What to wear when the weather is windy.
It's cold, it's raining, and it's windy. But don't be torn between being warm and looking good - bridge the gap between sensible winter dressing and looking good with our commandments of winter style. It's about buying carefully and buying less - follow these rules and you will be buying well right into summer. Because as they say in Sweden: there's no bad weather, only bad clothes.
Rain hats are cool
A pretty little floral umbrella may sound like a fantastic and fun winter purchase, but walk down the street with it open on a typical Auckland winter day and see how long it lasts. Our winters involve more than the cold and lots of rain: there's wind to factor in too. The answer? A rain hat. Ruby ($99) and Helen Cherry ($169) have both done practical but cute versions for winter, with matching rain jackets too - Ruby's is a black shiny Mod shape ($349), and Helen Cherry's is a classic beige trench ($998). You could also get a pair of gumboots that almost pass for boots while you're at it - Playpark is stocking the ubiquitous Hunter Wellingtons in an array of colours (black being the most sensible), and Mi Piaci have a variety of Italian rainboots.
So is wool ...
There's a campaign, backed by HRH The Prince of Wales, to "bring wool back into fashion" - but it was never really "out" was it? There's a lot to love about the natural fibre (warmth!), granted it's ethically sourced of course. We'ar has a nice, ethical 100 per cent wool double-breasted coat with silk satin lining, which comes in a cherry red or classic black, while Starfish has several woolly options - we especially like the oversized "Cover-For-Me" cape made from 100 per cent Italian Virgin Wool ($498), and the 50s-style plaid "Devoted" wool dress.
Don't ban the hood
I have an expensive habit for coats - frock coats, trenchcoats, raincoats, oversized coats - but the one that gets the most wear is the most sensible, a classic beige duffel coat. The reason? Its magnificent hood that protects against wind, drizzle and cold. Coats with hoods are one of fashion's greatest inventions, and the most practical purchase you will make. There are a lot of duffel options around this winter for all price points, from Glassons to Ezibuy to the Little Brother for Barkers duffel which is made for men but works on women too. Then there is Deborah Sweeney's wool cashmere duffel coat in a delicious bright orange, which is at once practical and very fun.
Learn to layer
Coats and cardigans are wonderful, but sometimes you need another layer closer to the skin. But if your style is more classic than cool and layering freaks you out a little (some are born with an innate sense of layering and cool; then there are the rest of us), consider the humble roll neck skivvy or turtleneck. The preppy 90s favourite has made a big comeback on the runway of late, appearing at Michael Kors, Rodarte and Celine for Fall 2011, where almost every model wore a snug white turtleneck under coats, dresses and as a simple top. And though they may conjure up images of high school nerds or Bill Gates, if it's okay with Celine designer Phoebe Philo then it's okay with us. Locally, Stolen Girlfriends Club offer snuggly angora roll necks for winter and Helen Cherry has simple polo necks, while State of Grace has soft modal and merino rib turtleneck tops ($179) and dresses ($195) which they have layered under dresses and tops. Kmart also have great simple polo neck sweaters with cropped sleeves.
Sophisticated sloppiness
Everyone needs the perfect sloppy sweater, perhaps the ultimate in comfortable, warm fashion. Admittedly you want one you can venture out of the house in; comfortably cool knitwear. Cashmere is the obvious and rather clichéd suggestion here: it's luxurious, it feels beautiful, it lasts, is an investment, and so on. But the men's department at Kmart has some great classic sweaters in store at the moment, in a range of colours (the best being maroon and navy). Just don't expect the same level of luxury as cashmere: they're $15.
A sensible dress
Let's get real: flimsy little chiffon numbers just don't cut it in winter. Each winter we ask ourselves the same thing - why are there so many diaphanous dresses hanging in the shops come June? Here is what women actually need: opaqueness! Sleeves! Warmth!
There are several perfect winter dresses with wrist-length sleeves that we have discovered: Salasai's merino wool "Grace" dress with pleated skirting and bustier stitching, Workshop's simple "Penny Panel" dress with scoop neck and Ingrid Starnes' cotton "Rose" dress.
Embrace puffiness
There has been somewhat of an ongoing joke among some fashion insiders about the Newmarket uniform: young, well-off girls in black Kathmandu puffer jackets, skinny jeans and with ribbons in their hair. Well, the joke is on us because this winter puffer jackets are in designer collections too, and they are looking rather appealing.
It's like walking around wrapped in a snuggly sleeping bag, but designers have tried to make them stylish too - many, for example, aren't black, like Ashley Fogel's silver puffer coat ($435), Ruby's high-necked mushroom puffy jacket and Huffer's "Ride Down" jacket ($469), filled with 70 per cent goose down and 30 per cent feather. Style and comfort.
Stockists: Ashley Fogel, Helen Cherry (09) 379 7305, Huffer, Playpark (09) 522 4286, Ruby (09) 376 8674, Starfish (09) 376 0572, State of Grace (09) 8464 333.
