SPRING TIME COATS

THE SUN IS SHINING!

Anne C here:

My Mum always used to say "Cast not a clout til May is out" meaning don't put away your winter clothes until the end of May.  English weather is as unpredictable as ever, but times have changed and we wear our clothes all year round now - we just layer up when the weather gets colder!

However, since the sun shone briefly last week (before the latest storm hit), we thought we would dust off our lighter-weight coats and jackets in the hope of some warmer weather - and it was for a day!

As always, my cloakroom has coats of just about every hue - although I do possess a couple of black coats - but I thought springtime called for some lovely bright seasonal colours. So here I am in my latest purchase which I got in the sales - a very pretty deep peach lightweight coat which zips up the front which was another of my Florence and Fred impulse purchases while shopping in Tesco.  The best thing was that I had some Tesco Clubcard vouchers, so the coat actually cost me just 50p!

I teamed it with black M&S trousers and a black lace sleeveless top from Kaleidoscope which I have had for years and which I also have in cream - both extremely versatile for either work under a jacket or with jeans and a cardigan for a more casual look.

Anne H is wearing her traditional muted shades, but has added a pretty long sleeved floral shirt  from UNIQLO  - deliberately layered underneath a navy Cos jacket with 3/4 sleeves to show off the cuffs.  She has teamed with jeans from H & M and sunglasses from Chloe.

We're not natural models so our photographic sessions tend to dissolve into giggles when we're trying to show off the clothes and make sure we pose properly - we have been amazed at how many times we blink and look dozy in our shots!  This is Anne C again wearing the same top and trousers, but this time worn with a lightweight jacket in  one of this season's hot colours - bright sunshine yellow.  This again was another sale find, this time from Matalan, and is useful for leaving in the car in case the sun turns chilly. Sunnies are Chanel bought several years ago.

Anne H is wearing the same jeans, but teamed with a black t-shirt from Cos and a soft wool blend sleeveless coat - which is one of this season's must haves - bought from Autograph at M & S Her gorgeous necklace is a gift, cuff from MaxMara is a vintage shop find, watch is from Cluse and glasses are Versace.

Red is definitely one of my favourite colours and this lightweight jacket with 3/4 sleeves is one of my new favourites. Bought from Jolly Chic - which is one of those peculiar adverts which appear on Facebook, I was in two minds about buying it and whether it would actually arrive - but it did, and I love it! Sunglasses as before and lovely bracelet from my favourite jewellery shop - Swarovski - and co-incidentally a birthday gift from Anne H last year. My watch is  by Gucci - a silver wedding anniversary gift from Mr C. sixteen years ago, which although is no longer on their website, I have seen in shops quite recently.

Anne H is wearing a stunning versatile black coat from Carin Wester with peek-a-boo back opening, which she bought while in Amsterdam earlier this year,  and for which I definitely have coat envy!  She is wearing it with casual jeans, a crisp white cotton shirt from Cos and a lovely silk scarf in blue hues, but it would be just as fabulous dressed up with heels for a more tailored look for a night on the town.

Her absolutely fabulous shoes by Kenzo (sadly a previous season so no longer available)  complete this sophisticated yet comfortable style.