waist to give you a hour glass figure. I have ordered the red crepe three-quarter sleeve dress, £199, as my "congratulations" present to myself! I won't be wearing it on Mr Mutton's birthday when we go to see Mickey Flanagan (!), but I'll wear it for mine in November when we go to Scott's.
A red Bombshell dress is a real attention grabber
Sharing this post with Wordless Wednesday at Claire Justine, Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style and Dawn Lucy at Fashion Should be Fun.

Have you bought anything yet for AW17?

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19 comments

  1. Some lovely items here Gail. ave you seen the Navy Mary Janes In F&F? I'm tempted to try those xx
    www.vanityandmestyle.com

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    1. I haven't seen the Mary Janes in Tesco but want a navy pair. We have a big Tesco but somehow the clothes section is v small. May have better luck this week down in Plymouth.

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  2. I just love that pink tweed Boden skirt - it's stunning. You'll look great in that. Also really like the coat. Apparently trench coats/macs are the next thing, worn long, which I'll go for.

    Great news about the job.

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    1. I am very pleased with the tweed skirt, will go with a lot of things! I bought a trench last year and hardly wear it, so I'm going to resurrect that. Thanks for the visit Penny!

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  3. Some lovely picks here Gail. I love the green velvet shoes and that adorable red dress :) The Wednesday Blog Hop

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  4. Congratulations on the new job. That bombshell is going to look gorgeous on you, accentuating your curves. So, a November birthday ... Scorpio? I am. X.

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    1. Yes a Scorpio! I used to be into astrology back in the day but never look at it these days, although my mum does!

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  5. What a lovely comprehensive post Gail. I wish I were so organised to plan out my shopping like this. I do like to keep an eye on trends, but hate to pay full prices. I did clock that fab pink sweater in the latest Boden catalogue, but will wait to see if it pops up in the sale later on...

    Oh, and congratulations on the new job!

    Anna x

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    1. I probably won't be so organised when I get back to work Anna, have had a lot of time for what my husband calls "fannying about on the computer" ! The Boden sweater is lovely and I will be photographing it soon!

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  6. gail - you write really, really, really beautifully. i feel like i'm reading a magazine on this blog post, and that's a real talent!

    i'm going to see micky flanagan this year too! so excited.

    katie. xx lacoconoire.com

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    1. We'll have to share notes regarding Mickey....we're going on my husband's birthday. Thanks for your kind words re my writing! Means a lot.

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  7. You have the BEST taste! Swooning over those velvet green shoes!! Congrats my love!

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    1. Aw thanks Andrea! I can sniff out green like a bloodhound.

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  8. Congrats on the new job! Love all the green stuff. Pleased to see you have Finery on your mood-board - I adore their stuff. I buy so much I should probably have shares! Lx

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    1. Finery is a fairly new one to me but looking at their site they have a lot of cool stuff at good prices!

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  9. Ooooh! That bombshell dress is going to be AMAZING on you!

    Congrats on the new job! That must be exciting.

    As usual thrifting is what decides what I'll be wearing and lately it has been abundant in choices. Loads of great lined leather and I picked up yet another fab houndstooth pencil skirt from the 1960's. I have a weakness for those. The new ones aren't as well made as vintage and often aren't even lined.

    Regarding your comment on my blog I do find vintage skirts and blouses in all sizes. I've had luck with getting some very large sizes too but I find that getting a nice 1950's dress in a medium or size 10 here is a bit more difficult.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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  10. Would you do my AW shopping for me? You find the best pieces. And these are all so YOU! Perfectly, precisely you. The asymmetrical skirt! Those green shoes. The vintage feel of the plaid skirt and hot pink 'jumper'. Can't wait to see you in that sweater.

    I am thinking congratulations are in order...you got the job you applied for!? Yay, YOU!! I started back to work as a substitute librarian yesterday and was offered the job where I am subbing today! Guess the principal liked my work. Would like to get the position to afford a great Christmas for my family.

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    1. So pleased you've got some subbing work Leslie, your excitement is palpable! I did get the job I applied for - just waiting to know the start date. Very exciting!

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  11. Well these are super choices, I've literally just bought my first AW garment - tan paper bag trousers. But I like your idea of mood board - nice one Gail.x
    Jacqui
    www.mummabstylish.com

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