COAT THAT NEEDS NO PUFFING UP
FROM THE CATWALK TO YOUR WARDROBE… GRACE CAHILL ON THE FASHION FIXES THAT WORK IN THE REAL WORLD There are some things in life that don’t come naturally for me – vigorous exercise, cooking (will I ever ever get the hang of poached eggs?) and public speaking. Other things come overnight, instinctively. I wake up one morning and suddenly feel different; a strange new dawn, a fresh way of thinking. I’ll admit, it’s been a pretty lifechanging few weeks. I’ve surprisingly painted and renovated a spare room into a nursery with blissful enthusiasm. I’ve spent Saturdays at birthing workshops instead of shoe shopping and drinking coffee with friends. I’ve spent half my pay cheque on nursing pillows, bottle sterilisers and a pram vibrator (don’t roll your eyes, supposedly it helps rock the baby to sleep).
The most natural shift, however, has been my sartorial inclinations. Who knew the girl whose weekend get-up used to be dresses and heels would find herself in a dressing room with a puffa coat on a miserable Sunday morning. Not me! Traditionally the wardrobe staple of hikers and skiers, the oversized duvet jacket has seriously evolved over the last few seasons thanks to designers like Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Stella McCartney and luxe sporty Italian brand Moncler, which have all reimagined the hillside staple in rich hues and sleek, elongated silhouttes while shunning dubiously harvested cheap feathers (often cruelly plucked from live birds) for recycled silk-filled linings.
Miu Miu’s structured embellished versions are sheer indulgence (they start at €1,300) as are Balenciaga’s edgier styles, while Moncler’s elevated versions in snazzy prints (the brand has collaborated with high-end designers Valentino and Giambattista Valli) usually cost from €1,500 to €1,800. Have I ever spent this much on a coat? No. Would I? Perhaps not.
On the high street, Arket, & Other Stories and Zara’s machinewashable iterations are more my price range, gloriously toasty and very nifty, especially the belted styles that flatter your shape. Plus they make grey, freezing, miserable days far less depressing. I used to be dubious of their bulky nature (no expectant mother needs extra inches) but when it comes to these high-tech quilts, the puffier, the better. Don’t forget the secret lies in their cosiness and flimsier options can sometimes look cheap.
The key is to opt for styles that, while oversized, don’t swamp your frame or leave you looking like you’ve left the house with, quite literally, a duvet wrapped around you. Padded collars, oversized hoods and dodgy colours all fall into Michelin-man territory but sleeker, structured hemlines in rich brown caramel, biscuit and smokey grey shades that extend past your derrière get a big thumbs up from me.
When it comes to styling, steer clear of footwear that veers towards padding or fleecing (hello Uggs, my old friend) or you’ll probably look like you’ve borrowed from your daughter’s wardrobe. A white shirt/ cashmere jumper combo, an oversized shirt with boyfriend jeans, tailored trousers with block heel boots or white trainers elevates the puffer into sleeker work, after-work and even weekend territory.
WHEN IT COMES TO THESE HIGH-TECH QUILTS, THE PUFFIER, THE BETTER