Winter is coming.
It decided to come to Sydney very alarmingly and suddenly the week before last; but since then it seems to have changed its mind because for some reason the sun is shining again.
However, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
Therefore, this Easter long weekend, wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and drinking iced water, I bring you: the best of winter coats and jackets. And capes (yes, I own more than one cape, and if I can justify the spend I'd buy more. Don't ask don't judge).
1. The lightweight trench
Many people would agree that the trench coat is the ultimate coat. If I were a minimalist (as I certainly am not, but a girl can dream) this would be the single piece of outerwear I'd keep. It is beautiful and timeless; yet practical and durable.
Coming in a range of cuts, lengths and fabrics, there's bound to be a trench coat to suit everyone. Sleeves rolled or sleeves down, belted or loose, the trench effortlessly switches between professional, classic and casual. Unless you get invited to a state dinner or a ball, you can probably get away with wearing the trench coat everywhere.
2. The leather jacket
Another staple of the autumn / winter wardrobe, the leather jacket is by far the most versatile of all casual-style outerwear. Looking equally good over a floral dress as jeans and T-shirt, the warmth afforded by the leather jacket makes it perfect for transition seasons and for travel.
The best part? The leather jacket is one of the few items which look better with age. The more loved and worn, the more character it takes on. I love the way leather stretches and creases to fit the body that wears it, and I like the slightly white, worn patches which develop over time on the shoulders and sleeves.
My favourite leather jacket style is one made of a softer leather (lamb or calf), with minimal hardware. Although metallic hardware can add a lot of style, I wear leather jackets for their versatility and practicality, rather than to make a statement; and having minimalist hardware makes the jackets so much lighter.
3. The bright, stylised jacket
It is all too easy to fall into a rut and only buy dark colours for autum / winter coats - I'm certainly guilty of that - but it is such a pleasure to have one or two coats / jackets which are so bright and bold they make you look twice at your own reflection.
Such coats are admittedly not the most versatile, unless you are skilled at confidently pulling off a loud style and have a particular eye for colour-blocking. However, you can still get a lot of use from them by choosing one in a structured, professional cut: that way, you can easily match it with an all-black work outfit.
The photo does not do this jacket justice. In real life, it is a saturated, jewel-toned purple, with high-shine silver-toned buttons. Every time I wear it I feel wonderful: isn't that what fashion should be all about?
4. The wool cape
I love capes, and I can't believe it took so long for the fashion-influencers of the world to discover this amazing piece. While the overly-stylised cape is a mere passing trend, I think the right cape can be timeless: choose one that is clean, fuss-free and flattering. Another bonus of a clean-cut cape is that it visually tricks people into thinking you're taller than you actually are: and believe me, I need all the help I can get in that department.
The worst part of wearing a cape is that when it comes to bags, your choice is limited to totes and clutches, as you won't be able to have anything on your shoulders. However, it is precisely this feature that makes capes so stylish: in every little way, it ensures that your line is utterly, utterly clean.
5. The winter trench
Because I am a wuss, I find that a lightweight trench is not warm enough for winter ( that is despite the fact that I live in Sydney, and our winters are practically spring everywhere else in the world except for tropical islands). That's where a thicker winter trench comes in handy.
Go for cashmere - they are so much warmer and lighter than wool. I say so particularly for trench coats because they are meant to have a slim, straight line. A bulky trench coat never looks as good as a thin one; and the only way to slim down the coat without loosing warmth is to substitute wool with cashmere.
6. The duffel coat
The duffel coat gets a bit of a bad rep for being slightly childish. Admittedly, every time I see one I'm reminded of the Paddington bear. However, this by no means dampens my enthusiasm for this classic piece: it is one of the warmest items without going into full-blown puffer jacket territory.
Its silhouette is also more forgiving than that of a trench coat, so you can layer to your heart's content without feeling bulky. And let's face it - they look adorable over a dress.
7. The double-layered cape
Another season, another cape. Unlike the previous light wool cape, this one is heavy duty: it has a vest-like design as the first layer, and the cape as the outer layer. As I said before, when choosing a cape, choose one with a classic, clean design: that way, even when the fashion world moves on from the cape trend, you can still wear yours with confidence without looking dated.
I particularly like wearing a double-layered cape over suits: the vest-like layer provides additional warmth; but the cape-sleeve design allows for freedom of movement. The worst thing about wearing suits in winter is that suit jackets are already quite restrictive in the arms, and if you layer a coat over the jacket, things get infinitely worse. A double-layered cape avoids that problem entirely without compromising warmth.
8. The Stadium Cloth Parka
Look. At. That. Fluffy. Faux. Fur. Hood.
'Stadium cloth' is a signature fabric developed exclusively for J Crew: it is more lightweight than a traditional wool coat, while still shielding you from the cold. That is basically marketing-talk for an 8:2 split between wool and nylon.
My instinct is to turn my nose up (I'm a huge fan of natural fabrics, and I've found they don't necessarily make the item any more expensive - especially when you consider the artificiality of fashion pricing), but the Stadium Cloth parka has had a cult following since it was first introduced a decade ago: it is simply so classic and versatile.
And. Look. At. That. Fluffy. Faux. Fur. Hood.
10. The quilted puffer
Things are really getting bleak (and alarmingly white). I don't know what possessed me to buy this highly impractical jacket. Learn from my mistake and get something in a dark colour. It's a puffer jacket, don't try to be stylish. Give up and just go for practicality.
Other than that, I repeat everything I said for number 9, with the addition of if you can't get one with hood, get one with a puffy collar that doubles as a scarf.
Final thought:
I really should start to wear more colour.
It decided to come to Sydney very alarmingly and suddenly the week before last; but since then it seems to have changed its mind because for some reason the sun is shining again.
However, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
Therefore, this Easter long weekend, wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and drinking iced water, I bring you: the best of winter coats and jackets. And capes (yes, I own more than one cape, and if I can justify the spend I'd buy more. Don't ask don't judge).
1. The lightweight trench
Many people would agree that the trench coat is the ultimate coat. If I were a minimalist (as I certainly am not, but a girl can dream) this would be the single piece of outerwear I'd keep. It is beautiful and timeless; yet practical and durable.
Coming in a range of cuts, lengths and fabrics, there's bound to be a trench coat to suit everyone. Sleeves rolled or sleeves down, belted or loose, the trench effortlessly switches between professional, classic and casual. Unless you get invited to a state dinner or a ball, you can probably get away with wearing the trench coat everywhere.
Another staple of the autumn / winter wardrobe, the leather jacket is by far the most versatile of all casual-style outerwear. Looking equally good over a floral dress as jeans and T-shirt, the warmth afforded by the leather jacket makes it perfect for transition seasons and for travel.
The best part? The leather jacket is one of the few items which look better with age. The more loved and worn, the more character it takes on. I love the way leather stretches and creases to fit the body that wears it, and I like the slightly white, worn patches which develop over time on the shoulders and sleeves.
My favourite leather jacket style is one made of a softer leather (lamb or calf), with minimal hardware. Although metallic hardware can add a lot of style, I wear leather jackets for their versatility and practicality, rather than to make a statement; and having minimalist hardware makes the jackets so much lighter.
3. The bright, stylised jacket
It is all too easy to fall into a rut and only buy dark colours for autum / winter coats - I'm certainly guilty of that - but it is such a pleasure to have one or two coats / jackets which are so bright and bold they make you look twice at your own reflection.
Such coats are admittedly not the most versatile, unless you are skilled at confidently pulling off a loud style and have a particular eye for colour-blocking. However, you can still get a lot of use from them by choosing one in a structured, professional cut: that way, you can easily match it with an all-black work outfit.
The photo does not do this jacket justice. In real life, it is a saturated, jewel-toned purple, with high-shine silver-toned buttons. Every time I wear it I feel wonderful: isn't that what fashion should be all about?
4. The wool cape
I love capes, and I can't believe it took so long for the fashion-influencers of the world to discover this amazing piece. While the overly-stylised cape is a mere passing trend, I think the right cape can be timeless: choose one that is clean, fuss-free and flattering. Another bonus of a clean-cut cape is that it visually tricks people into thinking you're taller than you actually are: and believe me, I need all the help I can get in that department.
The worst part of wearing a cape is that when it comes to bags, your choice is limited to totes and clutches, as you won't be able to have anything on your shoulders. However, it is precisely this feature that makes capes so stylish: in every little way, it ensures that your line is utterly, utterly clean.
Because I am a wuss, I find that a lightweight trench is not warm enough for winter ( that is despite the fact that I live in Sydney, and our winters are practically spring everywhere else in the world except for tropical islands). That's where a thicker winter trench comes in handy.
Go for cashmere - they are so much warmer and lighter than wool. I say so particularly for trench coats because they are meant to have a slim, straight line. A bulky trench coat never looks as good as a thin one; and the only way to slim down the coat without loosing warmth is to substitute wool with cashmere.
6. The duffel coat
The duffel coat gets a bit of a bad rep for being slightly childish. Admittedly, every time I see one I'm reminded of the Paddington bear. However, this by no means dampens my enthusiasm for this classic piece: it is one of the warmest items without going into full-blown puffer jacket territory.
Its silhouette is also more forgiving than that of a trench coat, so you can layer to your heart's content without feeling bulky. And let's face it - they look adorable over a dress.
Another season, another cape. Unlike the previous light wool cape, this one is heavy duty: it has a vest-like design as the first layer, and the cape as the outer layer. As I said before, when choosing a cape, choose one with a classic, clean design: that way, even when the fashion world moves on from the cape trend, you can still wear yours with confidence without looking dated.
I particularly like wearing a double-layered cape over suits: the vest-like layer provides additional warmth; but the cape-sleeve design allows for freedom of movement. The worst thing about wearing suits in winter is that suit jackets are already quite restrictive in the arms, and if you layer a coat over the jacket, things get infinitely worse. A double-layered cape avoids that problem entirely without compromising warmth.
Look. At. That. Fluffy. Faux. Fur. Hood.
'Stadium cloth' is a signature fabric developed exclusively for J Crew: it is more lightweight than a traditional wool coat, while still shielding you from the cold. That is basically marketing-talk for an 8:2 split between wool and nylon.
My instinct is to turn my nose up (I'm a huge fan of natural fabrics, and I've found they don't necessarily make the item any more expensive - especially when you consider the artificiality of fashion pricing), but the Stadium Cloth parka has had a cult following since it was first introduced a decade ago: it is simply so classic and versatile.
And. Look. At. That. Fluffy. Faux. Fur. Hood.
9. The slim-line puffer jacket
Now we're getting to the depth of winter, throwing style to the wind and focusing on practicality (let's face it, no matter what the fashion magazines say, there's no such thing as a stylish puffer jacket).
When choosing a puffer jacket, choose one that uses goose down rather than duck down (goose down is more compact and warmer than duck down, in the same way cashmere is lighter yet warmer than wool), and choose one with a hood: personally, I can't find a single reason to wear a puffer jacket unless I were absolutely freezing; and if I were freezing I might as well cover my head. A bonus feature of this puffer jacket is having sleeves which cling to the wrists to shield from the wind.
10. The quilted puffer
Things are really getting bleak (and alarmingly white). I don't know what possessed me to buy this highly impractical jacket. Learn from my mistake and get something in a dark colour. It's a puffer jacket, don't try to be stylish. Give up and just go for practicality.
Other than that, I repeat everything I said for number 9, with the addition of if you can't get one with hood, get one with a puffy collar that doubles as a scarf.
Final thought:
I really should start to wear more colour.
Charming style as always Doctor.
ReplyDeleteRight back at you mister!
Delete