When the cold weather arrives frequently us nature boys start cursing the fact that we have nearly everything that we require for a capsule wardrobe, smart trousers/jeans/chinos and jackets; some wonderful trendy shirts, shoes, sneakers and more sweaters than would make aunt aggie proud; but one thing we frequently neglect more by accident than design, is a good winter coat.
A lot of these creations that purport to both look good and keep you warm are what in my late mothers words “Nothing more than a butter rag”, that is in modern parlance, materials that are not solidly constructed or designed well enough to protect from the elements. Throwing good money at something that looks good may get you a second glance from a prospective beau, but that’s not good enough if you’re spending cold nights in a bus shelter travelling to woo him/her. So in the interests of saving you and the NHS mucho dinero recovering from your fabric sodden malady, here’s a few ideas that will help your cockles warm.
Zara
Zara have that uncanny knack of churning out reasonably low priced garments at a fraction of the cost of designer pieces while maintaining a quality that make us think they must be raiding fabric warehouses in the dead of night; that particularly applies to outerwear that’s both classic and warm to the wallet as well as to you and has great classic styling.
Zara lookbook – Chester Coat: from £70.00
Suitsupply
A company that has the knack to source a range of coats that maintain the quality tailoring of their named counterparts, sourcing high end materials from many of the best mills in Europe. Blends starting at sub £300 for wool but higher end Italian style and quality in many blends right up to cashmere are available but without the Italian price tag. Products that are worth every penny and you could even saving yourself a few hundred quid in the process -more of a steal than the Italian job!
Suit supply lookbook – Wool Coats: from £260
Marks & Spencer
Ah, dear old M&S, it’s come in for a battering from other gents retailers the last few years but manages to ride out the storm with some staples that customers really want and although you’ll never find a catwalk model hiding behind the Formica coated pillars, it’s a brand that still manages to give reassuring sartorial comfort with quality to gentlemen’s classic overcoats that give you a big warm hug when you need it.
Marks & Spencer’s look book – Traditional Overcoats From £90
Charles Tyrwhitt
Like M&S, the brand is though of as pretty conservative and that’s the way they like it; that’s no bad thing for customers who are loyal to the brand. What is surprising in a pleasant way is cashmere and wool mix overcoats at a sub £200 with excellent quality materials tyr whitt (See what I did there?) Definitely worth exploration and designed to compliment their suit range but eminently wearable with anything you care to elegantly throw at it in the gentlemen’s club.
Charles Tyrwhitt lookbook – Overcoats From £200
New Look
Don’t be put off by the brash name as men of a certain age have been deserting the other chains for several seasons now in search of inspiration. Cutting edge designs and fabric use blending budget beating products with style if not necessarily longevity in mind; but still strong enough for you to consider wearable for a couple of seasons and still have change for a Costa.
New Look lookbook – Contemporary Outerwear from £75
