Although 2024 started slowly, with a steak pie and too much panettone bread and butter pudding – and therefore also with leggings, which I was decidedly happy about – I was somewhat relieved to be leaving the house last weekend so that I had to get dressed in actual clothes. There’s nothing like a pair of jeans to remind you to put down the last of the mince pies…
It was a clear, bright day in Scotland’s sunniest city on Saturday; we were off to Dundee with friends and our kids. I threw on my (comfy) jeans, my trainers, and a cosy chunky cardi by Balzac Paris and wrapped myself up in this beautiful blue coat by LK Bennett. It had arrived in the autumn and due to the high wool count was too warm to wear until recently.
She’s called Esme (swoon) and she’s now had a few outings. Each time people have commented on how gorgeous she is, and yes, she’s utterly divine, but the most gorgeous thing about her isn’t the snuggly soft faux fur collar and cuffs, nor is it the pretty, treasure-chest-worthy buttons; it’s the way she makes me feel – like an ultimate glamour puss, a woman who has her sh*t together, maybe even someone from another time living in a modern world. Like one of those dreamy but over-curated Instagram accounts, in real life.
Despite her beauty, Esme is not for keeping for best. She deserves to be taken out often, any day of the week. I plan to wear this coat until I’m in my eighties and beyond, but my biggest hope is that one day, when I’m old, Kittie will ask me if she can have it. Then I can return to my elastic waistbands and live happily through her, seeing her wear it and love it like I did thirty or forty years before her.
To me, that’s the ultimate marker of a great piece of clothing – that it stands the test of time in theory and in practice, and is a part of the story as much as the location, the smells, the food, and the people.
I’m wearing
Coat, LK Bennett * (check out the coats in the LK Bennett Archive Sale*)
Bag, Strathberry *
Jeans, Next
Trainers, New Balance
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