Tulled and Bundled Up

The temperature dropped significantly within the last few days, and even though I lived in one of the coldest parts of the world for 29 years, I tend to forget how it feels when it is close to freezing. In Siberia, we start wearing hats in early Fall - from thin knitted hats to thicker woolen hats, and finally to fur hats in the Winter, which begins at the end of October where I grew up. Those fur hats, we don't give up practically till April. You might have heard the word shapka as referred to Russian style fur hats with "ears", but in Russia we call them ushanka (or formally shapka-ushanka) which has that "with ears" definition, while shaphka is just a generic word for any kind of hat. When the average temperature ranges from -25 to -30 C pretty much from late November through February, you can see how a hat is not only a style statement. I've written about it before - I got so sick of having to wear a hat for so long, that after I moved to a warmer climate, I started resenting wearing any sorts of hats for a few years. But a true Siberian girl, never leaves home without a shapka in winter time. And I forget about it every single Winter since I moved to the Pacific Northwest. These mild 50 to 60 F days for the bigger part of a year spoiled me, and now I forget that a shapka is not only a style statement!

Other than my head getting cold that crisp sunny day, I did pretty well. I had fun digging for sweaters in my large basket trunk, and setting out hats, scarves and gloves, so they are within reach. This outfit began with me picking this 100% wool sweater that I found at Goodwill a couple of years ago for $5 or so (a retro outfit along with retro automobiles in my earlier post HERE). I wanted to give it a punch with contrasting top, vintage brooch and a cacophony of mismatched patterns - sometimes, that's where a feeling of harmony is found.

  

Photo source

For the record, I saw a few fair island sweaters out and about that day, but none paired with a tulle skirt. 

I've never owned a tulle skirt before - they looked interesting to style, but all those pink ballerinas are just so not me. This funky leopard print tutu in my favorite rich colors, on the other hand, - yes, please.

  

I showed you a couple of coats that I added to my coat collection this year (HERE, HERE and HERE), and this is another one, by Simply Be, a trendy British brand that offers plus sizes. Many of you know by now that my sense of style lies somewhere between cool modern and charming vintage. Both approaches are equally fun to me. I noticed that wearing a contemporary style makes me feel more confident and relevant, while retro styles feed my whimsical and eccentric side. This coat is definitely from the later line, with its fake fur, boyfriend jacket silhouette and tweed texture.

One does not need that many coats, for sure. You can get by with one or two. And this is no Siberia - in this mild climate, if your lifestyle does not require a lot of walking or standing outside waiting for a bus, you can even get away with none (I knew people here who prided themselves on having no winter coat whatsoever). But to tell the truth, having a collection of coats to choose from is one of the unbeatable joys of Winter. The coldest days really feel very different when you look forward to a fun coat to wear that suits your mood and your style for the day.

Wool cardigan, silk blouse - thrifted

Coat - Simply Be

Tulle skirt - Ashley Stewart

Brooch and purse - vintage

Boots - Aquatalia via Nordstrom Rack (last winter)

Glasses - Christian Siriano for Lane Bryant