Winter Blues

In Tassie at the moment it is definitely winter coat season. Some people like winter clothes the best of the whole year, and coats pay a big part in this. A nice winter coat can add colour, texture, drama, warmth, a sense of romance and instant style. If you wear a great coat over nice pants and shoes, and you are outside (so you won’t take the coat off), say at a market, then your outfit is sorted.

In recent years puffers, in black, have been very popular. Many people where I live own one, and they are so common that they are an invisible fashion choice for commuting to work, casual and recreational activities. By that I mean that you can wear it and no one will even notice or evaluate that jacket. It blends right in. But by the same token, no one notices it. It is, in and of itself, not much of a fashion choice. It can be paired with things to make it more dynamic of course, and it can appeal if you are just wanting to be current, but not stand out.

This article is not about wearing black puffers, even though they are a classic in our time, this article is about cloth coats. They are warm, if good quality they can last for years, and you can find one to make all different kinds of style statements.
What to consider when buying a cloth coat

Your needs. You need to ask what is your biggest unfilled need and try and fill that first. If you have no cloth coat at all, list all the places that you may want to wear it. Can you buy a coat that would work well in a lot of places? Where do you spend the most time? What are the most important places that you will wear your coat? Work, for example, is a place where you want to look the part as well as you can.

Colour. I would recommend buying one in a colour that suits you. If you have had your colours done, this is easy, make sure what ever coat you buy is on or matches in well with your colouring’s palette. You have the choice here of buying a coat in a neutral or a statement colour.

I would not worry too much about whether it is a neutral or a colour, I would be more concerned about finding a colour that you love, that really suits you and will work with your lifestyle. For example if you will be wearing your coat to walk with colleagues to business meetings around town then it should be work appropriate. So it may need to be a neutral or at least a decorous colour, such as red, a strong blue etc. Probably not lime green shag.

Formality. There are coats that look good over evening dresses, there a duffle coats that are great for wearing with jeans on a Saturday brunch run. There are long coats for wearing on cold commutes over suits. When selecting a purchase such as this, I like to think what my biggest unfilled hole is. When I bought my first cloth coat many years ago, I looked for something that I could wear over a cocktail dress, over jeans, to church on Sunday, over my work clothes and I settled for a darkish grey, that was just kind of on my palette, and from a point of view of formality I could wear it pretty much any where.

Fit. There are plenty of nicely cut cocoon style coats around at the moment. They often fit in the shoulder and arm and are big and slouchy through the body. They fit most body shapes, although someone with a very wide shoulder line may find them awkward.

Cocoon coat from David Jones – an elegant slouchy fit for those happy to hide the waist.
A tailored coat is also a good option. Tailored coats are not totally tight. They will normally leave room for a jumper underneath. A tailored coat can either be a fairly straight cut, or it can have breater volume in the skirt. This can be achieved by a pleat -often in the back, or by having a flared skirt.

Coat with waist definition from cue. Good on trim hour glass, straight and pears.
Body types that look good in a straight coat are generally the straighter body types, or those with no really defined waist. So, rectangles, inverted triangles (wide shoulders narrow hips).

Trim hourglasses (hip and shoulder the same and a defined waist, but overall fairly slim) can also wear a straight coat easily.

Full hourglasses and pears with a full bustline will enjoy coats with a full skirt that can be belted to emphasise the waist.

Pears with a smaller bust will still benefit from a coat with a fitted top half and flared bottom, as it will fit their shape well, a trim hourglass can also wear this shape well.
A well cut fitted coat with a flared skirt can also be worn well by rectangles, although they will not have the curves that the coat has, because of the substantial fabric the coat will give the illusion of an hourglass figure and look flattering if that is the kind of shape that they would like to have.

Oval and apple figures will enjoy coats that hang from the shoulder, either cocoons or coats with shoulder back venting. These coats will skim their curves. For an oval or apple who carries all their weight in their waist and want to show off their legs, then a coat with back venting that ends at the top of the thigh is perfect. It will skim their wider bits and allow them to show off their legs in a fitted skirt or pants.

This cape is tailored yet roomy through the body. It would look nice on any one but is particularly good for if you want to highlight your legs rather than your waist.