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|| 19 March 2023
Kat's Black & White Wardrobe Part 2
Yes, I do often buy duplicates of clothes that really work for me. I rotate them, which prolongs their life, and I don’t have to worry about a suddenly needed item being out of commission (in the wash, at the cleaners).
I’ve mentioned brands, because they are the ones that almost always fit and suit me, and will last. Marina Rinaldi (and Max Mara, which will raise its pretty head later) are expensive, which is why I almost never shop there, except at sale time, but Cos and M&S are not.
I have one dressy velvet shirt dress, and a black wool wrap with furry pom-poms which must be heading for the half century mark by now!
Onwards to coats and jackets : trigger warning, this is where it gets seriously expensive. All I can say in my defence is that, in London, for nine months of the year one cannot go outdoors without a coat, jacket, or raincoat of some kind, and the other three months are not guaranteed coat free, so these get a LOT of wear. And are what I am most often seen in, so I want them to look good, and I want them to last.
I have two full length black wool coats (a Max Mara bought 6 years ago and one I bought on impulse at LK Bennet, while shopping in the sale with my daughter last January. No excuses: half price or not, I didn’t need another coat, but it suited me so perfectly I couldn’t resist it. These things happen.)
I also have a raincoat which is cut like a poncho, a leather bomber jacket, bought to replace a 30 year old leather biker, a leather jacket with a rolled wool collar, bought in Athens 35 years ago, and still looking good with the long black knit skirts, and ankle boots, a short black lightweight wool jacket (Max again) a fluffy fun fur bomber (Athens again) and a knee length Max Mara teddy coat (the full length version made me look like a walking grizzly, thank God, because I couldn’t afford it!) This last item was well worth the price. It is very warm but also very light, so ideal for trips to vastly overheated shops when it’s freezing on the streets.
