Plan B

Evening (morning?) lovelies,

 

I'd planned on bringing you an outfit post today, but unfortunately that wasn't to be. I got showered, and had an outfit in mind and everything, but the shower took the life out of me, so I couldn't manage it.

 

Thankfully, I had a plan b. I had another post idea to mind, one which I've been intending to share with you this Autumn. Now that Summer is truly over, and the Autumn chill has begun to set in, it seemed like a great time to talk about Winter accessories. Hats and gloves to be more precise. So I dug out my Winter woolies, and decided to give you a peek in to my collection.

 

So, here we go!

 

For some reason, each piece all happens to have been bought in Accessorize. I think I may have a problem.

 

Hats

 

Hats. In theory I love them, in reality I don't have the head for them. My face shape is too long to suit most styles, and my head is too big for others. Sometimes, when the temperature has dropped below freezing, I have to put comfort (warmth) before aesthetics and just suck it up.

 

I have found one style of hat that I feel suits me, and that I also love. And that is Accessorize's knitted berets... although to me they look like a mix of beanie and beret. I wear them so that they're quite vertical; sitting somewhere behind my fringe to cover the crown and nape.

 

Technically, this teal beanie isn't actually mine. In fact, I bought this hat for my younger Sister BUT she doesn't wear it, so I just had to confiscate it a couple of months ago. Teal is one of my favourite Autumn colours, and it works especially well with red hair!

 



I've had this cream hat for several years, and it's more roomy than the other two I own. The design has a small knit, with little holes and sequins all over it. It's a little baggier at the nape, but it keeps me warm when it's really cold.

 



This hat is my oldest and most favourite of all. I bought it in the mid-noughties, and while visiting my Sister in Ireland, a whole pot of Lush sugar lip scrub came undone in my bag and made a mess of it. I accidentally chucked it in the washing machine and shrunk it. As much as I've tried to stretch it out, it's never been the same since.

 



My little collection.

 



I've stored them in  one of the three stacking boxes I got from W H Smith last week.

 

Gloves

 

Nobody could get through Autumn/Winter comfortably in a cold climate without the aid of a pair of gloves or mittens. Using pockets or bravely exposing your digits to the elements just won't do when it's so bitterly cold it feels like you've taken a wrong turn and ended up at the North Pole during an Ice Age. Luckily for me, I love gloves. I have a bit of a glove/mitten obsession if truth be told.

 



These fairisle faux-fur mittens are one of the newer pairs in the collection. They're warm, and cosy, and are very Santa-like, don't you think?

 



These cute pink and purple striped gloves are the oldest pair I own. I may have had them for almost a decade. I had them in blue, too, but I'm not sure if I've misplaced them or lost them, or what. I've kept hold of them for so long because they've lasted so well, and because they're one of the few pair I own with completely covered fingers.

 



This pair of crochet cut off, finger less gloves are my absolute favourite. The shape and style is a little different to most others, and they keep the hand surprisingly warm considering they leave the fingers exposed. I was drawn to the cute crocheted flower detail and the dark Autumnal colours.

 



 

The grey pair are a year or two older than the teal pair, and I'll admit they're in need of a wash! I used to wear them whilst looking after the bunnies in the cold, so there's some wood shavings attached to the wool here and there. I should take better care of them because they're so pretty!

 



 

The medium box holds the four pairs shown above.

 

And the largest box holds the rest of the pairs I'm about to show you, which are all capped gloves. This basically means that they can be turned from finger-less gloves in to mittens and back again by readjusting the little cap on the top of the glove. I've been wearing this style of glove for many years now; they're so convenient! Your hands can still be gloved when you need to text, handle change, or write etc.

 



These are my most colourful pair of capped gloves. I was drawn to the splashes of green and turquoise, and love wearing them to brighten up a darker outfit.

 



 

A little less vibrant, but the glittery thread keeps the design fun. These are perfect worn with a chunky boyfriend knit.

 

These are the same design as the colourful pink, blue, green and grey pair above, but in a more Autumnal colour palette. They've had quite a lot of wear over the last few years.

 



 

These unkempt looking chunky capped gloves were bought the winter before last when we had that ridiculously bitter cold snap here in England. Do you remember that? The temperature dropped to something like -15c in the day time, there were icicles everywhere the size of my arm, and I saw my first white Christmas!  I was so cold Christmas shopping that my fingers were numb in my pink striped gloves, so I popped in to Accessorize and found these. They're the warmest accessory I've ever worn, but they began coming apart almost straight away. I think these were my exchanged second pair, come to think of it.

 



And the last pair I could find worth showing you is this grey fairisle pair. They're looking a little sorry for themselves as my Sister's dog, a Marley in German Shepherd clothing, tore off one of the buttons when saying hello to me. I had to sew the left cap to the glove, which is why I've used my right arm for this shot.

 



 

 

I also have several pairs of boring black Primark gloves, that I had for wearing at work, and I think I have a few other pairs milling around the house.

 

I have my eye on a few new pairs. I usually add at least one pair to my collection each Autumn/Winter. I'm intending to put a separate post together to share some of my new season favourites with you all.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this post.

 

Do you love gloves as much as I do?