Never underestimate
There are a few things you shouldn’t underestimate, one being your self, another your opponent and the from a sartorial perspective, the benefits of buying a great coat. Obviously we all own a coat, but there are coats and there are coats. There are the useful coats, for dog walking, school running, side line standing and wet weather commuting, usually down filled and more often than not with a hood, they’re great, essential for living in this increasingly wet country but they aren’t a statement coat, you pull it on and feel safe to go out in inclement weather but they don’t constitute a “look”
Statement coats are an outfit in themselves, they can brighten, lift and smarten even the most low key of looks, and this is the season they shine, from now until March / April, so now is the time to invest in a good one.
Long coats are very much back at the height of fashion, a fashion editor recently described how she wanted a winter coat so long it ‘swept the floor’ but remove the drama from this statement and what were left with is go long as you can, ankle length is impractical, I would definitely go mid calf and try on the size above the extra fabric will look expensive and inevitably more stylish. If in doubt look at the Olsen twins, child stars turned founders of super brand The Row, both petite in stature (neither reach 5ft) but are masters at proportion, oversized is their signature. Investment wise it would be prudent to stick with neutrals, navy, charcoal, brown or black, but if statement to you means being noticed, look at red or burgundy. The usual suspects all have good options, Zara, Mango, H&M and Cos as well as Karen Millen, Mint Velvet and John Lewis.
Leather, I could say is back, but let’s be honest, it didn’t really go away, that’s the beauty of it, its timeless providing you choose styles that don’t date quickly. This season its easy to see the 90s influence on leather jackets, simple blazer shapes and longer belted styles see Hush / Arket / Mango, as well as the impression made by the catwalk pieces such as Saint Laurent’s oversized bomber jacket, which if you’re interested retails for £5000. Frankie Shop and Maje both have ‘dupes’ for £800 and £750 respectively, which is still an awful lots of money even for an investment, Reiss have theirs priced at £498. There are a lot of PU options on the high street for under £200, you can go with leather look or make fake your thing with a high shine vinyl, or of course hunt out a vintage version.
Finally if you really want to make an entrance faux fur, fringed and fuzzy should be in your search terms, shearling is stunning but also stunningly expensive, Boden and French Connection both have reasonably priced imitation, or again look for vintage shearling, perfect for when the coat IS the outfit.
