Categories: Outfits

Feeding My New Orange Obsession | Animal Print Coat and Lace Ups

Getting hold of this coat was like a game of patience and self restraint: I first saw it in July when I worked on a campaign for Marks & Spencer at their London head office. Myself and the other girls all went a little gaga over the orange animal print – it’s an absolute thing of beauty…!

Following that little preview in the summer I kept my eye on the M&S website for it, then we had a super-mild run up to Christmas and I sort of forgot about it. That was, until I started delving into my winter coat collection when the cold weather kicked in. I checked their website again (fully expecting them to all be sold out) and found out that not only was it still available, but it was reduced by nearly 70% to just £38.

=OMG LESS THAN 40 QUID!!!!=

If you ever shop at M&S, you probably know that you can’t hang around because stuff goes out of stock very quickly (I think it may have sold out already), so how I managed to pull my finger out and get one I have no idea. When it arrived I soon realised that it was the perfect colour to go with my new(ish) orange lace-ups from Asos, and then it hit me.

Since when do I like orange?! It’s the one colour I’ve always avoided. The last time I bought anything orange was the 90s when I bought a tangerine-coloured cardigan and thought it’d be a good idea to wear it with lime green. Nice…!

SINCE WHEN DO I LIKE ORANGE?! IT’S THE ONE COLOUR I’VE ALWAYS AVOIDED. THE LAST TIME I BOUGHT ANYTHING ORANGE WAS THE 90S WHEN I BOUGHT A TANGERINE-COLOURED CARDIGAN AND THOUGHT IT’D BE A GOOD IDEA TO WEAR IT WITH LIME GREEN.

Maybe it’s because I’ve got into peach lately (which came about because I love coral), and that obsession has just progressed to orange. Who knows. I do know that when I wore this outfit to London last week, we noticed that amongst a sea of black, brown and navy I was one of only two people wearing colour in the whole of Paddington station. (Top marks to the lady in the bright red coat.)

So to go with the orange lace-ups, I thought I’d ditch the lime green in favour of a couple of neutrals by way of a grey roll neck and classic navy trousers, plus my “Catherine” bag from Yosa proved once again it goes with anything. Orange and navy – now you’re talking.

Are there any colours that you actively avoid? Or have you surprised yourself by buying something that you wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing a short while ago? Tell me in the comments or tweet me @notlamb!

Coat: Marks & Spencer | Roll neck: ASOS | Trousers: ASOS | Shoes: ASOS | Bag: c/o Yosa (similar)