Hats Off To You, Whistles.

So apparently we've not only had the driest September on record; we're about to have the mildest October too. While most people rejoice at this I find myself accepting this with a slightly heavy heart. My poor wardrobe is practically bursting at the hinges with beautiful, boardering on delectable, Autumn/Winter wonders and they are just not able to come out and play yet.

Most people have an affection for a time of year and link this to when their clothes are going to look most fabulous. Mine is Autumn. I love the cold weather allowing me to layer up in beautiful knits, leathers, scarves and all manner of brilliant overcoats. My personal favourite is my bargain Aquascutum but we'll come back to him one day.

However, the lack of colder weather hasn't stopped me craving beautiful things in preparation for it so this week I took advantage of a ridiculously good offer from Grazia and Whistles. 25% off at Whistles *if you bought last week's copy of Grazia. (*don't fret if you didn't get it - the offer is now online with the code you need etc. and on until 06.10.14)

I knew what I wanted as soon as I heard about the offer. Something I've ooh-ed and aah-ed over. Something I've almost-nearly-pratically purchased about five times already. Something that's completely useless for the weather as it stands now but when it does get cold (and it'd better) I will be ready and, probably, just a little-over excited to don this beauty from them.

Ladies and gentlemen...The Winter Hat.

 

Grey and I are currently in the midsts of a heady love affair and have been for some years now. I don't see it ending anytime soon either.

It's just a brilliant colour/tone/shade - whatever you class it as, I love it! And I know it's not as if I don't already own an array of wool hats but I don't have a grey one. So, you see, it was a complete necessity.



Just look at those fibres!

It would appear that several hundred other Whisltes fans had the same idea as me as, unfortunately, this colour is now sold out online but it is available in Navy and Black and the and the Grey is still available in selected stores. (I got mine from the Manchester City Centre store - you can find your closest store here.)

 

A funny thing has happened recently in my office and suddenly hats have started making an appearance on lots of people. We work in fashion so what we can wear into the office is pretty flexible which is brilliant. And a couple of weeks ago we had about 72 hours of genuine Autumn so the first thing I did was whip this old faithful out.

I don't even remember where I got it from - H&M maybe... Who knows. But it's done it's job, and very well. I'm not retiring any of my existing hats - merely adding to the tribe.
So, to badly mis-quote Bridget's Jones' Diary: "Come the f*ck on, Autumn!"

The Purrfect New Accessory.

Fashion - my first love. It has always been something that has fascinated me since I was a little girl; admiring stylish women from afar and, foolishly in hindsight, willing myself to grow up so that I could be in charge of my every sartorial decision and relish in each one.

Now that adulthood has well and truly enveloped me and my passion for all things trend-led has only multiplied. I have been privileged to be able to work in the industry too, enjoying all its twists and turns and learning as much as my eyes and ears can take in.

So it's ironic really that my latest buy bares a striking resemblance to a childhood fancy dress prop.

Ladies and gents let me introduce you to my new ears.

Look, I'm a cat/dog!

My new cat ears to be precise.

When I saw, some weeks ago, that high street giants Topshop were selling a bowler-esque hat with cats ears atop I almost fell over with excitement. Then I saw the price...£22.00.

Now I know it's hardly a bank-breaking charge for a cool new accessory, and usually I may not have been so deterred from parting with my pennies but I'm currently 'without job' so I need to make every pound stretch.

So here's where my secret weapon comes into play. Ebay. A few clicks and I'd located an almost identical product for £5.09 and free postage. Now before you go thinking there must be a catch...there is. Said hat was in China. But for £5.09 I wasn't arguing so quickly committed to the purchase.

It arrived this morning. It's been on my head since.

If you love it as much as me here's a link to the item and it comes in a variety of colours. It's taken 12 days (inc. weekends) to get to me which I think is great.

Obviously I understand there are those of you who don't mind Topshop pricing and would prefer the option of next day delivery so here's their link too.

What appeals to me so much about this hat is that it is all about whimsy. And really, once you take fashion so seriously that you can't laugh at yourself once in a while it's time to get out of the game - you're too jaded.

Hours of fun.