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How to wear a colourful coat

— by Alyson Walsh

Khaki Malarkey and mustard. Photos: Claire Pepper

Pared-back doesn’t have to mean washed out. This warming blast of mustard yellow and a quick spritz of Bella Freud’s Ginsberg is God eau de parfum are providing a welcome boost, right now. Ah, the scents and shades of autumn – there’s a reason this uplifting colour has been referred to as ‘dopamine yellow’…

That’s not another new tone to compliment my grey hair, I have dabbled with saffron (the only shade of yellow I can wear) before. In the early 1990s, an oversized, mustard polo neck jumper from Jigsaw and a not-quite matching corduroy jacket from French brand Chipie looked the business paired with black ski pants and Chelsea boots. Two dollops of mustard add instant zing to any outfit.

The best way to wear a colourful coat is to introduce it to old favourites. See how the Khaki Malarkey jumpsuit is enhanced by a gorgeous, golden glow, while my Colour Comfort Zone remains intact. To me, this combination feels quite Italian. Think Tuscan yellow buildings with faded green shutters or well-dressed locals wafting across busy piazzas for their morning espresso. Teaming ochre with black creates a sharper, more graphic effect, and last night on Channel 4 News, international editor Lindsey Hilsum co-ordinated her signature turquoise scarf with an ochre blouse. I also have an inkling that saffron and the right shade of pink could be a winning combination. There are multiple mustard options…

 

Wet hair, don’t care…

 

The ochre cotton twill coat was a gift from Toast. While I haven’t bought anything new since the summer sales, I have been gifted a couple of pieces. Obeying the one colourful coat in, one colourful coat out rule, I dropped my old gold COS number off at the charity shop down the road. This classic trench shape is much more wearable than the A-line COS cover-up, so it felt like a sensible exchange. Gifting is one area of the fashion business that I am careful about. Brands approach me all the time wanting to send clothes, but often it’s not quite the right fit for That’s Not My Age and I don’t want loads of stuff, so I turn things down. And yes, I am still trying to figure out how to make this blogging business work in a way that benefits my bank balance and the environment. Slow fashion means making the most of the clothes you already own, with the occasional new item. Toast is a brand I admire and the recently launched Toast Circle is a clothes swap scheme to encourage customers to ‘live more consciously’ and return pre-worn items to store. Good move.

 

Style Notes: The mustard yellow silk blouse in the second picture was sent to me by The Fold London to wear at an evening event in-store (where I offered styling tips and advice at the launch of their new footwear collection). All the other clothes are my own/old things.

 

Which colours are you wearing this autumn?

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Pared-back doesn’t have to mean washed out. This warming blast of mustard yellow and a quick spritz of Bella Freud’s Ginsberg is God eau de parfum are providing a welcome boost, right now…