With the cold of Winter now taking hold and the days becoming shorter, I figured I would spend some time wandering around North London and get to see some of the natural beauty in its parks. It so happened that on the day I was doing this, the wind decided to make itself known and I spent a quiet Sunday afternoon being blown around Finsbury Park as I watched the world roll by. Fortunately, I was prepared for such an event with a warm outfit that utilized rich colours and outdoors-y themes to create a look that was stylish as well as being a good defence against the cold gusts of November.
The main focus of this outfit is the claret coat, a colour I have never worn before and was keen to experiment with. All of my winter coats have been grey, black or navy for both versatility and because I was comfortable with styling those colours. However, this dark red/purple has completely changed my opinion on colour variety in winterwear. It works effortlessly with greys, blues and whites whilst almost acting as a statement piece in its own right (due to the unusual colour). Combining it with a black and white patterned scarf and dark grey marl t-shirt creates a great contrast, whilst the blue of the jeans helps further define both the grey and red. Finally, the chunky boots add an element of outdoor ruggedness to the style without making it look overly chunky or heavy.
The inspiration for this look comes from a slightly unorthodox place. In fact, I actually drew from Chris Hemsworth’s character Thor in the latest Avengers movie when he is wearing a casual look. The dark red overcoat and grey tee instantly struck me as one that I wanted to style for everyday wear and, after a lot of searching, I found a coat that would do the job. It’s a warm and comfortable ensemble that doesn’t feel heavy or look overly chunky, in fact I found it looked quite slimming overall.
Coat – Kin
T-shirt – H&M
Scarf – Barbour
Jeans – Levi’s
Boots – Joe Brown’s
Having spent the last few outfit posts focused on different elements of tailoring and suit styles, it was nice to put together something more casual that could be worn on any weekend. It was perfectly suited to a gentle stroll around the park but would also work well walking around town or going to work (provided you work in an office that allows casual attire). The main lesson that I took from this outfit is never be afraid of trying new colours, often it is your own fears that are stopping you from finding the most interesting looks…
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