I know these days have pretty much passed us by now, but I love that brief time in Autumn, when you can go out with something cosy to keep you a bit warmer, but you don’t yet need a full-on coat. It’s time for the shawl to shine!…
I bought the dress a few years ago from Dorothy Perkins and I love the dark red colour – perfect for autumn. The neckline is a little higher for me, so I usually look for a longer necklace to break up the fabric across my chest for a more flattering look; however, wrapping a shawl around my arms does exactly the same thing.
I’ll be totally honest, I have absolutely no idea where this shawl came from – it could have been a jumble sale find actually, because this is not the sort-of thing I’d usually spend a lot of money on for fear of leaving it on a park bench or something! Anyway, it’s a lovely soft fabric – my guess would be a man-made material with a good proportion of wool thrown in for warmth. All labels have been cut off, but I think I managed to pick up something expensive there!
I do a love a shawl. I like the old-fashioned-ness of it! I think of Demelza in Poldark or Claire in Outlander and all of a sudden I’m living a romantic drama! I think of cosying up by a roaring fire or walking along cliff-tops protecting myself from the sea breeze.
I bought the hat at a vintage stall at Glastonbury Festival. I’m not great with hats – I tend to feel uncomfortable in them. I think it will be alright and worth it because they look good (particularly for Instagram!), but I always end up carrying them! I like the 1930’s style of this one though, and at least (unlike my red floppy hat) it doesn’t blow off with slightest tilt of the head or gentle current of air. I wonder if it is actually that old?
We took these photos in the gardens of National Trust property, Stourhead – a fantastic place if you time it right, for autumn colours. I couldn’t resist playing around in the leaves!
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