This is the time of year when every woman in the know is out there looking for the best ever parka/down coat/ padded jacket with a bit of flare for the new season. So if you’ve dusted off last year’s coats and jackets and found them wanting you need to get shopping right now, because the best coats and jackets, the most flattering, the best value, investment or otherwise, and the best brands sell out really fast.
It may be that the trench coat is this season’s fashion must have, however I confess I’ve never got on with these – without a hood they’re useless if you want to keep your hair in any state when it’s damp or it rains, and they don’t keep you warm in the cold. Yes they look tres chic but my coat/jacket of choice has always been the fine quilted coat or a smart parka, both of which you can wear anywhere, and both of which will take you from country to town and back.
Many of this season’s puffer jackets and parkas are belted, which can be difficult – I think a drawstring at the waist is likely to be more flattering unless you’re really slim, but emphasising the waist is in this season so go for it if you can.
These coats and jackets will keep you warm and dry whatever the weather, some are more packable than others, and others smarter than others, however it hardly matters if what you wear most, wherever you are, is defined by ‘athleisure’. Who isn’t happiest charging about town in jeans and new season’s sneakers? Heels for shopping? Forget about it.
My favourite coat/jacket of these is the Armani Jeans fitted quilted padded hooded jacket with ribbon detail. Partly because the day I left my coat on the train on the way to Paris I ‘had’ to make a trip to Galleries Lafayette to replace it and found my perfect coat – a version of this one and partly because if you can, a beautifully cut investment quilted jacket will serve you well for years.
Having said that there are many here that are not as expensive, and some more so. The choice is up to you…. just don’t leave it too long.
