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A Perfect Winter Wardrobe

With winter well on its way, it’s that time of year to wrap up warm and still look glam for those Christmas parties. Inspired by the A/W Fashion Weeks held in February earlier this year, our favourite high-street stores unveil their winter lines at affordable prices. Read Jess Otway’s guide for the perfect winter wardrobe.

Patterns and Prints

This season we have seen everything from simple animal embroidery, to cartoon rockets and giant love hearts displayed across the torsos of both high street and designer jumpers. As quirky prints and pictures have become increasingly popular, one high street shop that could be particularly useful for your winter wardrobe is River Island. Their range of knitwear especially, for both men and women, seems to always include kooky and unique designs, perfect for a fun update to traditional winter attire.

Alpine and star prints on clothing and accessories have warm, wintery vibes about them, especially with knitwear. Think 90’s style chunky jumpers and Christmassy themes such as snowflakes, reindeer, Christmas trees and mountain tops. These designs are available from many high street shops, the biggest variety offered from Topman for the boys and Next for the girls.

Accessories

One of the simplest ways to add some Christmas glamour to a plain, daytime outfit is by decorating your shoulders with accessories such as a bib or cape. Found in a variety of high street stores, they range in price and style from lady-like lace collars, to over-sized African inspired costume jewellery, or even faux fur accents that will not only dress up an outfit, but will also keep your neck warm. Boleros and mini capes, such as this shrug, from Debenhams accentuate the thinnest part of your waist so are therefore perfect for pear shapes or hourglass figures.

Colours

Deep reds, purples and other berry shades add a burst of colour to your outfit and will stand out against this season’s typical cooler shades of blue, black, white and grey. It could also be the main theme of your outfit. Grab one of the now reduced, purple dresses from Dorothy Perkins, or just a subtle injection of colour such as Barry M’s nail varnish in ‘Rasberry’.

Footwear

Boots have always been an obvious choice for the colder months for both men and women. As faux fur is seen more and more these days it’s safe to say boots with a fur cuff will not only keep you warm and looking Christmassy, they will also ensure your feet look stylish. The perfect winter boots, with warm interiors, thick exteriors that don’t let in any moisture and soles that grip and keep you from slipping on ice, are definitely a good investment and worth paying a little more for. If you are on a budget however, high street shops such as New Look, Topshop/Topman and River Island do offer a wide range of comfortable and affordable boots.

Don’t forget to come back to inQuire Features next week for a Christmas Fashion Exclusive by Sophie Power.