On the eve of the UK’s first “heatwave” of the year and after the longest stretch of dreary, rainy London days, I’m sharing what I hope will be my last winter-y outfit for a while. This is the kind of look that I have been wearing a lot recently and it incorporates a couple of trends that I have been loving over the past couple of months – vinyl and colour blocking.
If you follow me on Instagram then you will have seen this incredible seventies vinyl coat before (and indeed a very similar look to this one before) but I just had to feature it on this blog before winter was out. I bought this coat back in August last year when I stumbled across a closing down vintage shop in Vancouver. It was reduced from 100$ to just 20$ and as it was love as first sight, I was determined to squeeze it into my hand luggage back to Montreal and then into one of my already packed suitcases when we moved back to the UK a week later. I’m so glad I followed my heart because I am still totally in love with this coat to this day. It’s such a marmite piece – some people love it while others aren’t so sure but ultimately what matters is that I feel fab when I wear it.
COAT: VINTAGE | DUNGAREES: ZARA (old) | TOP: VINTAGE | BOOTS: TOPSHOP (in store)
Vinyl coats have been doing the rounds for a couple of years now but I find this one to be totally unique to the new ones currently on offer. Firstly, it is not a super shiny vinyl, like many coats are, but it has a cracked effect to it, adding an interesting texture to any look. Of course, I am obsessed with its retro shape. Being a genuine piece from the sixties/seventies, it has a flattering A-line shape but what I love the most is its super oversized dagger collar. It makes the piece even more of a statement that it already is and looks great when paired with one of my many dagger-collared shirts like in this recent Instagram photo. Finally, the colour is an absolute dream. Again, differing from the ever-popular black vinyl coats, mine is a beautiful shade of blue. It’s the kind of blue that goes perfectly with rust tones during the autumn, yellow come springtime and also lots of other shades of blue.
Aside from vinyl, the other trend that this look nails is colour blocking. If you’re unfamiliar with the meaning of colour blocking, it’s simply wearing lots of the same colour in one look and I absolutely love it. I don’t know what it is about colour blocking that excites me so much. Perhaps it’s the challenge of finding different shades of the same hue that compliment each or maybe it’s that colour blocking is actually quite lazy but effective styling? Either way, I am on board.
Since the weather warmed up a bit but whilst it has still been pretty wet I have been wearing this vinyl coat a lot. Usually paired with these Zara dungarees, I just swap the top for something like an orange turtleneck or statement shirt. I love how this 70s chevron print top with its flared sleeves adds to the retro vibe of this outfit and makes the blue colour blocking complete. The dark blue of the print goes really well with the colour of the dungarees while the turquoise shade brings a brighter hue to the colour block. To keep the look fresh for spring, I finished off the outfit with some white ankle boots in a faux patent leather (although, on super rainy days these would have been swapped for some black leather boots).
So as the weather finally improves this week, I hope you have enjoyed seeing what I have been wearing regularly on recent rainy days. Maybe keep this post bookmarked, as the rain is bound to be back, eh? Even if it does, I’m off to Barcelona at the end of this week so I’ll be back with some summery content very soon! X
