Adding Colour To My Outdoor Wardrobe

*This is a collaborative post on adding colour to my outdoor wardrobe with Cotton Joe

Unlike most people I don’t completely hate January, mainly because my birthday sits in January. But I’m the first to admit that the weather is totally lousy and it can be hard to get over the festive blues. There’s something bright and colourful about December and the lead up to Christmas and New Year. Then it comes crashing down in January.

Despite the cold temperatures, grey skies and splattering of rain I always feel better after I’ve been outside. A good walk to blow the cobwebs away is a great weekend activity. Even if you have to layer up so much. And adding a pop of colour to brighten up the grey outdoors is a sure fire way to put a smile on your face. For my wintery walks, Cotton Traders have been helping me add a pop of colour in my outdoor wardrobe.

Adding colour to my outerwear

When I look for coats I’m the first to revert back to blacks and dark colours. But I picked up  this all weather jacket* (£76) in dark rose which is a beautiful pink colour. The coat itself is water-resistant with a detachable hood so I’m prepared if the heavens open. And in the UK there’s no way of guaranteeing a dry walk.

It’s a great length as well sitting between my bum and knees so when its zipped up I’m protected from the cold weather. It’s a reasonably light weight coat but it’s still really warm with a cosy jersey lined top.

Even if you’ve got a coat you can’t head out in the winter weather without a jumper as well. I chose this chenille V-Neck jumper* (£42) in grey which has beautiful multicoloured flecked yarn throughout it.

I’m a huge fan of chenille as it’s really soft and comfortable to wear. I wear my pieces all around the house as well to keep me warm and prevent me from having to turn the heating up too high.

Weekend walks

I will admit we don’t go out for walks as much as I’d like. In my mind I’d love to go out every Sunday morning for a refreshing walk but we don’t manage to get out quite that often. Mainly because Luke works so much he’s usually knackered, and I find it much nicer to go out with someone.

Generally when we head out we just go out super local to us, and we’re lucky to have some lovely areas close by. Just around the back of our road there’s a busway and it’s surrounded by some beautiful green hills known as Dog Kennel Down. And if you’re happy to go uphill a little you can get beautiful views of the local area.

There’s also Houghton Hall Park not far from us that we actually stumbled across by accident. When we did a post Christmas walk in 2021 we just walked to see where we’d end up and that’s how we discovered it.

The next place on my list to visit are the Dunstable Downs. Despite us living so close we’ve still never been but I’ve heard that they are beautiful.

All the greys in my outdoor wardrobe

To go along with the brighter winter wardrobe pieces I picked up some thermal leisure trousers* (£36). I went for a conservative grey as I thought it would go with any jumper and coat I wear, and it’s slightly more colourful than black.

I actually didn’t own any walking trousers and would generally go out in jeans which aren’t the best if you want to do a longer walk. The trousers have a fully elasticated waistband so they’re super comfortable and they’re fully lined so keep your legs warm.

Game changing shoes

But for me the biggest game changer in my outdoor wardrobe are these Hydroguard Walking Boots* (£67). I’ve not had proper walking shoes since I did the Duke of Edinburgh award at school. Generally I’d go on walks in my trainers or Dr Martens which while comfy aren’t designed for proper walks, especially on rougher terrain.

The walking shoes have a waterproof and breathable Hydroguard® membrane so they’re great for all weather ranging from a downpour to a hot day. My feet can get quite hot when I walk so the breathable layer helps them not to sweat too much. But the biggest thing for me is the ankle collar cushioning that helps support me when I walk. I’m not the best on my feet during longer walks or when it’s not flat underfoot, so any additional support is a massive help.

I wore these for a long two hour walk the other week and my feet didn’t ache at all. And I didn’t have to worry about rolling my ankle when I walked up hills, so I’ve got less chance to hurt myself.

It also helps that they look sleek and stylish so I don’t feel like they’re too obviously walking shoes.

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