Zara Animal Print Sweatshirt, Del Boy and Keira

Thursday 11 October 2012
I'm trying to wear sweatshirts more ... to stop me wearing a fleece ... and looking too suburban and middle-aged. My regular fleece is grey, plain and inoffensive. A little like me.  It's not brightly hued or candy striped and it doesn't have cute mismatched buttons and colourful trims ... for which I'm thankful as I think they should be left to the under 10's.  But my grey fleece is not really up there in the fashion stakes is it?  So I have decided that sweatshirts are the way to go .... for now.

I do actually have a few sweats hanging in the wardrobe but I wanted one which was a little more exciting.  A little bit more fierce.  A little bit more like this tawny little Zara number.   Grrr.


Grrr - Bite Me!

Now Zara have this listed as an animal print sweatshirt - why they didn't just say tiger print, I don't know.  Even the Grumps said "Hello Tiger" when he saw me in it.  He also asked "What are you wearing?" which always gets the hackles up and I go on the defensive snapping back "Why????"  "It's not your usual sort of thing".  "Does it look bad or strange?"  "No, it's different".  "Different good or different bad?" and then the man started to look scared and we thought it best not to continue this line of questioning.  I honestly think he would have said less if I had worn a candy coloured fleece with mismatched buttons and trims.  

For a change, I've decided to get out my black Topshop Ambush boots aka the Acne dupes.  

Topshop Ambush Boots (old)

I love and hate these boots in equal measure.  For some reason, I look rubbish with skinnies tucked in to them (something to do with not having model proportion legs) and they don't always look right with the boyfriend jeans either.  These are just about looking okay with the Jack Wills jeans with turn ups .... today. 

Zara Animal Print Sweatshirt
Jack Wills Black Jeans
Topshop Ambush Boots


But I prefer the jeans and sweatshirt with the good old Office Namesake boots.  For some reason, they soften the look for me and I feel more comfortable with these.  

Not as "fierce" but I like it.

And then I donned the "Del Boy" jacket, which I bought in an ASOS sale after missing out on the Topshop version a couple of years back.   

Lovely Jubbly

Which has more than a little nod to the Seventies.

Style Icon : Del Boy Trotter

Bearing in mind that Del Boy Trotter should not really be revered as a Style Icon, I came across this second picture of Keira Knightley which may serve to put your minds at rest that I've not totally lost the plot.  


Photo Credit : fashion telegraph.co.uk
If it's good enough for Keira - it's good enough for me!

And even if I do say so myself, that's a pretty nice look from Keira which I shall park in my bank of looks to copy.  I may work that look in a future post - then again I might not.

And now, I have a question and it's about the details.  Which do you prefer?  The outfit worn with the black boots or the tan boots?  And why? 


18 comments

  1. Love, love, love that sweatshirt! And definitely the tan boots. Why? Cos it pulls the whole outfit together better. The sweatshirt is no longer screaming 'hey look at me, animal print!!' .. the tan boots balances out the colours. At least that's what I think. I shall sit back now and wait for everyone else to disagree!!! :)

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    1. It probably does tie the whole outfit together but that would actually be the reason why I wouldn't pair the tan boots with the top. Call me strange and I will agree. But I do prefer the tan on me though the black is what would be called "edgier". Well, edgy for me.

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  2. OK, here's my "expert" opinion. I don't like the Del boy jacket. Sorry. However, I reserve the right to wear it myself if it becomes wildly fashionable. I'm shallow like that.
    Now that I got that out of the way, I can concentrate on the rest of your outfit.
    I do like both versions, the "tiger" top is amazeballs and it does look good with both boots.
    The tan boots pull the outfit together better, BUT the black boots make your legs look really really long. Because you're not cut at the ankle...the colour black just continues thus making legs longer. There you have it.

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    1. Love a bit of honesty. No worries about the jacket - I totally understand. It's a marmite item but it is warm and I can't quite put my finger on why I liked it. I go through weird phases like that and you will be glad that I think this trend was okay a few years back so unlikely to be coming back soon. Gosh - I'm so behind ... but warm.

      Psyching myself to get into the black boots as they're better for the winter than the tan boots. They look great with opaques but on the whole, I don't get on with them though they are a nice boot.

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  3. def black, but it's a personal thing i think.. most of my shoes are black. haha. but i do agree with kristina's comment about black working better with your jeans for a visually lengthening effect. it's a neat trick i often use to make myself look taller than i actually am!

    ps - rad jumper!

    steph / absolutely-fuzzy.com

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    1. If you had said tan, I would have fainted. I need all the help I can with the leg lengthening and I'm not about to resort to surgery as I have a very low pain threshold and no money so maybe I will persevere with the black boots and black jeans combo.

      How tall are you anyway - you look tall. But everyone looks tall to me probably because I'm titch size.

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  4. I am totally wanting the Del Boy thing now that you and Keira have nailed it. Just have to find a good shirling coast - is that the exact same one as Keira's - score!

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    1. I would have liked Keira's coat but hers is a Burberrys! Says it all. But we can all wish and dream.

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  5. I'm all about sweatshirts these days. The more, the merrier! The outfit works with both tan or black boots. Mine's (as you probably already know) are dark khaki and works great with anything really.

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    1. Khaki - really good as well and very neutral. The beauty of this Zara sweatshirt is it hides stains. And that has got to be a good thing. I picked up another one whilst in Zara but taking that back on the grounds that it could be viewed as being a bit childlike with floral bits embroidered on. But I did like it but then I thought I was going for overkill with two sweatshirts in one sitting. So one has to go. Still trying to find the perfect fit grey marl one. Shame the J Wills one wasn't as good on as I would have liked. But I can keep on trying it on until I think one day it fits. Perseverance and all.

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  6. I want that top now. Note to self , you can not buy everything you see on these blogs. Ok I think both boots look great with the top, but I'd go with the black if I had to choose - they go better with the coat too, which I actually really like - as Del Boy would say " lovely Jubbly" Xx

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    1. I did just that this week. Saw something on a blog, clicked the link, hit the pay button and Bob's your uncle.

      I still don't think I like my Ambush boots ... may have to trade in for a different pair!

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  7. Nice print on that sweater!

    http://initialed.blogspot.com

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  8. Style, warmth and practicality - a tricky combination nailed with that sweatshirt - what's not to like?! Haven't seen it in store...off to check website.

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    1. It's stylish and practical but not strictly warm. Would definitely need a thermal underneath to keep out the full on winter chill. And what are you like - off to check out the website. I thought you were in wardrobe cull mode?

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  9. You get top marks for adding Del Boy to this post!
    Made my day this did, no word of a lie.(I love David Jason to bits!)

    Love the colour of the jacket. I am trying to wean myself away from my safe old navy blue but not having much success.

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    1. You never surprise me from shopping at Morrisons to loving Del Boy!

      I love the colour as well - it's a definite greige ... just like all the other coats in my wardrobe - I did the coat turnover for winter this afternoon and as I saw them all lined up - it was all grey, khaki, black and brown. Oh and a fuschia pink coat thrown in for good measure. Surprisingly, I don't have any navy coats ... yet.

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Susie So So