Plus: Lisa solves your fashion dilemmas below
Forever clothes have become this year’s cliché. They can also sound a bit of a burden. Will you be stuck with them for ever? Does ‘forever’ mean you should feel morally bound never to buy another coat? No and no. It just means you have the option.
A forever coat is one that won’t date – meaning that if, down the line, you find you’re not wearing it (boredom?), you should be able to sell it on quite easily. Unusually, this has less to do with the style you choose than how well it’s made.
There are relatively few coat categories – Crombie, wrap, double-breasted, military, duffel, animal print – and if any ever goes out of fashion it soon comes round again. Take brown and fluff, both of which find themselves back in favour. You’re safe going for either, or both, provided they suit you.
Recycled polyester and wool blend, £319, Baukjen
Forever also means quality. Make a habit of reading the labels. They’re surprisingly interesting. A few months ago I fell in love with a gorgeous pale-pink 1950s-style Prada duster coat that was humongously marked down – very Hitchcock blonde and so soft. Too soft. I checked the label and sure enough it contained angora, which many brands no longer use on cruelty grounds (perhaps it was a very old model, hence the markdown). After a quick moral internal tussle, back it went on the rail.
Talking of Hitchcock blondes, animal print is on the prowl. Cheap iterations can look very cheap, which is why this second-hand one from Ganni is a better option.
Ganni Faux fur zip up, £130, Reluxe
Look for a high percentage of responsibly sourced wool – like this powder-blue one from & Other Stories, which is roomy enough to layer a big jumper – or this olive insulated nylon coat from M&S – underneath when it’s really cold.
Oversized wool blend, £265, & Other Stories
Quilted, £45, Marks & Spencer
Some synthetic isn’t always a bad thing – it can help a coat drape, and keeps the cost down. But if it’s over 50 per cent it will affect the coat’s breathability.
Invite/bribe a really honest friend with a good eye along when you shop. Failing that, ask the sales assistant to snap you front, back and side on (provided it’s quiet, they never seem to mind). Too often, coats look very different to you in the mirror than they do in real life.
Replacing a cheapish belt with a good quality leather one can add no end of polish.
A reversible coat is tempting – but only if you really will wear both sides (Gerard Darel has some good options).
Price is a guide. A cloth coat that costs £55 probably won’t be warm or a keeper. Far better, when you’re on a strict budget, to go for a smart quilted nylon coat with thermal filling (try M&S, Zara or Uniqlo) – or go vintage.
Hardly Ever Worn It has a classic wraparound style from the late, lamented Raey label that belonged to Matches – or you might get lucky in a charity shop and pick up a bargain that will keep you feeling smug as well as snug. Just try not to gloat.
More coat inspiration...
Dark olive herringbone, £1,350, Johnstons of Elgin
Mid length wool blend, £199, Massimo Dutti
Raey Wraparound belted cashmere, £490.50, Hardly Ever Worn It
Olive houndstooth, £399, Saint + Sofia
Lisa wears: Double faced wool coat, £350, Jigsaw; Wool blend jumper, £350, Mother of Pearl; Wool blend trousers, £130, Sezane; Velvet shoes, £249, Penelope Chilvers; Leather bag, £325, Kaai; Sunglasses, £99, Bloobloom; Earrings, £14, Marks & Spencer. Hair and make-up: Oonagh Connor at Joy Goodman using Charlotte Tilbury and Bobbi Brown. With thanks to The Chelsea Townhouse and 11 Cadogan Gardens.
Lisa solves your style dilemmas
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