The best coats.

Cool outerwear to keep you warm.

Hi everyone

Thanks all for being here and a special welcome to new subscribers! For those interested my instagram is @jenniefromtheblog.

Today’s subject - coats - continues my series on what we wear most of the time. Which is timely because it’s getting cold here in Melbourne.

To be clear I’m talking about tailored coats rather than puffers. Although I love a good puffer, to me they all look much the same - with the result that there aren’t many details or style elements to discuss.

A coat is decidedly seasonal, but in my book it’s still an every day piece. Why? Because for 5 months a year I wear mine non-stop.

Coats can be expensive and they also take up a lot of space. So I’m down to just one, special though it is. It’s seen me through five Autumn/Winters so far and I still love wearing it.

So - what makes a coat the one you’ll reach for over and over? Please read on.

Style

Go for a straight silhouette that isn’t too narrow or overly structured. Keep it simple and avoid embellishments such as printed fabrics or conspicuous fastenings.

Fabric

The best coats are both light and warm. Go for wool or - for extra softness - a wool cashmere blend. A heavy coat is well, heavy, so before you try one on pick it up, hanger and all. This will soon tell you whether it’s likely to become your ‘go to’ outer layer. Consider any lining too because this can add excess structure or bulk.

Fit

A slightly oversized fit is best. You don’t want the coat to be tight under your arms or across your body. You also don’t want to get lost in it. A below the knee length works well. Anything shorter doesn’t quite reflect an effortless mood. Anything longer can look heavy and the extra fabric gets in the way.

Colour

To ensure maximum versatility go for a neutral such as grey, navy or black. A subtle check is also amazing but the right tones can be tricky to find - see the above image for inspo.

Examples

This one from Assembly Label is so well priced and comes in various colourways -

As an aside, this image also shows off ballet flats to full potential - to read more on this see my recent post.

This version from The Curated is beautiful -

As is this from Banded Together and this from Anine Bing -

In case you need further proof that a coat can be both practical and super stylish here’s an amazing image from Saint Laurent to finish off -

Next time I’ll be revisiting the list of day to day clothes I talked about here. So I’ll see you in two weeks. Thanks so much for reading and till then!

Jennie

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