Severe winter weather arrives - time to double check my basic winter wardrobe.

Here in England, much of the country has been buffeted by severe winter storms,  heralding the start of  winter proper.

At the begining of October I reviewed  my Autumn/Winter wardrobe to make sure I had the Basic Essential Items for a Winter Wardrobe  . 

My wardrobe contained everything I needed, but there were a couple of items I felt were missing and so purchased:

• A warm chunky knit cardigan to wear at home and work.  I also bought it as a way to cut  my ever increasing winter heating bills. For the first time ever I made it through October without putting the heating on, so it has paid for itself already.
• Three pairs of black 40 denier tights to wear with my flat black ballet pumps and brown winter boots

Now that the bad weather has well and truly arrived,  I quickly double checked my winter wardrobe to make sure I have all the basic winter wardrobe essentials. If you are trying to build up a basic winter wardrobe, you may find this list useful.

• Warm Winter Coat? -  Yes.   My grey wool winter coat is now 10 years old but still looks ok. 
• Woolies? - Yes.  Time to get out and wear my woollen scarf, gloves and hat. 
• Umbrella? - Yes.  Time to put it  by the front door, ready to face the blustery winds and rain.
• Footwear? - Yes. I am still wearing my black ballet flats but brought out  my two pairs of winter boots. One pair is practical, has good grips for the snow. The other pair are smart and fashionable and I wear them with my winter skirts.
• Tops? - Yes.  In the Autumn, I like to wear long sleeve jersey tops. I continue to wear these, but have now brought out my knitwear to wear over the top. These include two polo neck jumpers, a sweater and my new chunky knit cardigan. I also have a chunky grey cable-knit waistcoat to add a third layer for extra warmth.
• Bottoms? Yes -I have a pair of jeans for the week-end which go with both pairs of boots and three knee length skirts (denim, velvet and cable knit) which can be worn with the thick black tights and boots.
• Make-up and accessories? Yes. I generally wear the same make-up all year round, a natural "no-make-up" look, but in winter prefer to wear a darker lipstick. I also have a couple of nail varnishes that are nice for winter, one is a dark minky brown and a deep wine/berry colour. 

So, panick over, I have everything I need.

I think carrying out a wardrobe review at least twice a year is the  the key to having a chic and minimalist wardrobe and to avoid a crisis situation where you don't have everything you need.

So now I can relax and have  fun with my winter make-up and nail varnishes  and get used to wearing my hats, gloves and scarves in chic ways - so time to practise some new scarf tying techniques.

My next post is "Recession Style - What to wear to your employers Downsized Christmas Party".
Last week was the Christmas party at one of my jobs. It was very downsized and definately posed a sartorial challenge for everyone. We had a fun evening and I hope you will enjoy reading about it. 

In the meantime, you may be interested in reading one of my Hubpages articles - How to update your Wardrobe for Autumn / Winter 2011/2012