Get yer coat: what to look for if you’re buying new outerwear this winter & tips on shopping vintage
Photos: Neil Mackenzie Matthews,
It’s the same every year, like a murder of crows (without the noisy soundtrack), there’s a breakout of black padded coats in the city. I get it – and I’ve got one! (The Duvet Coat, reserved for freezing cold days). So, obviously, I’m not against cosy outerwear – that’s the whole point of a winter coat – but by the time December arrives, I’ll be looking pasty enough without any assistance. And, as the most visible part of a winter outfit, your coat is on show, all season – so adding a beautiful finishing touch is a sartorial trump-card. An easy way to waltz into the office with confidence, or to perk up your favourite jeans and woolly jumper combo. The best kind of coat is one that you enjoy wearing, that keeps you warm and provides excellent outfit-enhancing properties to instantly raise your style game. Oh and pockets are mandatory.
With this in mind, a timeless silhouette, in a wool fabric, will go from one year to the next. I’m calling this black and white checked, 100% wool coat The Diane Keaton – sorry, it has almost sold out. But, if you are interested in adding a little Keaton-esque charm to the coat department: Hush has a similar style in a wool-blend, as does Baukjen and Me+Em has a houndstooth swing coat. Or you could go for a down-coat-with-a-difference: the Norma Kamali houndstooth wrap coat.
The bold, colourful coat is a great winter warmer. But, Know Your Style! As much as I love brilliant shades on other women (see below), hi-viz is not for me, a bright coat will not score highly on the TNMA cost-per-wear metric. If you prefer toned-down to amped up, go for a rich burgundy, chocolate brown, navy blue, olive green or charcoal. I’m into this dark choc, double-faced scarf coat from The White Company. The colour and fabric don’t have to be too attention-grabbing to stand-out. And, look for small points of difference to make outerwear more original: a printed lining, colourful belt or statement buttons (you can always add your own).
And of course, there is always the option to shop second-hand. Meet Margaret Davies (above), a volunteer at the Fashion and Textile Museum. She’s wearing an eye-catching, vintage Paul Smith mac and a fantastic wraparound jumper from Carven, bought at an outlet store in Dublin. About a month ago, we were shooting some street style photos for a new TNMA feature called What Women Wear ( the first edition is subscriber-only), and I practically style-stalked Margaret around the courtyard at Somerset House. When we finally spoke, I realised that we actually knew each other and had met before at an exhibition preview.
The photo below is of Sofia, a customer of vintage seller Catherine Patton who has a market stall at Herne Hill (in south London) and sells through her Instagram feed (UK only, and postage is not included). Have to admit, I clocked this beautiful wool tweed number a few weeks ago and it is a cracking coat. The fabric quality is superb. I’m not jealous, at all…
Photo courtesy of Catherine Patton
Catherine’s advice on what to look for when buying a vintage coat:
Quality first! Look for 100% wool – things were better made in the past and so you tend not to get blends. Natural fabrics such as Pure New Wool, Harris Tweed and Gabardine are incredibly hard-wearing.
Check the details. Patterns should match up at the side seams. Make sure there’s a full complement of buttons ( if there’s one missing you may have to replace the lot), and, if the buttonholes are stable. These can be difficult to repair.
Continue your inspection by turning the coat inside out for a good look at the lining. Then, lift the collar to see if there’s any obvious colour-fading.
On the subject of aromas…Accept that old clothes do smell a bit musty but you can air and clean them. If there’s an aroma of toxic mothballs, strong perfume or armpits, I’d forget about it. These smells are harder to remove.
More outstanding coats on my radar:
That’s Not My Age is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
If you are buying a new cover-up this autumn, please donate any spare or unwanted coats to Wrap Up charity this November. Details of the campaign can be found HERE. As the charity’s slogan goes, ‘Do something warm this winter’.
Discussion (26 Comments)
karen says:
I love buying vintage outerwear. My main winter coat is charcoal, classic double breasted style with a belt and from a quality retailer. I bought it secondhand in 1994, and it’s still going strong thirty years later. I also have a couple of vintage jackets.
Debs C says:
Anyone in the area of Borough, SE London, on Saturday, would have spotted me. I was the one wearing a green coat, easily spotted amongst the stream of black padded coats! I refuse to look like a coal hole version of the Michelin Man and love an interesting coat, having held onto my collection for a good few years, as I’ve always bought classic styles and it was money well spent. My favourite is a faux persian lamb, long / mid thigh length, with a detachable fur rounded collar, from Viyella, which was bought in their sale and not cheap for me, but affordable and very beautifully made. A coat really does polish off an outfit and if I hadn’t held onto my coats, then vintage would definitely be the way to go.
Gill says:
I have a lovely green cordory coat that my husband bought me one Christmas when we had not much money, but he knew how much I’d admired it in an LK Bennett outlet. It was probably about 16yrs ago. I bring it out every year, even though the lining is ripped in several places and it’s lost its shine. Well, I was in a vintage shop recently and found the same coat in excellent condition for £40. I am overjoyed!
Sarah P says:
I have several coats bought over the past ten years, none of which are black: red, navy with turquoise speckles, and now grey checked. The grey checked is Hobbs and was bought secondhand. There is another listed on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146183096906?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=IqnnSRF7SAW&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=eBml2-_DTlC&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY . For more casual days I also wear a red down jacket from a Norwegian brand, which has a kangaroo pocket to keep my hands warm.
Alison Briggs says:
When I arrived in London (from Sydney) in 1990 on a working holiday I purchased a men’s wool houndstooth coat from Portobello Rd Market. It was black and grey with a red fleck and I wore that coat to death with a red scarf and brooch until I could afford to buy something nicer. Harrods sale January 1991, a blue wool and cashmere wrap coat, which must have cost me an arm and a leg. My sister ‘borrowed’ it for 10 years in chilly Canberra but I’ve wrenched it back and still wear it here when we have a cold snap.
Cindy from Canada says:
I enjoyed seeing the different coats featured in the article. Winters in Canada can be very cold and windy – I am more of a winter jacket rather than wool coat person. I have 2 jackets in a bright red and a soft gray, length just above the knee – and yes, both have pockets, I have 2 Aran wool coatigans – not practical in the middle of winter – I wear them more in the spring and fall.
Treva says:
I live in the United States. I just replaced my winter coat with a navy coat that is made of Italian Lambswool. It is very similar to the Munroe coat from Hush. I think I made a great choice for wearing for years.
lizzie g says:
Wrap wool coats, thick fabric, without button closures, self belted. Yes they look great on tall and very thin waisted models in photos, but many look like dressing gowns in real life. And add to the bulk when we have thick sweaters on. Unless they are just left open, tricky on a windy day.
Buttons or even just a fastening somewhere, a funnel neck or car coat shape, half belt the back, all help with the practicalities of closing the coat on the cold days we need to, and wearing layers comfortably underneath.
My favourite winter coat is an oversized chocolate cashmere man’s car coat, found in a charity shop. The men’s section is often the place to get great wool coats, that were rarely worn and are in perfect condition.
The black duvet coats remind me of people as beetle shells somehow, the shape, and texture. Though i have a version too, a uniqlo, and am thankful for it on the wettest cold daysLove a car coat! And I think belted coats (in decent fabrics that don’t look like dressing gowns!) look good on curvy women, too. Quite Golden Age of Hollywood…
Do you get the men’s coats altered to shorten them or are you very tall? I am average height for a UK woman i.e. 5 ft 4 so a coat designed for an adult man would absolutely swamp me.
i’m 5ft 7. But men’s coats are often not as long styled as women’s, so men’s knee length is just fine as a long coat for me.
i agree it might be tricky if you’re not so tall.
Ola Salmon says:
Thank you for your newsletter, you have just stopping me from buying – yet another -black puffer coat! Also, I was so surprised to see the photo of Sofia in her beautiful coat. I worked with her in Harrods many years ago and often think about her.
With all the doom and gloom and the moment we definitely need colour this winter.Oh there’s a coincidence! I didn’t meet Sofia – Catherine the vintage seller knows her and shared the photo. Doesn’t the coat looks fantastic on her?
maria says:
I have some beautiful wool coats, a grey one and a camel one, both bought second-hand from my local charity shop for €15-€20. Both are Marella brand and absolutely gorgeous. I also have a neon orange one from the Irish department store Dunnes Stores. It was really cheap, not wool and the buttons fell of within a week. I love it though as it’s bright and cheery. I do have the obligatory black full-length puffer jacket from Sweaty Betty but am waiting for real cold before using it. Coats last for decades so I like having a selection.
Stockholm says:
Great coats. Here in Sweden we have a mild spell just now but it can turn cold quick, we never know anymore. I buy my tweedcoats from a Swedish company https://brixtoltextiles.com/collections/women
Have several of the model deb and also an unpadded joan jett (they make them every ss season)
Made,in Europe, even the cloth, and have an inside pocket so,you can leave,your bag at home. Freee!Oh thank you for the recommendation. I really like the petrol blue, 100% wool ( Deb style).
Katy says:
The most expensive coat I ever bought was a bulky Bernat Klein tweed in vivid colours. It was 1967 and I was preparing to spend 2 years in Ottawa. Back home in ’69 and ’71 that coat saw me through 2 pregnancies. It has been relined and still comes out in very cold weather. I can’t part with it!
For my 80th birthday I treated myself to a shearling coat…shameless expense, but an old lady craves a touch of luxury.
Sarah says:
So agree. You look fabulous in the burgundy and brown Alyson. A good coat over a jumper and jeans makes so much difference. A couple of years ago I was watching And Just Like That, I loved a checked coat Miranda was wearing. Despite it being the middle of summer, I scoured e-bay, searching ‘check coat’. I found a gorgeous Nicole Fahri wool coat, a grey check with a rust colour highlight. I may be buried in it.
Mrs Tonia says:
Some good suggestions here. Like many others I do have black quilted, duvet coats in my wardrobe. But they are too much of a uniform so I prefer two older bronze brown quilted ones I’ve got. I’ve got a repertory of old coats I wear on rotation. Like Alyson I prefer more subdued hues like olive and black, grey to bright colours, the colour being added with gloves and scarves to brighten up the whole outfit. One of my favourites is a plaid woollen trench coat style I got in a department store in Seoul. It seemed very daring when I got it in 2016 but it’s proved a winner. Long, warm enveloping going with everything , ideal over jeans and boots. Now it looks far less unusual but does stand out from navy and black dress coats. I’ve kept some tweed coats from the 90s which I still wear. My favourite being a boucle black and white dogtooth check. It was Italian, on sale at Whistles in its heyday. Very sixties in style with patch pockets and a black ribbed knitted collar. Still fits and still looks stylish this long later.
Nicola says:
I live I Sydney where we don’t really have a proper winter but I have a navy wool coat I bought in Fenwicks when we lived in the UK and I had my first baby 34 years ago ( very colicky – lots of evening walking the streets required). That coat is bang up to date in fashion now and I got so many compliments about it last winter. I’m so glad I carted it around the world!
Pat Cockett says:
Just read this article and it really struck a chord with me; I miss regularly wearing a ‘cloth coat’ as opposed to a puffa, but now living in Lincolnshire on the coast puffas are just so practical in the bitter winds. So I own brown, red, cream, navy, pink, khaki and mint green versions, short and long but no black! My 3 cloth coats are a grey cashmere mix maxi, bought in 1999, a black and cream spot knee length which now comes out for funerals, and a grey/tan checked knee length 3 button one which was a Vinted find. I ignore my husband when he looks in the spare bedroom wardrobe ( where my coats live) and says theatrically ‘ how many?’ Not enough
Enda Elizabeth Spain says:
I really enjoyed this article. Just yesterday, I bought a vintage coat in Jenny Vander, a vintage shop here in Dublin. The coat was made in England, by a company called Kashmoor. It’s mohair, black and rust, beautifully made, in perfect condition and so warm. I love it! I used to buy vintage occasionally years ago and I don’t know why I stopped. This coat find and your article reminds me of the joy of doing so.
Louise Bevin says:
Oh if only we had the weather for these beautiful coats. Where I live in NZ we can get about 2-3 weeks of needing what you could call “coat weather.” Was just recently in UK and I was so envious to see all the coats come out at the first sign of autumn/winter weather. I had to make do with spending some time perusing the shops with all the new winter wardrobes. The selection of pics you put up Alyson is fab!!
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Love this! I am not a fan of the black duvet coat. I have an olive green wool coat in my collection, a little large but that allows for a thick jumper, that I bought in a Save the Children store about 15 years ago. It’s excellent quality and perked up by a bright felt brooch – I would add brooches on coats to your list of ways to make outerwear more interesting. £20 never felt so well spent!