Winter Warmers

When the days are dark and cold you just want to wrap-up warm in a luxurious Winter coat, but choosing the right one can be difficult. The last thing anyone wants to do is spend an amount which could have purchased a small car on what you have convinced yourself is an investment piece (it'll work out as 10p per wear if I wear it every Winter for the next 20 years) only to be sick of the sight of it come November still faced with months of gloom ahead.

The 3/4 length camel overcoat from Chloe's A/W 10 collection is the perfect example of a coat that will last you a lifetime. Its classic cut and colour immediately set the wearer apart with an air of sophistication - being that you are statueque enough to wear it.

If you want someting very 2010, Chanel have a Winter range full of fur-trimmed items to choose from. The models striding down the glacier-inspired catwalk had little chance of catching cold. But it is Burberry who have set my pulse racing with what I think will become the must have item for A/W 10 - the sheepskin aviator jacket.

H! by Henry Holland

When I first found out that Henry Holland was designing a range for Debenhams I could hardly contain my excitement. H! by Henry Holland finally hit the rails back in March, and before the sales assistants had even finished putting the stock out I had got my hands on a black and neon floral print dress with corset detailing that I had been coveting.

The A/W 10 collection has been creeping into stock over the past couple of weeks - although largely obscured by rail upon rail of blue cross sale bargains. But if, like me, you can't help but start planning your Winter wardrobe essentials before you've even had your Summer hols, here are my picks.

Addicted to Vintage

The allure of vintage shopping seems to have increased during the recession - after all, you can get a great piece for a fraction of new designer price tags. Then there's the appeal of owning a little piece of history. Hardened vintage shoppers often cite 'the story' - the fact that an item has had a whole other life before it fell into their manicured hands - as a reason for buying pre-owned items.

I recently stumbled across an Aladdin's cave of a vintage emporium in Warwick. Most of the shop is taken up with 'antique' nic-nacs - the kind of place David Dickinson would frequent at the weekends. But squashed in the back corner were a couple of clothes rails - which on closer inspection were filled with hidden gems - a DVF wrap dress could be yours for £40, or a YSL suit for £100. The only problem is when you fall in love with something that simply won't fit - you can't just grab an assistant to order in another one for you. I suppose that's another reason why vintage handbags are so great - it doesn't matter how much Ben & Jerry's you've knocked back.


Some girls have a shoe fetish, others collect bikinis - but my obsession has always been for handbags. The mock-croc bag pictured above was only £2.50, and I know I'm not going to walk down the street passing ten girls carrying the same one!

I can't help but wonder who owned it before - for all I know it could have been slung over the shoulder of a '40s screen siren.

My Handbag Designs

College Girl

There's no better time to experiment with your look than when you are off to uni. Moving to a new place where no one will know you means that you can effectively be whoever you want to be!

If I were to go through it all again, this is what I'd be wearing for the Autumn semester:

It's preppy and slightly geeky, but suggesting that you know your stuff doesn't always have to be a bad thing. The clashing prints give a quirky edge that says this girl is fun and fashion forward. Add a satchel for all those books and you're sorted.