Jane and Beryl go on a camel hunt
 |
| Hobbs mac £199 |
Somewhere in Beryl's fettered imagination she has seen a beautiful chic woman dressed in shades that could be described mouthwateringly as butterscotch, toffee or caramel. She's thinking Fay Dunaway in the 1968 version of The Thomas Crown Affair. 'Well, that's enough of that rot,' says Jane, 'when what we are actually talking about is camel. The colour named after a gangly dromedary which is perilously close to beige.' This aside, camel we are told is the hot colour for spring.
Two minutes into this exercise and Beryl is already depressed because camel, the colour of a World War Two ex-army desert-issue bivouac, makes Beryl - and indeed, most of the WOACAs on the planet - look decidedly poorly. In fact, Beryl is wondering if camels themselves struggle to pull this colour off.
Jane and Beryl suggest...
 |
| Coat £99 reduced from £299 and tippet, both Mint Velvet |
Keeping camel away from the vissog
Jane loathes camel on many counts, but first and foremost because it is too near her natural hair colour (nothing natural about that, says Beryl), and skin tones. The only way she can countenance it on her body is if it is nowhere near her face.
 |
| Coat Halluber £99 (sale) |
Going for a camel/colour mix
For a non-camel wearer like our Beryl, the trick is go for something with a hint of camel, rather than the whole camel so to speak. As a garment Beryl is still not buying as she likes her coats long and swishy and tippets that cover the whole collar. Someone's been very stingy with the coat fabric and fake fur trim here.
 |
| Hat £18 pre loved John Lewis |
Spice up the camel with a bright or chic block
Jane was strangely attracted to this hat (when isn't she attracted to a hat?) despite its camel tones. But this only works because she is swathed largely in red and has red lipstick to boot. Camel can also work with black or burgundy, in particular, but electric blue can be a winner.
 |
| Coat £69 and skirt £35 both Top Shop |
Add a bit of animal print
Beryl is hankering after this tiger stripe slip skirt but Jane is being bossy and will only let her try it on in the interests of research: it does the job with the camel coat (which again is too short) perking it up no end. Sadly, however, despite being one of THE buys of the season in both print and style, it falls down on fabric - a rather slimy polyester.
 |
| scarf and bag both Halluber |
Buy it in small doses aka bags and shoes
 |
| All Joules |
And remember it looks great with that 1970s favourite tan.
Next Week: Jane and Beryl tackle sustainable fashion
Post a Comment