Petworth Posing

Today's outfit post is a his-and-hers special, from the stately surroundings of Petworth house and parkland.  I mentioned in my recap of our West Sussex road trip that we'd called in to Petworth on our journey home.  It was the most gorgeous day of autumn sunshine, and we made the most of walking around the lovely grounds to stretch our legs before getting back into the car for several hours.  As usual, we were perhaps on the overdressed side for a visit to a National Trust property, standing out in a sea of gortex and trainers.  (I'm sure many of you dear readers empathise with this, I've seen what some of you wear to National Trust places too!)

It's amazing to think that the mansion building you see was actually built in 1682.  It's not the prettiest of stately homes, but it's when you're indoors that you realise the whole place is really geared towards the wonderful parkland setting - those windows are designed to look out of, not peer into.  The other thing to notice is that there is no long sweeping drive from which to approach and admire the house.  Today's visitors arrive via a short woodland pathway from the car park, so that the appearance of the house is almost unsuspecting.  This again is intentional.  The original long driveway and formal gardens were removed by Capability Brown, who created the lake and rolling hills in their place.  The overall effect of this carefully constructed landscape is very pleasing.

























The day turned out as a last-hurrah for my bare legs, before packing them away in tights for winter.  That wasn't entirely intentional, as I simply hadn't packed any tights but black, and my houndstooth skirt is navy and white.  It always feels a shame to wear black tights on a sunny day anyway.  As it was, I was perfectly warm enough.  It truly was the last day without a nip in the air, and I've since been encased in tights.  I try and last until at least October each year without wearing opaque tights for day time, so this year is a record reaching nearly the end of the month.  It's a variation on the game of 'how long we can last without putting the central heating on'.  Any fellow players?

He's wearing: Vintage John Collier coat from community shop, vintage 1960s Harris Tweed Burton jacket from charity shop, cravate from community recyling centre, vintage Christy's flat cap from car boot sale, Hollister jeans from charity shop, Alfred Sargent chelsea boots from car boot sale, M&S shirt from charity shop.

She's wearing: M&S cream jacket from car boot sale, vintage scarf (gift with purchase from Chronically Vintage), black sash from dress worn as headscarf, vintage houndstooth skirt from Revamp in Midhurst, Clarks lace-up metallic shoes, vintage early plastic brooch from car boot sale, white sunglasses from Primark.

Linking up with: #iwillwearwhatilike, Visible Monday, Passion for Fashion, Fancy Friday