VIVA checks out the best coats as the mercury dips
| 1st December 2021
Get your big coat on as we check out some of the best as the temperature tumbles!
Where do we stand on puffa coats? On the one hand they are cosy and practical, on the other hand they aren’t exactly flattering. In fact, I just bought a puffa coat and at first, I thought it the most loathsome piece of clothing I’ve owned since my school introduced nylon dresses as part of our uniform.
Basically, puffa coats are like enveloping yourself in a duvet. They are also perfect for our intermittent alfresco drinking and dining scene every time the Covid ratings shoot up and they’re as egalitarian as denim – can you really tell a £200 puffa from the £35 one I bought from Primark? No.
So, if you can’t bear to part with vast sums of money for something that makes you feel like someone headed for a day’s work in the Siberian coal mines, head to Primarni.
Worryingly, it’s been easy to become a convert. When you have a puffa you can just sling it on for dog walking, putting the bins out and when it snows and nobody can see you through a curtain of blizzard. But will you feel chic or professional? Probably not and in that case a “proper” coat is what you need. My mum was big on outerwear (not that she’d ever call it that) and used to take us annually to pick out a new coat when we were kids.
I understand why. Let’s face it, coats are all about first impressions and unless you’re the sort of person who goes out wearing a strappy dress, heels and a shimmery lipstick even when it’s 5 below outside, it’ll be the first thing that will be on people’s radar when they meet you.
Four of the key coat trends
1. Puffa
Puffa, padded, down, whatever you call them, they’re the coat to buy for all kinds of practical reasons. You can also spend as much or little on them as you like because, well, everyone looks kinda the same in a padded coat.
2. Fur
Faux fur is fun, glamorous and keeps you warm. What’s not to like? The Teddy coat is the perfect example, but you don’t have to go full fur to be in fashion. Faux fur trim looks cool too.
3. Check
Check is big news for A/W 2021 and comes in many different styles although most on trend looks are oversized, or a “shacket” style i.e a shirt/jacket hybrid.
4. Camel
Sure, dark colours are practical but for pure uplifting appeal the classic camel coat takes some beating. Again, there are loads of styles to choose from, but the belted “robe” is a perennial favourite.
It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been coat shopping because frankly the choice has been dire.
Dull “classic” designs that haven’t moved on in decades but as a result of the pandemic, labels have caught onto the fact that because we are spending more time socialising outdoors, we need a coat.
Anyway, the outcome is that shop rails are stocked with all kinds of desirable outerwear. Something, in fact, to suit everyone!