You need one of these - but maybe not just yet!

I don't know about where you are but here the weather has generally been unseasonably warm. Today when I went out the car said an unbelievable 18 degrees. It wasn't a day to go out without a coat due to a wind blowing but certainly anything heavy was completely unnecessary.

I must confess that due to this sort of weather I have only had the contents of my second parcel on once so far.

At the start of this season I made a  - short - list of what I needed for winter. On the list was a replacement black padded type outdoor coat.
I last bought a coat  like this in 2009 for a trip to New York in the February of that year so I didn't feel putting a new one on my list was an extravagance.

My old one was from Per Una at Marks and Spencer (did I hear someone tut!) It had a concealed hood , pockets to the front and a zip and popper fastening. My criteria for the replacement was that it must have a removable  or concealable hood, pockets  and a zip and popper fastening.

I was passing TK Maxx one day and tried on two there
There was a wonderful Betsy Johnston one that had amazing little built in finger gloves thingys but the hood didn't come off and made me look and feel muffled - it was a great coat for a thin person - not me!
I also tried and bought a Michael Kors coat which had all the things I wanted, sadly reurned it as I was not convinced the zip was up to much pulling and hauling and would not last me another 5 years as my first one had.

I spotted one on Marks and Spencer's website - irritatingly it appeared only to come in Plus sizes. I sat back and waited for it to appear in other sizes.
Also irritatingly it has now disappeared from the site - I never found it in my size.

I did find this one in store - I even bought it - and returned it. It did have it all - removable hood , pockets - but it just felt too boring on - I know all black coats may be boring!! It was also Per Una - sorry.



Meanwhile I found one I liked on Mango. The girl looked like I wanted to look -ha ha!
I looked and looked at it, I tried to assess how long I could look without missing out on getting it.
I worried and fretted over the sizing. I fretted over how I would return it if it didn't do - decided I could maybe cope with the return.
And then fate took charge - a 30% off weekend arrived just before I went off on holiday.
It arrived while I was away. 

When I opened it on my return I knew I had done the right thing in the end. I loved it. I loved it even with the belt - and no I don't quite look like a sack of potatoes in it. 
Sadly the weather hasn't needed it so far but with the forecast today for winter giving a very gloomy prospect I think I just might.
It has pockets ( with zips)
It has a detachable hood - which covers really well when up.
It has snug elasticated wrists.
I love it.
Now it isn't a light coat - but boy does it make me feel I can face whatever the winter throws at me - unfortunately this time not  a trip to New York, but almost hoping London in December will be cold. As long as its not so cold I am snowed in here.

Other coats in a similar vein

Zara

Also Zara

Dunnes Stores

what's in my parcel - one

I did say I had some parcels waiting.

The contents of my first one were much longer for. I have a coat fetish - I fully admit it. I love coats. Need Coats?? that's another matter.

My daughter and I were talking about the pale blue Autograph coat in our local Marks and Spencer some weeks ( and more) ago.
She decided as neither of us now go to work that requires wearing a coat like this on a daily basis it would be extravagant to buy this coat no matter how lovely it was. She was of course right. I don't go to work at all and this coat demanded dressing up on a daily basis. But it was lovely. I can't see it online but you may know the one I mean as it was on display at the very front of our Marks and Spencers , possibly in yours too.

I then quite fancied a camel coat. Many many years ago there was a mother who collected her son ( who was in the year below me at school) wearing a beautiful camel coat - she was incidentally a strikingly beautiful woman too. Every time I think of a camel coat I think of her.

When I was in town some weeks ago I tried on the one in Zara - seen also on Fashion Mum of Forty and Style At Every Age. I actually had been and tried it on before I saw them in it. This one. It was not for me, even though it fitted ( and Zara is hit and miss in that department for me)I felt slightly as though I was wearing a dressing gown and TBH the colour does nothing for me .
Note the model does not have it tied, if I had felt I could go through the winter without tying a coat closed it might have helped but possibly that would not be the case.

I then tried a camel one on in Marks and Spencer and to be sure, the colour still did nothing for me, my dream of being glamorous was gone.

I was then leafing through the September Issue of Glamour and spotted A COAT. It was grey and the price was unbelievable, especially for someone on a budget like me.

This one

It's the grey coat at £24.99 from H and M. I stalked the website looking for it and then finally two weeks before I went on holiday there is was. I didn't hesitate, but only ordered one size, and then noticed it would arrive while I was on holiday.

Daughter waylaid delivery - sorted.

I looked at it in Palma - it looked big but it was too hot to start to try on a myriad of sizes  - all European - to decide if I had bought the right one.

When I opened it I was expecting to be disappointed , but was I - nope! Except that the size I had ordered was enormous. But there is a happy ending - The day after I came home I beetled down to my local H and M and got it two sizes smaller , I know its meant to be oversized but there's oversized and absolutely drowning me. It's perfect , I love it. I suit grey, it goes with lots and the price is great. It dresses down as well as  up and I am in love.

Not claiming to be glamorous but hey ho!

Sorry for the very little poor picture. I will get round to taking one of it actually on in a few days.

Goodbye Summer

I was fortunate enough to have been able to have a late holiday in Majorca  where the sun still shines.

So I finally only cast aside my sandals on Sunday 5th October. Sadly the weather has turned a lot colder so I had to pack away my summer clothes too.

But for now here was Majorca last week - 28 degrees C - a bit of rain but mostly lovely.

I did try to travel light with basically a navy theme. Didn't quite succeed. Must do better.
The hotel had a lovely generous wardrobe with lots of hangers. I'm really sad to  pack away my summer things but I came home to some lovely parcels I had ordered before I went. More of those next time.