A perfect coat, party top and on-pointe slippers
From dancing shoes to a perfect coat – what Jess Cartner-Morley is wearing this month | The Guardian

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A beige coat, bandeau top and ballet shoes
camera Composite: Guardian Design

From dancing shoes to a perfect coat – what Jess Cartner-Morley is wearing this month

How do you stay cosy and dry without compromising on elegance? Our fashion guru has all the answers, in the first of a monthly series

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Jess Cartner-Morley Jess Cartner-Morley
 

This time of the year always feels like a key change in the song of life. The nights fall hard and fast now the clocks have changed. For a brief while, the leaves underfoot are thick as shag carpet. The world is aglow with deep autumnal oranges and reds: pumpkins, then fireworks, then poppies. The mood music is shifting, the energy rising, as the year comes to a close.

On a practical level, this means it is time to get the winter store cupboards prepped – not just with food, but with all the other essentials needed to get through the colder months.

So, here are a few things on my radar this month. An option if you are in the market for a new coat, the only slippers you will ever need, and perhaps a treat or two. I’m not for a moment suggesting you buy these things – you may not want anything. You might file away an idea for next year. Or something on my list might remind you about a treasure you can dig out of your own wardrobe.

The November edit

This shortlist of items are covered in a new column for the Filter.


The perfect peacoat

Tan double-breasted peacoat
camera Photograph: John Lewis

Double-breasted peacoat, £159
johnlewis.com

I cannot do justice to how excellent this coat is, and the photo doesn’t either, but please take my word for it when I say it looks and feels delicious. Well-thought-out pockets and expensive-looking detailing (for instance, a concealed button to hold the collar in place). It’s chunky, though, so not for you if you prefer a narrow silhouette or have a tendency to overheat.


A brilliant party top

Black buttoned bandeau top
camera Photograph: Monsoon

Bandeau top, £65
monsoon.co.uk

Monsoon makes marvellous party clothes. This bandeau top with button front is fabulously Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and available on a high street near you.


Dancing shoes

Green satin heeled sandals with a gold chain detail
camera Photograph: M&S

M&S xSienna Miller chain-detail satin sandals, £69
marksandspencer.com

Don’t mess about if you want these, because the second drop of Sienna Miller’s collaboration with M&S went on sale last week and these – the only shoes in the edit – won’t hang about. The gold chain suspended from the ankle strap makes these shoes feel super special. I’m very into the poison green colourway, with a sheer black tight and an LBD, but they also come in black.


The world’s most elegant slippers

Ladies Dansoft Leather Ballet Shoes
camera Photograph: Bloch

Ballet shoes, £22
uk.blochworld.com

Ballet shoes make the best house shoes. They last for years, protect your tights or socks from holes, have bendy soles comfy enough to curl up on the sofa in, and won’t embarrass you if the doorbell rings.


Vintage preppy pleat skirts on eBay

Grey pleated tartan skirt
camera Photograph: eBay

The vortex of disappointment that hit me after failing to snag one of the pleated short skirts from the Bella Freud x M&S collection made me realise how much I want – need – the kind of pleated above-the-knee skirt I haven’t worn since school uniform days. I went down an eBay rabbit hole, and can report that this is an excellent source of the new skirt shape you need. I’m still deciding between aclassic check Burberry one and an excellent grey woollen Ralph Lauren number.

• For Jess Cartner-Morley’s full November edit, click here. And for more great recommendations, sign up to the Filter, the Guardian’s new home for trustworthy product reviews, informed recommendations and shopping guides.

The Measure

What’s hot – and what’s most definitely not – this week

Rihanna and little ones in her PJ range, Jellycat bag and Lelet’s Pony Cuff.
camera Rihanna in her PJ range, Jellycat has it in the bag and Lelet’s pony cuff. Composite: Savage/Jellicat/Lelet

Going up

Onesies | Rihanna’s first-ever pyjama collection, for Savage x Fenty, includes a hooded onesie in both adult and children’s sizes. And to think Karl Lagerfeld once thought sweatpants were a sign of defeat.

Pony cuffs | Half hair tie, half jewellery. If you always forget to remove a hair tie from around your wrist before taking a picture, you need one. See Lelet and Etsy for glossy metal and marble versions.

Lint rollers | Shedding-sweater season is officially here, which means wearing black just became a lot more work.

Going down

Airport trays | On Instagram, it’s all about shots of the supermarket basket flat lay. Choose your social media fighter – from Tesco’s chrome wire basket to Sainsbury’s blue plastic version – for these top-down pictures.

Not having a trip booked | According to TikTok, the biggest hack to deal with hating your job is to always have a holiday planned.

Adulting | From queues around the block at Selfridges for its Jellycat pop-up to Le Rêve Nazam’s jeans smothered in stuffed animals and weighing more than 5lbs, fashion is falling hard for soft toys.

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Katharine Viner
Editor-in-chief, the Guardian

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