Wrap up in style with a super-luxe cosy coat
EVEn if you didn’t see The Undoing, the Sky thriller starring Hugh Grant and nicole Kidman as a new York professional couple, you probably caught all the fuss about the coats nicole Kidman wore.
They were many and luxurious, among them a green velvet one, the texture of astrakhan, that was more like a heavy duty evening dress for showing off outdoors. By the time the temperature dropped at the start of December, a lot of women were starting to think differently about winter coats and jackets.
Maybe, some of us wondered, what we really need in these dark days i s not a trusty hooded utilitarian number, but the sort of coat/jacket that turns heads and makes going outside a special event?
It is Christmas, after all, and wouldn’t it be nice to head out of the front door feeling like an elegant Upper Eastsider, rather than braced for a downpour?
The coat that satisfies the urge for glamour, and the need to feel cosy, is the teddy-bear coat. Every shop on the High Street has these soft teddytextured coats, but the label that is turning out the best quality faux fur in the most flattering styles (with this fabric, anything less than well cut can end up making you look like the Honey Monster) is Swedish label Stand Studio.
Its classic honey- coloured double breasted and belted teddy coat (£341, farfetch. com) or the slightly shorter single breasted ivory shearling coat (£295, farfetch.com) look even more expensive than they are and you’ll be able to bring them out every winter.
ALSO worth a look for luxury faux fur — and this brand’s range is recycled — is Essentiel Antwerp. Its classic, big l apelled, single-breasted coat (£241.50, essentiel-antwerp.com) has bags of film-star swagger; just add boots and sunglasses and you’re good to go, even if it’s only as far as the corner shop. It comes in three colours, midnight blue being the one that’ll keep this going as your evening best f or years and years.
Still on the glamorous but cosy spectrum and just the right amount of plush (you don’t want to look like Henry VIII), not to mention more affordable, is Zara’s doublebreasted faux-fur coat (£99.99, zara.com), which comes in a dark brown or olive green. This one’s a keeper, too.
Hush does a faux-fur, leopardprint coat (£220, hush-uk.com) that has that same teddy bear glossiness, or its Ella faux-fur coat with its deep stand-up collar (£179, hush-uk.com) is the plainer alternative.
Even easier on the budget is George at Asda’s honeycoloured, extra long-line teddy coat (£20, direct.asda.com). The longer the coat, the chicer it looks at the moment, and if you can take a midaxi length, that’s the one to go for.
Less sleek, but it will get you glamour points for the colour alone, is Ganni’s short belted, boucle coat in off-white (£295, ganni.com).
It’s worth noting that white scores top chic points at this time of year, but with a simple belted coat like this you need to make sure you’re wearing something neat and tidy underneath (no joggers or slides) or you’ll run the risk of l ooking l i ke you’ve got locked out of the house in your dressing gown.
Alternatively, Zara does a cream, l ong- l i ne doublebreasted wool mix coat (£159, zara.com) if you’re looking for something smart that will set you apart from the crowd.
Less of a challenge, practically speaking, but great looking and different is Zara’s limited edition wool-blend coat (£149, zara.com). It ticks all the stand-out coat boxes: it’s soft, sea green, extra long, with one double- breasted button fastening and slightly gathered full marrow sleeves, so it looks swaggery as well as being warm.
If you’re looking for somet hing sharper and more tailored, Karen Millen does a good range of military- style belted coats (£197, in the sale, karenmillen.com). Their teal coat with a smart notched collar, storm flap back and silver buttons has a look of Meghan Markle about it.
Otherwise, Zara’s grown-up big sister Massimo Dutti is the place to l ook f or quality ‘keeper’ coats, including a stylish, long, double-breasted wool coat with a big lapel collar in a rich aubergine colour (£249, massimodutti.com).
It comes with monogrammed buttons, which in my opinion make everything look like you bought it in a matronly boutique in Vienna, but you can easily switch those and you’ve got yourself a special coat.
And not just for Christmas.