Towny does country
Here’s how I learned to look country chic not country cosplay.
It took me over a decade to morph my city girl/ fashionista wardrobe into one that works for a more rural, countryside based life. As we approach Autumn the current obsession with The Cotswolds, Barn Jackets and Jilly Cooper- esk equestrian looks is front of fashion. We are all heading for a Cotswolds Fall.
Here’s how I learned to look country chic not country cosplay.
My own journey started with trying to ‘look like me’ but do practical things… silver trainers, floral Cath Kidston jackets… it was all very wrong on a sartorial and practical basis.
Then there was the f’it I’m going to do me gold boots to the farmers market that just didn’t hit. As, the truth was, I had moved to the countryside because I wanted to enjoy the countryside and with that comes a slightly different kit bag.
Clothes with form and function are more relevant as you are more likely to get cold and wet when in the great outdoors than when you are hanging out in a café on the Kings Road.
Dress for your day
The weather ap is your new best friend. Country pursuits involve the weather and dressing for a different day than the one you are living in is the biggest faux pas – both for how you’ll feel and how you will look.
Layers are key and ALWAYS a practical shoe or boot.
Try but don’t try too hard
This was the biggest mistake I made. I’d either pile on the make up or look like I’d just rolled out of bed. I couldn’t get the balance right. Truth is, if you’re clothes are casual, it really does help to pull the rest of your look together with a good blow dry and glowy skin.
Is that new?! Oh how hideous
This one is controversial, however I stand by it. Barbie does country is not chic. When my husband begrudgingly buys a new waxed jacket it lives on the floor (or the dog bed) for a while so that it doesn’t have that shiny, straight out of the packet look. Pre loved, rather than fast fashion is the perfect place to start your country look. A little bit worn in ‘borrowed from granny’s estate’ is the vibe we are going for.
Shop local
Get out of town and go to village shops and county fairs and enjoy what there is to offer. Hnadmade, locally sourced and heritage brands that have a story to tell are waiting for you.
These are the pieces the high street have been ‘inspired’ by, so go to source and enjoy the discovery of new things to do and wear.
Get inspired
As we know online is a great source of style inspiration. But, your instagram can get a little homogenous. The algorithm does like to push you into an echo chamber of where you have been, rather than where you want to go. Therefore, try different searches to see what inspires you.
For me, its when the likes of Mrs Alice and Candice Lake do a weekend in a country pile… Silk blouse, perfect jeans, boots that have seen a lot of great places and a wax jacket… the dream.
They effortlessly mix a bit of vintage, a bit of designer with wardrobe staples that bring it right back to the great outdoors…
The secret, I think with using the countryside as your inspiration is to feel it and enjoy it. It’s beautiful and magnificent there are so many colours in flowers, trees, plants and wildlife that work together, but don’t match. Its always a little wild, unkempt and unpredictable.
For what to buy to get the look check out FASHPACKSTYLE as her edits are perfect
For inspiration… go outside! Why not subscribe to our competition to win £150 at The Grantley Arms? ENTER HERE
