There is no denying it, summer has gone: Wellies and Waterproofs to float your boat.

Is it just too much to ask for us to have an actual summer? And I don’t mean a couple of days here and there of sunshine. I mean weeks or months on end of summery weather and not torrential downpours. I am seriously considering escaping this depressing climate. Particularly depressing as it is the end to the summer holidays which have rendered me practically under house arrest for several days with two small children. Whole days indoors freak me out more than anything. So much so that I frogmarched three little ones across Waterloo Bridge, dodging rain showers to the Transport Museum (very good if you haven’t been) and donned my wellies while it was raining cats and dogs to jump in the muddy puddles that had accumulated along our road and pavement (not the Peppa Pig type of puddles but the greasy London-road type puddles with no sign of any trees or greenery around). Cue two children with purple lips and chattering teeth…. and a cold no doubt to add insult to injury.

There are two silver clouds: 1) my lawn is lovely and green and 2) you can now embrace the new season’s trends without any hesitation or guilt. More of that on the blogs to come. But more pressingly how do you dress for the rain while retaining a modicum of style?

Let’s start with the obvious – Wellingtons. Probably best to stick to something neutral and dark so that it will go with all your outfits. If you wouldn’t usually wear pink spotted boots (and you are an adult) then maybe don’t opt for them when it rains either. I can say this because I used to have a pair of said boots – purchased in a misguided, desperate garden centre dash – and I always felt like a prize turkey wearing them. Buying any clothing in a garden centre is a risky business and should be avoided.

You can’t go wrong with a pair of Hunter wellies in my book and I have these navy gloss £95 from Office. The Outnet has these in black gloss at £57.

 

However, I am also rather taken by these short Hunters which really do work within any urban landscape. Essentially a waterproof ankle boot so what is not to like. The Outnet has these Original Gloss Short Wellington Boots at £48 – a 40% discount.

Generally speaking I think wellies should retain their original Duke of Wellington heritage and I am not a big fan of some of the attempts out there to morph them with other fashion boot styles – the wedge heel being particularly unappealing. While there are some not so great Aigle and Hunter chunky heeled Chelsea boots out there, these Hunter Shoreditch Biker Wellies £95 are possibly the only exception you really are trying to hide the fact that you are wearing a rubberized boot.

Moving onwards and upwards and what to pop on your lower half. I say if you can’t beat them, join them and go for a coated jean to look like the rain will not touch you. Not the obvious place you would go for waxed jeans but Boden has a cracking pair of Black High Rise Super Skinny jeans £49.

 

Zara also has this 5 Pocket Coated jean £29.99

If you are seeking true rock chick credentials and are keen on branded denim then this Diesel pair is smoking: Livier Coated Skinny jeans £140 at Asos.

 

I also think a dark indigo pair would look very good – possibly better than black even and Ted Baker has this pair of Anna Wax finish jeans navy £89.

What about jackets? Well, on a recent trip to Euro Disney I packed my old kagool (this item of clothing is nothing about fashion, or style for that matter, and I am not even sure if any retailer would use this term) only to discover when I wore it that it was, in fact, disintegrating and I was leaving my lining as a trail around the fairytale land like Hansel and Gretel. What I realised was that I have a giant lightweight parka-shaped hole in my wardrobe that needs to be filled pronto as I fear there will be no Indian summer for us (furry, padded parkas are ten-a-penny but a mid-season version is like gold-dust). My husband’s answer to this problem was the Disney branded plastic poncho. I have photographic evidence but it isn’t pretty and I am not sure he would forgive me!

These may be more than the 9 Euros he paid but they will definitely be more wearable when wandering down your local high street. Topshop has this Double Zip Lightweight jacket £59. Plus it also comes in Khaki and they have versions in their Petite and Tall ranges too.

Boden’s Padstow Wax jacket £149  is another good bet and comes in khaki or black. Look beyond the tweed skirt and think of skinny black jeans and boots.

Asos has a good selection too including this bargain Brave Soul Lightweight parka with contrast lining £45. They do not boast of any waterproof credentials so other than the hood, pack your brolly!

I wouldn’t normally look at joules but they do have truly waterproof jackets which will keep you dry and not just looking the part.  Wear with boyfriend/girlfriend jeans and trainers now and then ankle boots for winter. Their Winchester 3 in 1 Waterproof jacket £169 may be pricey but it has the benefit of a quilted lining you can add to see you through the rest of the winter. It comes in navy or khaki and I reckon would score well on the cost per wear test – just think how much bad weather we are going to get over the next six months – scrap that make it nine months.

Incidentally if you Google waterproof jacket on Next then you will only come up with options for kids and men. Retailers, there is definitely a market out there for a truly water resistant jacket that is fashionable and not from Millets or like my 18 year old kag-in-a-bag!

Happy Black Friday and hopefully a not-so-black Bank Holiday to one and all!