Autumn Capsule Wardrobe

In collaboration with La Redoute, photographed in Paris

Every year, as colder weather approaches, I have to mentally prepare myself and literally set the scene – a bit like you might do if you were organising a romantic night in with your better half. I have to get in the mood for the new season. Which entails wearing thicker and more clothes, changing my eating habits and thinking twice before I cycle to a meeting. Hunkering down for the long winter so to speak (not to get all Game of Thrones clichéd on you, but last winter in Paris felt like it lasted a good 6 months!), is something I have to come to terms with. Luckily I love clothes. And there's nothing like lusting over a pair of boots or a coat to drum up a bit of excitement for colder weather and get you in the right headspace for the change of season. Donning a chunky knit for example, helps soften the blow of cold blustery days.

I don't know about you, but when I was younger I used to spend hours thumbing through the La Redoute catalogue, which would arrive through our letter box with a loud thump. I knew the sound - akin to the Yellow Pages (a huge telephone directory that my UK readers might remember) and I would scuttle out of my bedroom, dash downstairs and grab it before anyone else could. I specifically remember purchasing a pair of khaki pants that I'd had my eye for a while, around the age of 14 or 15 and then envisioning all the wonderful white tops and Caterpiller dessert boots I might wear with them to make me look and feel a little more like Posh Spice, or was it Scary? Anyway I thought they were très cool and I had to have them along with numerous other items, probably worn by the Spice Girls. Since moving to Paris I have re-discovered the merits of La Redoute and just how great it is for those must-have essentials. But this time instead of flicking through and dog-earring paper, I now bookmark webpages - yes, I'm such a Millennial. So I went through and bookmarked my top items for autumn to create two different looks to – looks that can be mixed and matched and that would take me through the colder season. What are your Autumn wardrobe essentials?