7 minute read
Autumn? Check! This Season’s Trends
Walcheren. It’s sometimes easy to forget that the place is as much as ten thousand years old. There’s a museum to remind you.
The southwestern city of Vlissingen, a lively seaside area with a distinctly maritime character, will be your last stop on the Zeelandic (former) islands. The historic centre is compacted into the old fortress, so once you’ve ambled around the area, had a look at what some Dutch casemates are like, and visited another windmill, make your way to the longest seaside promenade
the country has to offer and watch the big ships float past, sometimes scarily close to your face. If you want to visit the mainland again, you’ll need to get a ferry, which is necessary for those finishing their trip in the Belgiun city of Bruges, and probably worthwhile even if you’re not.
Off the ferry, you’ll be pleased to know that you’re still in provincial Zeeland, in the small town of Breskens. A quick visit to the cast iron lighthouse and you’ll have time for one more charming historic town: Sluis.
Largely destroyed during WWII, Sluis has been rebuilt to retain its beauty. The belfry, windmill, and city ramparts give you a sense of the history here. Of course, it’s another place to spend the day wandering around the canals, taking in the toy town, and when you’ve had enough tranquility, there’s a museum with a twist. The Bizarium showcases a number of weird and wacky inventions: A flying bicycle, a swimming umbrella, a walking submarine, hair helmet, and a other strange ideas from the likes of Nicholas Tesla and Leonardo Da Vinci. A fun way to end your trip. From here you can continue cycling (or get the train) to Bruges, or head back to Amsterdam for your flight home. The LF1 is only a small part of the larger, North Sea cycle route, so if you’ve enjoyed this trip, there’s plenty ore to offer.
In all, the Netherlands has more to offer than cannabis and clogs: the sea, the dunes, windmills, pristine villages and sky for days. Each town name sounds like it’s being pronounced by Pingu. As for the cuisine, it’s... ok. Well, let me put it this way, when was the last time you heard someone say “Hey! I went to this really great Dutch restaurant last night…”
AUTUMN OUTFIT? CHECK!
After endless months of bright summer dresses and bold prints, many of us use the arrival of autumn as an opportunity for a much-needed wardrobe reset, revisiting our classic cosy favourites once again. If the pandemic has contributed anything positive in a sartorial sense, it’s the heightened spotlight on our insatiable desire for newness, at a most devastating global cost. But in equal measure and as a result of this reckoning, is also the reinforcement of a most basic concept: fashion can lift our moods and can be a real force for good. BELOW: WOOL BLEND CHECK OVERSHIRT, ZARA, £49.99
BY JULIA COELHO
seems to stand the test of time no matter what is thrown our way. There are certain prints that hold a timeless and enduring power, possessing all-year-round MVP status as opposed to fleeting trends that pop onto the scene every few years, disappearing just as quickly as they came. Checks, without a doubt, tick the former box. Above all else, checks are versatile and adaptable; if styled in a certain way, they can give an outfit an effortlessly cool punk edge, yet on the other side of the coin, they can equally look elegant and classy, with a Chanel-esque aesthetic. The potential for variation is vast, whether checks are worn head-to-toe or contrasted with pretty much any colour, the possibilities are endless. From tartan, to gingham and houndstooth, all check styles are up for grabs, making much more of a statement than checks of years past. The print has been given a vibrant makeover this season, appearing in a whole spectrum of colours across all brands, styles and price points.
SHACKETS It's time to welcome into your wardrobe one of this year’s biggest
BELOW LEFT: SHACKET IN CHECK, URBAN BLISS PLUS, £60.00
trends. The ‘shacket’ is essentially an oversized shirt-jacket hybrid that’s currently blowing up social media and reigning supreme at all our favourite high-street shops. The best thing about them is that they are the absolute perfect layering piece throughout autumn, winter and spring, which means they offer great utility and a real bang for your buck. They’re substantially thicker
than your average shirt, but more lightweight than a winter coat, so you can easily throw one over a casual t-shirt on warmer days, or layer over a polo-neck jumper when the chill sets in, with little effort required on both fronts. I’ve bagged myself a couple of them already!
BLAZERS & COATS Checked coats and blazers will forever be some of my favourite staple pieces. They possess one of the strongest desk-to-drinks abilities; looking smart and puttogether but also slick and cool. The simplest outfits are often the most reliable, especially during autumn, where the weather can shift pretty drastically in a matter of hours. If you’re looking for a fail-safe combo, look no further than your favourite pair of jeans, some heeled boots, a muted polo neck or knit, and a checked blazer or longline wool coat. You can’t go wrong!
PUFFER JACKETS Still on the outerwear topic, but shifting gears a little, puffer jackets have emerged as the winter item of the past few years, and this year’s checked iterations have an innate ability to inject a dose of fun and funk to any outfit. I have a feeling I’ll be living in mine over the next few months.
TOP LEFT: TWEED BLAZER, MANGO, £89.99
TOP RIGHT: LONG WOOL-BLEND COAT, H&M, £99.99
TOP MIDDLE: BLAZER IN DOGTOOTH CHECK, MANGO, £59.99
BOTTOM LEFT: FERNIE HOODED PUFFER JACKET WITH HOOD, BRAVE SOUL, £54.99
BOTTOM RIGHT: OVERSIZED PUFFER JACKET IN CHECK, SIXTH JUNE, £100.00
TOP RIGHT: JUMPER IN BLACK CHECK, NOISY MAY, £26.00
MIDDLE LEFT : KNITTED JUMPER IN GREEN CHECK, JDY, £25.00
MIDDLE RIGHT: WOOL JACQUARD VEST, ARKET, £59.99
BOTTOM LEFT: BLACK HOUNDSTOOTH KNITTED JUMPER, TOPMAN, £34.99
KNITWEAR As far as autumn outfit formulas go, there's nothing quite as easy to chuck on as the classic jeans, boots and a jumper combo. I’m a huge advocate of simplicity and wearability, and tend to live in knit jumpers through autumn and winter, mixing in a rotation of my favourites alongside various pairs of comfy jeans in muted colour palettes. It's an outfit that can take you seamlessly from Sunday brunch, right to a cosy dinner, but an interesting check print
thrown into the mix will add a little something to an otherwise plain look.
SKIRTS & TROUSERS
From work-appropriate cigarette pants to punk rock miniskirts, checked trousers and skirts have been on the scene for a good few seasons now, and aren’t going anywhere in a hurry. When temperatures drop to a certain level, it can be all too easy to lean on the same outfits day in day out; I know I definitely do. But just because autumn and winter call for more sensible choices doesn't mean you have to spend the next six months in dull and uninspiring outfits. Spice things up a bit by switching up your fave old pair of skinny jeans with some colourful checked trousers, and for a night out or dinner, consider a cute tartan skirt (don’t forget the tights on chillier days), paired with a sleek roll neck and contrasting checked blazer.
TOP: SHORT SKIRT, H&M, £17.99
MIDDLE: CHECK LEGGINGS, ZARA, £19.99
BOTTOM: CROPPED TROUSER IN PINK CHECK, Y.A.S, £55.00
