Style by Claire Lopez

Christmas gifting (that is the gift of receiving)

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, ten lords a leaping…. No thanks. And I sincerely hope that someone (Santa or the somewhat slimmer, less-hirsuit man in my life) is reading this and will take a few hints. I also hope that this might give you some inspiration for your own Christmas list, because while your kids are busily penning their missives to Father Christmas, don’t forget yourself.

In the run up to Christmas, the catalogues hit the doormat full of lovely lifestyle shots of snow covered, fun-filled family shots (you know who you are, Boden) and I fall for it. Every time. What a mug, because no amount of cosy cashmere is going to make my Christmas day like catalogue family’s – for a start I have far too much plastic in my house and no animals. (I am actually very happy with my ridiculously large Christmas tree, which is a making my sitting room look like Narnia and smell like a very clean bathroom). Aside from the unrealistic vision of life these retailers are peddling though, there is nothing wrong with being warm in the winter. And while we haven’t had a cold snap so far, it is only a matter of time.

So here is a smorgasbord of gifts to inspire you – either to give or, even better, to receive. All with the sole aim of keeping you toasty, and all for under £50. Starting off at the top with a hat and the pom pom beanie is still the casual hat for this season. Hush has this Cable Knit Beanie £35.

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Oliver Bonas also has several pom pom numbers including this Sparkle Sequin Pom Pom Hat £16 – bargain!

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If you want a splash of colour then Boden has this Stripe Hat £29.

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If it is a smart hat you want then the Fedora is the one to go for. Whistles has this Felt Fedora at £42 in its Winter offers promotion.

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Now for the fingers and this feels like it is meant to be, as I put my little mitts in these gloves yesterday in Whistles and now The Angel Gabriel has fluttered down from on high with a 30% sale, so these Pony Front Leather Gloves are now reduced to £45 from £65. The colour is a perfect nod to one of the shades of the season and will work with navy, black, grey, camel, cream and most other coat colours you can throw at them. They also come in a lovely forest green – also in the sale.

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If it is a classic black leather you want then Whistles also has this Fringe Detail Leather Glove in its promotion at £49

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Alternatively M&S has a pair of Leather Stitch Detail gloves for £18 and these come in a whole rainbow of colours including black, navy, burgundy and forest green.

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Hush has these Cashmere Gloves fingerless gloves in charcoal £35. Although, I have never quite seen the point of these. Surely if you want a glove, you want something to cover your fingers and keep you warm?

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So if you want a woolly glove then you can’t go wrong with the Superstretch Gloves £4.00 from Accessorize in a whole array of colours. The perfect stocking filler or Secret Santa gift.

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If you want a cosy knit scarf then this is plain knit like Whistles  scarf is lovely: Wool blend Rib scarf reduced to £45.50. It comes in grey and also the deep burgundy like the gloves.

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Another option is this Contrast Woven scarf £38.50 which would look great with a grey coat now but also would work through the spring too.

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A bit of animal print on a scarf is nowhere near the Bet Lynch-o-metre so fear not. This Ashia Animal Jacquard Scarf £28 from Oliver Bonas would work with any neutral coloured coat and go beyond Winter.

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Fur has been huge this season so update your coat with a fur in the green of the Autumn Winter: Hush Faux Fur Scarf £35.

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Oliver Bonas has a classic Navy Faux Fur Snood £32.

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Ok when I said all for under £50, that wasn’t strictly true because the ultimate in keeping the cold out is a cashmere sweater, and you aren’t going to get one of these for under £50. A winter white cashmere sweater is a very lovely thing indeed. Not practical if you are drinking or eating anything coloured, so stick to white wine and macaroni cheese – not necessarily together – and avoid making spaghetti Bolognese at all costs and, for that matter, Christmas dinner. Hush has two different styles I have been lusting after for a while: Cashmere Boyfriend Sweater £185.

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And Cashmere Crew Neck Sweater £160. Very nice styling here of a nice antidote to all the black that is out there in the Autumn/Winter. Both come in other, more practical colours too.

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Gap currently has a sale on its sweaters including cashmere. These crewneck sweaters are reduced from £99.95 to £69.97 and come in cream, indigo, charcoal, grey, taupe and heather.

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Wyse is a label that does great cashmere jumpers with a bit of a twist and lovely detailing. The Metallic Star Slouchy Knit in grey £165 is sold out but it is available in black, navy and taupe. Wear with coated jeans for a thoroughly modern look. And layer up with one of the aforementioned scarves.

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There is also a very nice sequin version: Sequin Slouchy £155 in grey, black, navy, beige and pale pink.

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So I hope that good old Saint Nick treats you to a little something that will warm your cockles this Christmas and into the new year too.

 

 

 

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