October Outfit

It's Ethical Fashion Bloggers' monthly challenge this week, which is useful seeing as I just about manage to post an actual outfit post about once a month and that if you're lucky. I'm the worst vintage blogger ever, it's like "hmm, I have all these vintage clothes and mid-century items in my house... hmm, I write this blog ... if only there were some way of combining these things. If only!?!"

I take 50 photos, always, always I look angry in them-
I tried to soften my face, it blurred. Damn you Pixlr.

Anyway, this month the challenge is brights. Also it is October and therefore starting to get cold. Thus, I present to you my new winter cape. It's brilliant, you can go round pretending to be a superhero and stuff and you can hide your hands when it gets cold (like a tent for your fingers. Finger-tent, innit). My husband says I look like a penguin in it, and calls me 'T-rex' when the tiny hand-holes prevent me reaching doorbells. I care not. Naysayer.

Also it looks proper funny when I'm driving.

The cape is pristine 1960s Welsh Wool and I bought it from one of the stands at the Festival of Vintage in Epsom. Other vintage girls tried it on and some had to be coaxed to take it off and give it back. It's ace: and I saw it first, so it's mine. The weave is bright turquoise and green, all handmade and within the UK and, of course vintage - several ethical aspects to it. My rich green handbag is also handmade within the British Isles if not actually Great Britain: it's a Paul Costelloe, made to last in Ireland - I got it in my new local TK Maxx. I consider well-made new items ethical because they'll not go to waste after a year.

Yeah, either glaring or laughing like a
toothy simpleton.

Some might find a bright coat a hard thing to wear, but I have always liked them as in winter I spend a lot of time wearing coats- it's a pain to put something plain and ugly over a bright outfit day-in-day-out. As I shop second-hand and vintage, I typically have about 4 coats on rotation in winter, because I pick up nice wool and leather ones cheaply. I only buy good quality and - having several- I rotate them, so they last many years too.

How do you choose winter coats, do you go for plain and versatile or bright and bold?

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