As I start to write this post I’m just waiting for the first person to say, “I told you so…” Today I’m looking at a brand that I haven’t covered it before even though I know lots of you tell me how much you love it. I’ve always known that they do great quality clothing so I’ve been trying to work out why I haven’t looked into them and I think it’s because they’re so distinctly Cornish that the lifestyle they portray feels a long way from mine. And yet it isn’t – I live on the west coast and am exposed to wuthering weather so it makes sense that the pieces that work in Cornwall will be a blessing up here too. So today I’m giving them a test drive… and I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that I’m talking about Seasalt who are making really colourful clothes for a British winter.
As always, before we go into the try-on, let's look into Seasalt's background because every brand has a story but as time goes on, it's often forgotten – and you're going to like this one. Back in 1981 the Chadwick family (mum, dad and three sons – hurray!) were on holiday in Cornwall…
… and (this will be familiar to anyone who's had an English seaside summer) they needed to buy some waterproof coats. They went into a little workwear store in Penzance that sold things like fishermen's smocks and Guernsey jumpers and not only did they buy the raincoats but they bought the shop as well! They went back to the Midlands, sold up and moved to Cornwall.
The three boys Neil, Leigh and David soon got used to helping their dad Don in the shop which continued to cater for local Cornish customers who were fishermen, farmers and artists. When Don died in 2001 they decided to stick together and build a clothing brand based on everything they love about Cornwall – and Seasalt was born. Of course this lovely picture has me wondering whether I could persuade my three boys to dress harmoniously like this for a sibling photo… I think I know the answer.
Leigh, Neil and David
Even though the brand has now grown to be one of Cornwall's biggest employers the brothers continue to be very involved and Seasalt is going from strength to strength. We all know how difficult the retail environment is at the moment and yet Seasalt saw 13% growth last year. As other retailers are closing shops they're expanding in the UK and into the US as well where they now have four stores. They dipped their toe into Europe via Zalando and quickly became one of the platform's fastest growing brands.
When it comes to sustainability they have very high standards and last year they became a Certified Corp B company. They take their social responsibility seriously too, partnering with various Cornish charities and they've also raised £1 million for Mind. Interesting partnerships that they've forged recently include a menswear range with Patrick Grant of Community Clothing which was produced by his suppliers in Lancashire – but you won't be surprised to hear that it sold out fast.
And in womenswear they worked with Beyond Retro to create a limited edition range of denim made from repurposed jeans patches, giving new life to clothes that had been worn and loved before.
So I'm intrigued to see what they'll have up their sleeves for 2026. In the meantime they state that their purpose is:
"to inspire women of all ages and shapes to dress with creativity and confidence. So we offer a wide choice of styles, cuts and sizes, carefully curated colours and crafted fabrics that all work beautifully together."
And they do stick to that – they have ranges of tall, petite and plus size clothing going up to a size 28.
Colourful clothes for a British Winter
So when they invited me to do an edit it was interesting for me to look through a site that I wasn’t familiar with. Knowing that this would go out at the beginning of December my first thought was Christmas. However with sustainability as their focus, Seasalt are keen to make clothes that have year-round longevity so there wasn’t a huge section of glitter and sequins which was surprisingly refreshing. Instead the thing that hit me was colour. They have such a sumptuous array of colourful clothes for a British Winter which is unusual for a brand with its heartland in the countryside. So often there seems to be a belief that people who live rurally only wear shades of mud and khaki – but not at Seasalt.
Looking closer I noticed that they also have an unusual eye for colour harmony – their Fair Isle knits have unusual combinations that really work well to make a classic pattern feel more contemporary. And there’s great use of texture too with softly flecked wools and interesting cable patterns. So you won’t be surprised to hear that knitwear is what I’m mostly focusing on for this edit of clothes for a British winter although people have told me about how good their coats are for inclement conditions so I tried one of those as well. And when I’m working with a brand that’s new to me I like to give their clothes a proper test run so we photographed them when we were out and about in Newcastle last week.
The clothes that I’m wearing in this post are going to be exactly the kind of thing that I’ll be putting on over the weeks ahead. Our partying is now all over – in one way I’m relieved because it’s been exhausting and I hope I’ll have a chance for a catch up here on all the fun at some point. We’re now moving into friends and family mode but I miss dressing up so it’s always good to have lower key festive looks in mind. So often all you need is a pair of Christmas earrings or some metallic accessories to make your winter wardrobe more festive.
Let’s start with a wintery walk at the end of a cold day. You know the kind of thing when you realise you haven’t set a foot outside and yet the light’s dimming so you wrap up and head into the cold, perhaps with the promise of hot chocolate and cake as a pitstop along the way. I’m going to show you Seasalt’s own photos first so that you can get a measure of how they style and shoot things on the model versus how they look on me. Here’s the coat on the model in Cornwall…
And here it is in a more urban environment on me.
I think the East was probably a better place to test these things than the West last week; there was snow when we arrived although it had melted by this point but the bone-chilling East wind was still whistling around us. Now this coat is made with a lot of thought. The first thing that I liked about it when it arrived is that it isn’t too heavy. If you’re a brisk daily dog walker like me you’ll know that at this time of year the worst thing you can do is wear a heavy winter coat because before you know it you’ll be baking hot. So I like to wear layers when I’m out walking, I usually slip light down jackets underneath that I can take off and stuff in a pocket when I need to.
The important thing about this coat is that it’s made from Seasalt’s trademarked Tin Cloth so it’s properly waterproof, it has a 5000mm waterproof rating as well as a 5000g breathability rating. The upper body has a light fleecy lining for warmth – but not too much. And there are design elements to battle the wind – an adjustable waist cord, poppers and snappers as well as this fishtail hem to combat the rain at the back of your knees.
Here’s the cardigan that I was wearing underneath on the model…
… and this is how it fits on me. I loved this flecked cardigan as soon as I saw it and I was hoping it would be in a slightly cropped knit like this that would work with wide leg trousers as well as dresses. Seasalt have plenty of longer knits but as I mentioned last week, cropped cardigans have become the lynchpin of my winter wardrobe this year, the secret piece of the puzzle that’s finally enabled me to enjoy winter dressing.
The green that I’m wearing here has sold out in smaller sizes but it comes in a total of ten colours. I’m not surprised that it’s so popular with its soft merino blend wool and the contrasting fleck. I’m wearing a size 10 here and it’s fine but a 12 would be true to size. And that’s another great discovery about Seasalt – their clothes are the size they say they are rather than being loose and sloppy.
You’ll notice that I have a flecked triangle scarf on too – again these have almost gone now but I did warn you that they were the hit of the season a few weeks ago. They’re just such an easy way to add a little extra detail to a simple outfit.
As you’ll have gathered we’d stopped for coffee and shortbread and just look at the beautiful view we had through the window behind me – not quite Cornwall but even so a stunning reminder of Newcastle’s coal mining past.
Seasalt’s Fair Isle
So let’s move onto a different type of knit, Fair Isle this time and this is where I say that Seasalt put really interesting colours together. You can see here that they’ve used a base of teal and turquoise but added an unusual hint of winter burgundy. It’s a great way for those of us whose skintone doesn’t love burgundy to still have a dash of it in an outfit. Here it is on the model…
And here it is on me – the good news is that it’s in the sale at the moment. You’ll see that once again I’m wearing a cardigan as a single layer which is something I often opt for instead of a jumper. We were heading out for lunch here on another of those days when it’s cold outside but likely to be overheated as soon as you step into a building. I find a cardigan styled this way is much more comfortable in these situations – you can unbutton it if you’re feeling warm and the neckline is good for showing off jewellery so it’s just a little bit dressier.
Merino blend cardigan; Bloom jewelled earrings
There was a very alpine feel to our lunch venue. Lots of the pubs in Newcastle have shelves filed with rescued second hand books that you're invited to enjoy while you're there. It's such a good idea and you can imagine my delight when I spotted an old copy of Heidi when Mal was at the bar. I haven't read Heidi since I was at primary school and leafing through it made me think about what good readers we must have been, it wasn't written in the most engaging style. But then as I was saying to Mal there wasn't much to do when we were little other than read was there? Not in the school holidays once the TV programmes went off at lunchtime. They had a full set of the Children's Encyclopedia in there too – do you remember those? We had them at home and I liked them because there were stories hidden amongst the endless pages of facts.
Anyway, back to the cardigan and I can confirm that this is soft enough to wear against the skin. It felt just right for a pre-Christmas lunch but it would have been just as good for Valentine's afternoon because it's wintery but not too festive. And if you look carefully you'll spot that I have matching jewelled Seasalt earrings which added just the touch of sparkle that I needed.
Colourful clothes for a British Winter
The last outfit I have to show you was for a trip to the Christmas market and a wander around a very festive looking Newcastle. Having been to both London and Newcastle in the past week I'm going to say that the North wins for festive spirit and sparkle this year. For the first time in ages Fenwick have really invested in their windows and they've done an animated version of A Christmas Carol. The queues to see it are bigger than ever…
Department store windows that are not product-led. Christmas as it should be.
Anyway there were food stalls in the streets, roast chestnuts and mulled wine… even a silent disco area. I felt as though I was dressed exactly right and here's the jumper that I was wearing as seen on the model…
And here it is on me. I’m wearing a size 12 which once again felt like the perfect fit. It isn’t a big long jumper but it isn’t cropped either – I’ve tucked it in here as I usually do but you could easily wear it loose if you prefer it that way and it would cover your waistband.
Notice the unusual colour combination again – red with pink, burgundy, purple and orange which is much more harmonious than the usual green or navy or black or white. This kind of blended harmony is so much gentler on the skintone than a high contrast one.
We popped into a teepee where EVERYONE was welcome…
… and enjoyed a glass of mulled cider while a band played Christmas carols and excited little children raced up and down around us. At first I had a bit of a tug on the heartstrings thinking back to how much I missed that giddy build-up but then as we settled by a log burner and watched the frazzled parents I decided just to be glad that I'd had my time of it!
So to Seasalt, my new Cornish friend – it’s been lovely wearing you and getting to know you up here in the far North. I’m delighted to find a brand making such colourful clothes for a British Winter AND I want to emphasise, clothes that fit properly, that aren’t saggy, baggy and oversized. It’s also a relief to find knitwear that’s comfortable next to the skin without being a completely acrylic mix. All of the wool here comes from RWS certified farms that protect the welfare of their sheep. Lots of other brands use animal welfare as a reason to put their prices up and yet Seasalt are producing ethical clothing that’s still affordable. And can I mention the colours just one more time? Because we don’t all want to spend the cold months in navy, grey and beige, especially when the days are as short and dark as they are at the moment.
So I wonder what your weekend holds because suddenly we’re fully in December. We’re seeing good friends for a long Christmas lunch… we must buy a tree so that it can sit outside in a bucket for a week and hydrate… and then I think I’ll start decorating the house. There’s only another week until the boys start coming home, we’ve only been together as a five twice this year so I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to having a house full of high jinks again. This weekend needs to be about making it smell and taste and sound and sparkle like Christmas. It’s a lot of work isn’t it? But it’s worth it.
