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How to take cover in style

October 7, 2011 09:56

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

2 min read

Musing on the vast number of coat options for this season it occurred to me that the choice is enough to make even the most dedicated fashionista feel she needs a little lie down.

On the plus side - well, that's obvious: you have lots and lots and lots of styles to choose from: a cape coat, a maxi coat, a 40s- or 50s-style number with or without fur, a geometric or swingy 60s-style coat, a ladylike coat, a cocoon coat, a boyfriend coat, a classic belted coat with oversize revers, fake-fur, quilted… And then, of course, there is the colour issue: do you go neutral, bright, jewel tones…

But unless your budget stretches to a coterie of coats, how do you pick one? At the risk of repeating what I said at roughly this time last year, what you buy should depend on what you plan to wear beneath your coat, in terms of style, volume and length.

For example, you will be pretty cross on a frosty November morning if you have bought a mannish-styled, on-the-knee boyfriend coat and decided that day to rock a midi skirt and bulky alpine knit. The inner and outer layers don't compute. A boyfriend coat will work perfectly, however, over pared down pieces such as a 1950s shift dress, or a pencil skirt or skinny/smoking trousers plus blouse or polo-neck jumper.