How to Avoid Black Entirely in the Winter and Go Bold

So after my little run of wearing a lot of black in my last few outfit posts, I’m back to my comfort zone of colour.

I know it’s totally alien to some people to be so afraid of black (especially in the cold months), but I get really uncomfortable knowing that I’ve worn black on three out of the last four occasions. I feel like it’ll affect my mood – January can be depressing enough as it is, so this time I avoided black altogether and went for bold!

The star here is, of course, the orange animal print coat. It’s Marks & Spencer AW15 I’m afraid, and even when I bought it a year ago it then almost instantly sold out because they reduced it by a whopping 70%. However don’t despair: I’ve found a selection of warm-coloured animal print and different orange coats for you to consider instead – just keep scrolling to the end of my pictures and you’ll see the thumbnail selections.

This was a weekend outfit for a quick trip to the shops and then the cinema in the evening – I left off the hat for the evening to avoid the wrath of the person behind me… I know you can take it off but it would have meant having “hat hair” for the duration. And yes, I know it’s dark, but I can’t stand flat, limp hair.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Anyway! the other non-black parts of the outfit included my lush (and still available in lots of colours) Winser jersey trousers – probably my comfiest non-tracky bot trousers I own. They’re so squidgy and comfy that they’re my go-to trousers for wearing to meetings, etc. if I have far to travel. Smart, but not at all restricting.

With any bold colour and/or pattern (it doesn’t get much bolder than bright orange animal print!) your best bet is to team it with neutrals, and although black is a safe choice I often think it can deaden the lush look of brights. Camel, winter white, beige, taupe, tan… They all enhance without detracting from your gorgeous bold print.

Apart from the neutral-toned camel fedora, winter white sweater and taupe gloves, the only other colour was a shot of red from the leather tote. Red is a natural accompaniment to orange – they’re so close on the colour wheel that they can only enhance each other.

And there you have it – easy peasy winter outfit without a hint of black.

(Well, apart from those black buttons on the coat, but I won’t tell if you don’t…!)

DO YOU MANAGE TO AVOID BLACK ALTOGETHER IN YOUR WINTER OUTFITS? TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS!

OTHER ANIMAL PRINT/ORANGE COATS TO TRY:

LIKE THIS POST? YOU MIGHT ALSO WANT TO READ…

– Feeding My New Orange Obsession | Orange Animal Print Coat
– Styling a Plain Grey Sweater Dress

Catherine