Ask a Stylist: how to liven up your winter wardrobe

I loathe my clothes this time of year. My knits are pilled, my coats feel old and shabby, and I’m bored with black and grey. Is there a way to breathe a little excitement into my wardrobe in the depths of winter, ideally without resorting to the post-Christmas clearance sales?

I totally understand. January is such a miserable month and grey too, so it’s no wonder you feel like this.

Let’s focus on your pilled knitwear first. Knits can last many years if you look after them, so it’s really worth the effort. Pilling isn’t necessarily a sign of poor quality, not always, though felting is.

“Pilling is normal for wool and cashmere — it’s just the friction that is caused when two threads rub against each other,” says Frankie Davies, founder of Charl Knitwear and a former senior knitwear designer at Burberry. “The looser knitted the garment, the more room between the stitches for friction to occur.” On delicate knits, Davies prefers to use a lint brush to remove pills without damaging the fibres.

If, however, your jumpers are blended with synthetics such as polyester and nylon, and then start to pill — creating an all-over “mossy” effect — “there is nothing you can do!” Davies warns. Which is why cheap knits are a complete waste of money and I personally never buy them or recommend them.

My preference for dealing with pilling is the Philips electric debobbler (£16, philips.co.uk). You need to lay your item flat and gently smooth out any creases. Once you’ve done that, hold it taut, then get rid of the bobbly bits by working in small circular motions. I have to admit to slipping into a sort of euphoric reverie at this point and can happily lose half an hour to this task. The other debobbler I recommend is by Steamery (£55, steamery.co.uk). This is a seriously good-looking item and works exceptionally well. It is considerably more expensive though. 

If the item is very delicate, go for a brush — like this wood cashmere comb from The White Company (£8, thewhitecompany.com).

Let’s move on to coats. You can do all manner of things to zhuzh up a coat: de-pill as above — that makes a world of difference — then get the steamer out. Steam cleaning can kill off bacteria and odours, and I have been able to drastically cut back on dry cleaning since using mine regularly (I have an ancient one from Beautural). Only steam the outside to avoid shrinking any lining, although if your coat is very delicate, I would advise a specialist clean.

You can also create some olfactory delight in the most miserable month of the year with a liberal spritzing of fabric spray. Sprays also aim to minimise the need for washing (your clothes, not you). I’ve tried Steamery’s Rose and Musk (£10 for 100ml, steamery.co.uk), which is lovely misted on to a coat before hanging it up to air. The Clothes Doctor goes one better with an anti-moth version for knits and a white tea and mint product for your wovens (£14, clothes-doctor.com).

Next on the list: inspect your lining. An inordinate amount of joy can be had with a brightly coloured flash of lining. (This is one reason why Paul Smith suits and coats are so appealing. I have a purple suit with a bright green lining that never fails to raise a grin out of me.) You would need a competent tailor (try The Seam’s directory) and about 2.5 metres of fabric — I recommend Joel & Son and MacCulloch & Wallis. Linings start at £8 per metre, and then you are looking at £65-£95 for the tailor’s work, depending on the complexity of the job.

You could look at some extra decoration on the exterior too. What about a brooch? Be very careful here — I know we all have one or two from Granny but only some will translate well and look modern. Go arty with a Jil Sander abstract two-tone number (£660, farfetch.com). On the high street By Malene Birger has this gem (£70, bymalenebirger.com).

Another way to pep up both you and your outfit is a coloured scarf. Yellow is an excellent bedfellow for grey and navy alike. This sunshine yellow from Acne is perfect (sale price £133, matchesfashion.com) or go for a true red, cosy treat and get a padded scarf — it will help with the transition from bed to desk (£79, universalworks.co.uk).

Have a long hard look at those coats. Could you alter a sleeve — make it shorter or slimmer? Perhaps the buttons are looking a bit shabby or you are bored of them? Again, you can transform something and make it look totally new by replacing the buttons. I did this with a preloved sleeveless coat; I removed some offensive gold buttons and changed them for beautiful plump leather football buttons, which I sourced from a designer friend. They possibly cost more than the coat itself, but no matter.

Rejina Pyo does a range of quirky signature buttons in brass, shell and glass (£10, rejinapyo.com). Try out a rectangular leather option, although you will need someone to rework the button hole for you (£5, macculloch-wallis.co.uk). The easiest fix is to match the current size of the button (measure it across the middle) and replace like with like. Joel & Son and eBay also have some corkers (Joel & Son Floral Shaped Button, £7, joelandsonfabrics.com). There are myriad ways you can breathe new life into your garments. I hope this helps to lift the January mood a little.

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