The trench coat is usually on any list of "10 essentials that chic Parisians wear", or articles and books on a similar theme, however it tends to be accompanied by words emphasising the importance of it being in a neutral colour such as black, navy or beige. Would a Frenchwoman wear Catherine's gorgeous trench? I'm guessing that they would if they really loved it and knew they would look as good as she does wearing it.
In the photo below, I'm wearing a trench coat that I bought last autumn. It's not in a traditional neutral colour, however the copper isn't a trendy colour that will date, so hopefully it will last me several years.
I'm wearing the trench coat over dark brown jeans and shoes, plus my tan bag doesn't provide a lot of contrast. My colouring is low colour contrast, so the combination is good, however I am also high value contrast, because of my pale skin and dark hair and eyes, which is why I wore this particular scarf. What you won't be able to see is the pair of green earrings I was wearing, so I will point out that the green earrings went beautifully with the green in my scarf. It's these little details that makes choosing an outfit more fun.
Finally, this is me wearing what I like, but what about you? Do you worry about wearing clothes that aren't age appropriate? On the other hand, do you want to ignore what so-called fashion experts decide are the styles that chic women should wear? By the way, I include myself in the latter category!
Sue, you look great in the copper trench coat and contrasting scarf! In southern Australia we don't have much use of trench coats unless you are outside a lot. In winter we mostly are getting in and out of heated cars and going into heated buildings. I have never had a trench coat. I have polar fleece jumpers and jackets for when it is really cold and if it is wet then on top, I use my light weight raincoat. Thanks for post. Carol S
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol. We don't have a car so we're definitely outside a lot! Because I wear layers in the cooler months, this is ideal for wearing when walking the dog, shopping and meeting friends. I have a winter coat, however that doesn't get worn as much. I don't think of Australia as getting cold! We've visited twice: once in November and the other time in July. I do remember the temperature suddenly dropping though when the sun went down -and dashing into a shop to buy a fleece hoodie!
ReplyDeletehello...what a wonderful trench coat! i love that you have taken a paris fashion staple and made it unique to you with the autumn colour, because this is what style is all about..taking basic clothing pieces and finding our own colour, cut, and pattern within these basic pieces so that when we wear our clothing, WE are making fashion statements, not our clothes! i dont believe that a classic piece in our wardrobes ever goes out of style, just because a trend is a certain colour etc. It is great that you are lucky enough to travel the world and observe fashion trends and find perfect clothing pieces, accessories and even unusual colours that fit your lifestyle and then share them with us! lorettes
ReplyDeleteHi Lorette Glad that you like my trench coat! You're quite right in saying that some pieces of clothing never go out of style. They may become trendy at certain times, but when other items then become trendy and they aren't anymore, they still don't really go out of fashion. As you say, it's a matter of finding the colours, shapes etc that suit you.
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