Street Styling Photography: Winter Coat Special

Shearling Outerwear: Old vs. New

Can the High Street do shearling better?

So for all you shearling lovers out there, I thought I would make a little post about the sheepskin coat trend, which in the past couple of years has become probably one of the biggest winter trends to take over the fashion industry and vintage stores. The trend of the shearling coat has been round for many decades and if I remember correctly, was an iconic garment in the 2000 film 'Almost Famous' that was set in the rock and roll era of the 1970s starring Kate Hudson.

Kate Moss as Penny Lane in 'Almost Famous' in 2000

However, many high street brands such as Top Shop and Zara have started to replicate the style of this coat just like the one I have featured below for £78 from Top Shop. I actually own this coat however, the other coat I have featured, owned by my sister, is actual real sheepskin and only cost £45 from the vintage retailer, Rokit in London.

Take a look below at the differences; although my coat cost nearly double the price, the coat from Rokit is so much better quality, fit and a lot warmer. Whether this is because it is actual real sheepskin unlike my coat I am unsure. However, obviously, the design of the Top Shop coat is a lot more modern and detailed. Therefore, this shows that Top Shop have applied their own twist to the shearling coat trend for a style conscious consumer. Personally, I prefer the design of my faux coat as I am not the biggest believer in the use of animals for the sake of dressing stylishly (obviously this is my own opinion) but if you are wanting a good quality sheepskin coat, I would recommend getting yourself to the vintage stores down Brick Lane such as Blitz London and Rokit (which also has a store in Camden). Their clothing appears brand new, original and you can either nab yourself a retro piece that I can assure you no one else will have!

Top Shop: Faux-Shearling Car Coat £78

Link to purchase this coat:

http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/product/clothing-427/coats-4680353/faux-shearling-car-coat-4917198?bi=20&ps=20#BVRRWidgetID

Winter Coat Styling

(images: own photography)

So on the topic of outerwear, I thought I would share with you two different ways to style your winter coats this chilly season.

The Collarless Coat Trend

For this first look, I paired a speckled grey collarless coat with red accessories to create a visual contrast of warm and cold for this winter season. The collarless coat offers that modern edge to traditional tailoring signifying that a collar isn't as necessary for today's versatile and diverse fashion. The shade of red is perfect for winter, especially as Pantone predicted the colour for 2016 was going to be a deep Masala shade. Also the red featured within the ribbed knitted scarf and textured bag, just offers that extra bit of festivity and statement to the outfit. I also finished the outfit with a pair of knee high black boots to feature one of 2015 biggest trends that won't be going anywhere any time soon. The knee high boots offer that early 70's allure to a casual look but they are also great for extra warmth during the winter due to the suede surface. The crimson red crocodile bag finalises the outfit since it is just that little bit darker than the scarf and therefore, the texture is really projected and appreciated a lot more.

Get a collarless coat just like Sarah's by following this link:

http://www.asos.com/minimum/minimum-collarless-jacket-with-contrast-piping/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4958698&clr=999black&SearchQuery=collarless+coat&pgesize=24&pge=0&totalstyles=24&gridsize=3&gridrow=7&gridcolumn=2

Purchase some similar knee high boots to Sarah's here:

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-KIM-Lace-Up-High-Over-The-Knee-Boots/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=5693693&cid=4172&Rf989=5073&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=36&sort=-1&clr=Black&totalstyles=140&gridsize=3

The Duster Coat Trend

As for the second style, this winter combination consists of a grey duster coat with faux fur trimming and a pair of ripped medium blue jeans for a casual yet sophisticated look. The ripped jeans featured are another trend that has been extremely popular throughout 2015, and one that adds a grunge edge to any look, whether you're dressing up for a night out or attending a gig. Even though these jeans show off a little leg, by layering up on your top half with a thick duster coat with fur trimming like this one featured, you are sure to be warm and toasty this winter season. The duster coat look is also practical because it can be worn for any occasion and it is a stylish classic piece to own, that I can guarantee will be out again in force for Fall 2016. Just another thing to add quickly, normally the fur trimming is detachable so you are free to style this trend up all year round.