Town and Country


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 Cardigan: Glassons

Top: Uniqlo

Trousers: Lagamta

Boots Miz Mooz

It’s been a while since I reviewed my first piece from the Lithuanian fashion company Lagamta, but I mentioned in my previous post that I’d also received a pair of custom-sized trousers. These are them, the “Frostbitten” wool trousers.

Like my Fireside dress, it’s been made beautifully from a herringbone wool blend. Also like the dress, the trousers are unlined, so I’ve layered them over a pair of tights.

They’re a cunning cut, based on a pair of traditional riding breeches, with deep pockets and pleated folds at the hips which create a bit of a draped effect.

The legs are tapered, and the designers give each size a corresponding calf measurement (hurrah!) and add on their blog post that if your measurement exceeded that, then they would alter the fit accordingly.

I think they’re a style that probably would suit a taller lady better than they do me, but there’s a nice country-casual feel to them. I wore them on my trip down to Rye a few weeks ago, and they felt like the perfect weekend wear for tramping around the countryside, then curling up in front of a wood stove in the evening with a mug of hot chocolate.

Caped Crusader

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Button Cape: Eugenie Cashmere

Top: Laura Ashley

Trousers: Target

Shoes: Miz Mooz

Necklace: Kim Lyons Jewelry

Eugenie has been my favourite purveyor of fine cashmere garments ever since I first discovered them (way back when they were still 8Inkerman)

I bought my first cashmere cardigan from them way back in, oh I don’t know, 2008? and it’s still in my wardrobe now. It started me on a long, self indulgent, and expensive addiction to good quality cashmere clothing.

Every winter for the last couple of years I’ve saved my pennies, then taken to the trip out to Eugenie’s fragrant (seriously, this shop smells amazing) and welcoming store with the express intention of buying one of their legendary button capes.

And every year I end up leaving with a cardigan, instead.

Not this year! This year I put my blinkers on and powered through all the delicious cardigans and made my way down to the rack of capes, and I’m SO GLAD that I did, because I’ve been wearing the crap out of my button-cape since I brought it home.

To start with it’s deliciously soft and snuggly – it’s a heavier and slightly fluffier yarn than the cardigans, and as a result it’s wonderfully warm, and it drapes beautifully.

It’s essentially a long rectangle shawl with a line of buttons along the long edge on each side towards the bottom.

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This deceptively simple configuration results in you being able to wear the shawl in a myriad of different ways!

If you button it on one side and wear the buttons on the shoulder it becomes a poncho. I usually fasten the second row of buttons (under my left arm) and wear it like an asymmetrical vesty shawl type thing. This is how I’m wearing it in the first picture.

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Swivel the line of buttons to your centre front and you have a short, buttoned cape:

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Put that line of buttons at the back, and it’s a longer cape with a cowl neck.

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Button both sets of buttons up along the long side, and you can wear it like a shrug.

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Twist it before fastening, and it makes a dressy cover-up for your shoulders.

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Of course you can always wear it like a pashmina or a simple scarf:

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OK, now I’m just getting silly.

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I’ve rolled it into my handbag for a big of extra coverage in the cinema, draped it over my legs on a chilly plane, wrapped my shoulders in it while reading in bed on a wintery morning. I love it. It’s expensive, but it’s SO versatile.