The Burberry Trench - 'The Kensington'

 Trench: Burberry; here. | Scarf: Burberry (about 10 years old!) similar here: Burberry - alternative here. Shirt: here. Trousers: here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley. Earrings: Dior. Bag: Chanel.

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I took these photos shortly after my birthday in early December and didn't have a chance to squeeze them into my post schedule before I flew off to Singapore on the 15th, and while I'm there I like to keep everything 'Singapore themed' - it'd feel a bit odd posting photos of myself in chilly London when I was actually in 30 degree tropical heat. So, I asked on Twitter and Instagram if you'd still like to see the post and the answer was a resounding yes, so, your wish is my command... 

The trench coat; timeless and traditional. Arguably, the ultimate capsule piece. Although it's now heralded as a fashion icon, the trench actually dates back to the 1850s. It was originally a military garment, which was further developed for use in the trenches of the First World War - fascinating, right? It was traditionally khaki coloured, but as the style leaked into the trends worn by the general public, other colours were developed and so arrived the popular honey & stone versions we're so accustomed to seeing today. It seems terribly obvious now that I've done a bit of research, and despite the sizeable hint in the name itself, I'd never realised the trench coat had military origins.

Now, I can completely understand why it's a classic. It's the perfect throw-on piece. Since I received my first designer piece (a Chanel bag) on my 18th birthday, I've been slowly building up my collection of long-lasting, classic designer pieces and I'm thrilled to add this coat. Mixing high-end with high street is something I've always enjoyed, and I can truly see myself wearing this long, long into my adult life. (Just make sure that if you see me eating chocolate whilst wearing this, you run up to me and violently slap it out of my hand.)

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Some of my favourite trenches...

Admittedly, I'd always admired Burberry trenches. Then one day earlier this year, my mother and I were walking past a Burberry store and she announced 'we should get you a Burberry trench for your birthday - that'll last you forever' and I thought, well, who am I to argue?! After that, I'd decided that I wanted the classic 'Honey' colour in a long length. 
As you can see, I stuck with the long length part of that decision but the Honey colour went entirely out of the window when I buttoned one up and we all (including the sales assistant who was helping us) went '....errrm... maybe not...' - frankly, the colour was horrendous on me. Although the name sounds pleasant, 'Honey' wasn't doing me any favours. So, the exceptionally helpful shop assistant suggested I tried on the Stone colour, which I'd never really taken a fancy to. I buttoned up 'The Kensington' in 'Stone' and we were all sold. SOLD. Sold to the girl who looked horrendous in Honey. It really reminded me how important it is to try things on - even things you might not necessarily expect to look good. 
Do you own a trench? Are you a fan of the style?
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What I'm wearing...

The Statement Coat - 3/3 Black

Coat: here - c/o Marks and Spencer. Blouse: here (in the sale!) Shoes: here - c/o Dune. Trousers: here. Red Stole: old, alternative here. Bag: Chanel - alternative here. - - - 
Black; the final installation of my statement coat series. I'm sure you don't need reminding that a black coat in any form is one of the most timeless, classic pieces you can (and should) own. This particular one is M&S's take on the classic, with a military style and maxi length. The quality is impeccable and the understated but detailed military accents mean that this can be thrown over almost any outfit - day or night! (I must also be honest and mention the fact that when I refer to this coat as maxi in length, I mean it. I'm 5'9 and wearing heels here, and it's not too far off the ground. So - if you're a lady of little proportions, this particular style may not be for you.)
I also paired with it a piece that belongs to one of my more recent obsessions; fun/coloured faux fur accessories. This red and purple ombre, stole had been sitting in my wardrobe for a couple of years until it tumbled out whilst I was rearranging a few things, so I decided to resurrect it. Although it's old, fear not - I've linked a few alternatives below if it takes your fancy. 

It seems strange writing this whilst looking at the photos of me all bundled up in London, as I'm currently writing this to you from sunny Singapore! If you'd like to see what I'm getting up to you can  take a look at @arabellagolby on Instagram and Twitter.
Are you a fan of fun faux fur? Do you have a black coat that goes with everything?

The Statement Coat - 2/3 Red

Coat: here. Jumper: sold out/not online - alternative here. - both c/o Marks & Spencer. Boots: here. Skirt: Zara - £16 alternative here. Brooch: Chanel. Earrings: Dior. - alternative here.
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Next up; red - the second installation of my 3 part Statement Coat series. Brightly coloured coats are something I find quite timeless - as long as the style and cut is classic. This jewel toned M&S piece is certainly an eye catcher and encapsulates everything I love in a coat; statement lapels, bold colour and a maxi length. I wanted to go for a sort of smart casual, Parisian vibe, so I paired it with a striped roll neck and a Chanel brooch with deep red jewel details.
Do you have any super colourful coats in your wardrobe?  

The Statement Coat - 1/3 Russet

 Coat (in the sale!): here. Blouse: here. Bag: here | all - c/o Marks & Spencer. Shoes: Russell & Bromley. Trousers: here. Earrings: Dior - alternative here. 

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Merry Christmas everyone!!

 'Tis officially the season, and by 'the season' I mean the season for shamelessly updating your coat collection. I am, and always have been a complete coat fiend. I am that person who has a rail exclusively for coats, and this is something I'm mostly proud but also a little ashamed of. 

Statement coats are my particular weakness because they are, in my mind at least, an entire outfit in themselves. Throw on a pretty basic outfit and top it off with a bold, eye-catching coat and you're good to go. My favourite failsafe combo is a blouse or polo neck jumper teamed with a pair of leather trousers. 

Marks & Spencer has been a longstanding and rather unexpected favourite of mine when it comes to outerwear, and many of my oldest coats that've stood the test of time are from M&S - my personal fave being this pinstripe one I wore to fashion week a couple of years ago. I've also found that my answer to the question 'where's your coat from?' is met with the most surprise when I reveal it's from M&S. Literally, I don't know why this isn't public knowledge. M&S do great coats and I've always thought so. So, when M&S offered to help revamp my winter wardrobe my response was... oh my god YES. I picked out a few, a russet one, a red one and a black one, which I'll be sharing with you over the next week or so. This one is almost certainly my favourite (FYI it's also reduced from £129 to £90.30) The russet colour is so striking and unusual, which contrasts perfectly with the jet black collar. I'm also really pleased with how well it's photographed - I think the rich, warm colour really comes across wonderfully. 

What do you think? Do you like wearing coloured coats or are you more of an 'all black everything' person?

'Practical' Winter Dressing - Striped Faux Fur / Maxi Coat

Faux Fur Stole - here. | Coat - here. Earrings - Dior, alternative here. | Shoes: Russell & Bromley, sold out, alternative here. Bag - Chanel, alternative here. 

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Another failsafe monochrome outfit to share today, snapped on the day before my birthday whilst picking up a couple of presents and jazzed up with my new favourite winter accessory; a striped faux fur stole from Reiss. The fact that the light stripe in the scarf isn't white, but a beautiful grey-lilac, avoids the potential 'style inspo: Cruella De'Ville' situation. I picked up this coat (which makes me feel a bit like I'm in The Matrix so that's great) after realising that I actually didn't own a plain black coat - only black capes, and quite frankly my lower arms were growing tired of always being cold. So, I decided to get myself a warm, practical, versatile coat with actual proper arms. I'm not always the best at dressing practically for the cold, I tend to peer out of the window and think 'nah, it doesn't look that cold, I'll just wear a light jacket.' This decision is swiftly followed by regret. Shivery regret. Because of this, I've really been enjoying making use of these two new winter-appropriate pieces.

My Favourite Faux Fur Stoles:

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What I'm wearing: