refashionable

The men’s pea coat has remained a staple in men’s outer wear since the early 19th century and continues to stand for class, strength and manliness.

Originally men’s pea coats were double breasted and made of 30 oz of wool. Today you can find these coats single breasted and made with anywhere from 22 -32 oz of wool. The styles haven’t changed much because the original design is still aesthetically pleasing and appropriate for any activity. These versatile coats can now be found in any number of colors and materials including wool, leather and corduroy, albeit the originals were always dark blue.

If warmth, style, class and versatility are your goal in a winter coat, the men’s pea coats remains one of the most popular choices.

Vintage Pea Coat £80.00 www.refashionable.com

Definition…A pea coat (or pea jacket, pilot jacket) is an outer coat, generally of a navy-colored heavy wool, originally worn by sailors of European navies. Pea coats are characterized by broad lapels, double-breasted fronts, often large wooden or metal buttons, and vertical or slash pockets….

 
 
How to wear….Although easily adapted to a smarter outfit,  pea coats are making the biggest statement this season as a key piece in a casual ensemble.

Whitney – An Actual Civilised Man by

Living in England one essential piece of the everyday fashion kit is the humble umbrella. Like a lot of accessories an umbrella provides a great opportunity to make a statement and with prices starting at just a few pounds they are within everyone’s fashion budget. From frilly and frivolous, daring animal print, to statement prints and colour pops there is a glut of styles on offer.

This has been by far the most fun trend article I have done this season, little did I realise the fantastic range of umbrellas on offer at the moment and  new innovations coming through such as the bike umbrella, couples umbrella as well as all of the designer print ranges on offer.

Let it rain…. by refashionable featuring Lulu Guinness umbrellas

And there is more…….

Introducing Nubrella – invented by Alan Kaufman for the busy streets of New York, simply ‘The Ultimate Weather Protector’. Nubrellas are not ordinary umbrellas, they provide the very best protection against rain, wind, sleet, snow and extreme cold. These extraordinary umbrellas are for all inclement weather conditions not just rain. Be one of the first to own this truly fascinating and practical product – the nubrella is designed for the 21st century. Nubrellas overcome the fundamental limitations placed upon you by today’s traditional umbrellas. Nubrellas have no pole and leave your hands free to carry your shopping or make that phone call and provide a snug, wind-free enviroment. The long awaited ‘hands free’ feature along with the Nubrellas eye-catching futuristic design make these special umbrellas ideal for the down-town hustle and bustle of the city. Umbrellas that are lightweight, hands-free and aerodynamic – say hello to the revolutionary Nubrella

How cool is this? It’s an umbrella that changes colors when it gets wet (which should be every time you use it unless you’re one of those shade umbrella type people). Designed by UK-based Squid London, these umbrellas are made with hydrochromatic inks that change colors when wet. Unfortunately they only produced them in a limited edition and they are all sold out now.

Squid London rolled out a limited edition collection of umbrellas that have designs printed on with hydrochromatic inks. The color of the ink is dull and desaturated when dry but as soon as it makes contact with water, all the color comes out.

Now these gorgeous umbrellas are available in what Squid London calls the “Skyline Squidarella Collection,” showing the London skyline in monochromatic view, bursting into a cheery rainbow cityscape as soon as you step out into the London fog. Not bad for $35. Check out the video:

 Who says its not easy being green?

When asked what’s fuzzy and green most people think of little Kermit the frog but as of this autumn all of that is set to change……

Felt isn’t a fabric that you think of when wanting to look style savvy and fashion forward. All that is about to change as this Autumn/Winter felt has become accepted world wide throughout the fashion industry. During this season you will see felt everywhere and incorporated in every way. It is present everywhere from statement pieces to luxury accessories.
Now, felt was featured in most brands like for Lanvin, Alber Elbaz gave us a chic duffel bag, Victoria Beckham went ultra-luxe for AW09 with her felt outerwear and even Brian Atwood showed us what felt would look like as a strappy stiletto for his FW09 collection. This is definitely the season to get reacquainted with the revamped luxury fabric known as felt. Its also green as it can be made from used wool and also recycled very easily.
Felt accessories add a colourful finishing touch to your wardrobe this AW
Some of these little gems were found on Etsy.com ( all are shipping from the UK, others are available) remember wherever you are in the world to try and reduce your style miles and buy from a local source.

A gorgeous combination of bright orange and rich dark grey – perfect for Autumn/Winter

These felt beads have been made using lambs wool and mohair mixed yarn, and each one is approximately 1.5cm in diameter. By applying hot water, soap and friction the fibers get all excited and cuddle up together to make these fun little balls. Ten of these have then been threaded onto sturdy clear elastic, interspaced with sequins and glass beads. The bracelet will fit most wrists due to the elastic.

This funky, fun cute little handbag is made from 100% cotton drill in cream, handprinted with a print gocco machine, and decorated with fabric ink, felt appliques and bright purple sequins.

It is easy enough to update key wardrobe pieces with some felt accents and details. If you fancy having a go yourself felt is available to buy in many forms form the following online suppliers:

www.bloomingfelt.co.uk/index.asp?

http://www.calicolaine.co.uk/Fabrics-Felt-&-Baize-c1_36.html?osCsid

http://www.strandwools.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=298_78