Happy Anniversary

They won't stop me. Neither the long day at work, nor the long evening with family and friends. Or sleep deprivation. Or a sore throat. I want to celebrate the second anniversary of GreyCatte's Book Of Style, and the second birthday of GreyCatte as a blogger.

The start of the second year was perfect - I had all the time in the world for about two months - from late winter well into spring - to dedicate to this brainchild. Now, as another year ends, I have all but missed London Fashion Week. This must change. And so it will.

The last outfit I wore and took a few snaps of too was this one, a cute and comfy dress in navy and toffee by Miss Selfridge. It's very 1970s, but in a simple and clean way, giving me the chance to subtly complement it with some winter platforms, then go a bit overboard with a floppy hat.

I have the same boots, the Dr. Martens Darcie, in tan as well, but the black embossed ones, with black tights, were the ones that felt right. But that's OK - the mock croc rich brown classic shoulder bag manages to push it back a bit towards paired-back OTT.

Dress: Miss Selfridge, boots: Dr. Martens, hat: New Look,
bag: TK Maxx

A Day In The Country

Boy, it's cold... But, when you gotta go, you gotta go. Visiting friends well out of town does require a bit of commitment and a dash of waddling in mud. The upside is, it's not particularly difficult when it comes to answering the question of what to wear.

Dress or skirt? Out. Which leaves jeans or leggings. Heels? Out. Anything delicate or prone to get ruined by mud? Out. That means wellies. Desperate to look stylish? Absolutely not. You don't want to feel too self-conscious among normal people, or stick out like a sore thumb when meeting friend's family. Problem solved. One more thing: wrap up warm.

The alphabet print jeans seemed a perfect and decent nod to the printed trousers trend, the fine poloneck is just cute and simple, the softest cable knit socks provide the much-needed warmth, and the Hunters - well, they are the essentials, after all, when in Glasto...

When short, fancy or smart cover-ups are not an option, you'd better find something cute and warm to fit the bill. The feather-light, nicely sculpted A-line quilted duffle coat was a pleasant surprise - much warmer than I thought it would be, so one extra layer between that and the poloneck is enough to keep out the cold. My extra layer was a fitted velvet blazer, just in case.

Jeans: Asos, ribbed sleeve poloneck: River Island, knitted socks: Promod,
wellies: Hunter (Regent), quilted duffle coat: New Look

Stuff I Get Away With: Mustard And Cream

Meaning, stuff I get away with at work, where the expected range is shameless smartness to uber-boredom. It's strange I haven't thought of this title before, when the past three to four years have been exactly about that. Dumb foodie pun aside, I like to push the limits, let the creative juices flow, build on others' half-defined perceptions of what's smart, turn them upside down but in a way I'm still perceived as smart. That is, getting away with just about any outfit I happen to throw together. That is so much like me that I think I'm launching a new label / post category.

This is not about a mindless rejection of rules, mind you, or some obsession with picking at unquestioned norms on a daily basis. OK, I tend to avoid conflicts and overuse my adaptation skills in most areas of life, so when it comes to style and fashion, I have lots to compensate myself for. But there is more than that, a mission if you will, to stir things up and challenge the usual ways. It's quite an achievement to get a few eyes to pop without provoking shock or rejection. A daily mental exercise to get the balance just right. Or just wrong - but only just.

This outfit, for instance, is a blueprint for all sorts of dark sins. There's bold colour, skinny jeans, grungy layering, heart print, wedge trainers, a touch of punky distressed Union Jack, only half-balanced out by a somewhat formal jacket, a pussybow and the cream and black colour combo.

Depending on the risk, be prepared to adjust the results. You can carry a pair of spare shoes (flat brogues or loafers), but switching between a smug and an innocent face usually does the job.

Jeans: Asos, vintage wool lingerie trim top: charity shop, heart print pussybow blouse: New Look (Generation 915), Union Jack leather belt: River Island, wool jacket: Zara, leather wedge trainers: Ash

Little Red Dress

I've been wanting to get an LRD for some time now, but I couldn't quite decide between the smarter, tailored ones (you know, clean vertical seams, little buttons or bows, tulip shape, straight line, no stretch), or the more relaxed types like skater, or the not-too-smart A-line, sleeveless, short or three quarter sleeved - and who knows what else. I only knew it should not have any contrast details.

Finally it came to me that I very rarely wear red because it's so in-your-face, a constant reminder that you're walking the very wildest of the wild side (at least, that's what it feels like). Now, if you choose a really smart dress, you will want to wear it for smart occasions, but the colour will stop you in the last minute of every attempt. So, you will end up not wearing it at all. If you're like me, make sure you pick a strictly neutral or somewhat relaxed piece that you can just pop on and go, and have fun with dressing it up or down. That way, the dress will sooner or later find a way to take you for a walk.

This shift dress by Asos is in ponte, which is a lot more easier to wear than plain or even textured cotton, which tends to crinkle somewhat while hanging in the wardrobe, very badly when on, and worse during washing. Ponte is not smart, and not considered a quality fabric, but boy, it's made for wearing - and that's just what it'll do.

How to wear your block colour dress

In four ways, basically. Classic Contrast: pick one colour to complement red in a classic way, say, cream, biscuit, white, camel, or black. Wear opaque tights and a top or blouse in that colour. Then, you can choose to match your shoes to your opaques for a leg-lengthening, paired-back effect, or create a contrast  by wearing red shoes (loafers or Mary Janes) and turn into Little Red Riding Hood.

Next, you can go for Bold Colour Blocking, and mix & match primary or jewel colours... red with electric blue, emerald green with yellow, orange with teal. If you want to tread cautiously at first, accessorise with a flash of colour, a scarf, a bag, or a belt. If, like me, you are drawn to trying the Total Blocking, combine pieces in similar colours in a single outfit and go all red, blue, mustard or green. To finish the look, I chose a navy and blue coat when I could have gone with berry, which reminds me: do draw the line somewhere.

Dress: Asos, long sleeved top, heeled loafers and coat: New Look, tights: Calzedonia

And four is Minimal, for when you prefer the little red dress to do all the talking: bare legs or sheer tights, ankle boots and socks. As zips are big for both autumn/winter and spring/summer, and apparently, this dress doesn't have any, choose a minimal cover-up with some prominent zips. Mine is a loose, ribbed fine-knit cropped cardi with collars, but a boxy cropped blazer with extra large buttons should make the look even more office-friendly if that's what you're after.

Dress: Asos, zip cardi: S. Oliver, 60s ankle boots: Asos, socks: Falke

Dark Jewel In The Works

Things are getting a bit matchy-matchy in GreyCatte's Lair. That trend is about to resurface in the outside world after years of deliberate non-matching, but for now, I admit, it feels a bit forced.

Still, when you come across a lovely, dark jewel colour that you have just, almost accidentally, stocked up on, you've got to have the nerve and risk going over the top. And where better to apply it than to workwear?

Together, the tux-style blazer and the platform loafers look awfully polished for my taste, so instead of smart trousers, I opted for casual, artfully crinkled (never-ironed) jodhpurs.

And the quirky detail? The belt overload. I love a double belt so I threw two on - and one had to be dark green so the matchiness remains even if I remove the jacket. That part is nothing quirky if you ask me, just one of the nuances average people can't seem to get their heads around. All you creative style-conscious lot, never stop educating them, at least one small step at a time.

Blazer: New Look, heels: Miss Selfridge, jodhpurs: Topshop, shirt: no idea (a wardrobe staple nevertheless), brown belt: C&A, green belt: charity shop