Stalking stylish locals in the heart of Civic this morning proved quite fruitful. Some quarry got away: the deerstalker-hatted man who was wearing his furry topper with a great deal of panache, and the red-haired woman in an exquisite flowing coat, but a few were happy to pause in the cold, their breath coming out in white plumes, to show us and tell us all about their cold climate style statement.
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Donald, a trust officer, who can’t give his last name because of his clients, was rocking an all-black ensemble worthy of The Sartorialist. His parents are from Zimbabwe. The cold is not his friend.
‘‘Where I come from it’s warm but here it’s freezing,’’ he said. ‘‘You need a trench coat, gloves, a scarf and hat, and cups of cocoa and soup as soon as you get to the office.’’
Public servant Margaret Lopez, of Mawson lit up City Walk in her red coat and neat little hat. She said her favourite parts of winter were the hot chocolate and being indoors.
Up near a curb close to the carousel, Zoe Cameron stepped out of a car looking every inch the fashionista. The health consultant and occasional model of Deakin was in a short white cape which happened to be a birthday gift. She glams it up every day.
‘‘I like to mix it up in the winter and do something different. I take a lot of pride in my clothes. If only I could afford more,’’ she said.
Her bag was from Century 21 in New York, her leather and pearl belt was from San Francisco, her cardigan was from Madrid and her dress and cape were from Farage in Sydney.
Spotted with a coffee and a cigarette near a cafe close to the ANU was Robert Sale, of Acton, an ANU student of economics and politics. He was doing coloured skinny jeans, a tailored camel coat, a plaid shirt in blue and a dark navy sweater, the whole effect rather dapper and trend-conscious.
‘‘I just like colourful things,’’ he said of his jeans. The coat was sourced in Sydney when a near-identical one in Canberra was too small. The labels were Saba, Sportscraft and Country Road.
He said he wasn’t trying to make a style statement; the mode of dress was a necessity.
‘‘I have to go to work; I can’t look like a bum.’’
That said, the beautiful garb combined so well gave the impression he cared more about style than he let on.
Wallace Quoibia, of Liberia and now of Turner, was found busking outside a fast food joint near the bus interchange. He was in a fedora and pink tie that happened to match his guitar strap. Bundled up in an oversized coat over corduroy pants, the overall effect was really quite good.
Quoibia explained who he was: a reformed Rastafarian who had ditched the green, yellow and red and now only sang gospel music.
His clothes, he explained, were from the tip. They were, therefore, either free, or $5, or from Vinnies or the Salvos.
Finally, Melanie Saballa, of Watson, of the Chief Minister and Cabinet directorate, stood out as she sauntered past the Canberra Times fountain. She had on a muted green coat over a purple spotted dress topped off with a knitted cream cap.
Her style statement was about mixing colour and layering things together.
‘‘There’s too much black in Canberra,’’ she said.
Her favourite things about winter are the blue skies and frosty mornings. Her clothes are Veronica Maine and Jigsaw, her bags are from South America and Uluru.
