Top coats

Every winter wardrobe should feature a stylish coat. These very different looks, chosen by DEIRDRE MCQUILLAN, are all from M&S

BUYING A DECENT winter coat is always a challenge. Like bags and shoes, coats are worn daily and have to match different outfits, and they need to look as good with jeans as with a glamorous dress. Fashion is tied to modernity and, apart from a coat being dependable, there’s the vexed question of how to look contemporary without being trend driven; choosing a style that won’t date too quickly can be tricky.

A coat is a significant winter buy and one of the most stylish women I know puts a lot of thought into it because “if it looks good, I’ll feel great and, best of all, it can cover a multitude”. A friend still wears a MaxMara coat bought some years ago, an investment buy that proved its worth and still looks the business when she wears it. As for fur, this season it can be faux and fun and add that touch of predatory glamour to any outfit.

There’s an emotional effect of being enveloped in a winter coat, expressed often by cocoon shapes; this is sartorial armour for the season. And it’s extraordinary how uniforms continue to influence outer wear as the continuing vogue for trench coats, chesterfields, camel and peacoats amply testifies, all of which either have either military or sporting backgrounds.

Variations on these tried and tested shapes trickle down from the catwalk to high street, season after season, with Burberry usually taking the lead. One of the most beautiful coats I’ve seen this autumn is in grey twill by Ann Demeulemeester (available in Havana, Dublin 4), an ultra-cool take on a trench. The versatility of trenches means they double up as rainwear, and Marks Spencer offers an array of choice from traditional gabardines or dense cottons to brightly coloured variations on the theme.

When choosing a coat, the length and silhouette should match your body shape; a long coat that looks good with wide-leg trousers or with high boots suits taller women; a boyish crombie that ticks the androgynous masculine/ feminine trend is best with narrow jeans or trousers; and a knee-length princess coat teams well with skirts.

According to Neil Hendy, head of design at Marks Spencer, the right coat is an instant wardrobe update. This season’s offering of coats is the chain’s biggest ever. “It’s such a strong season that it means that we have put more fashion into our selection in an affordable way and more and more of certain types of fabric, like faux fur and checks,” he says. The black, cream and white drop-waisted check coat is both a nod to the 1960s as well as a sassy alternative to solid black. Some of the coats look really posh, such as the cashmere maxi, styled with a narrow belt, while the black military-style number worn with skinny jeans and a bold silver belt and shirt has more rock’n’roll street edge. Prices are a good fit too in these recessionary times, from €109 up to €270.