Jackets are almost completely perfect in sartorial terms: figure enhancing, posture improving, all-round confidence endowing, powerful and, if you get it right, a bit seductive. This winter, the shops are filled with every kind, from Zara’s extremely convincing, pointy-shouldered, Balmain “tributes” and boxy Chanel styles, to Joseph’s cashmere-mix, cardigan-soft, slouchy ones. If you’re bored with dresses, or they’re just not your thing, a great jacket with a pair of slim trousers is a simple – and rather elegant, in an updated Brief Encounter sort of way – alternative.
There is quite a big caveat with jackets however, and it’s this: what do you do when it gets really cold? There comes a point, even in mild British winters, when a jacket alone just doesn’t do the trick. Now, you’re probably thinking, “Hello? Coats, anyone?” But have you tried the average coat over the average jacket? It’s like trying to pop a beanie over a ski helmet. So, having invested heavily in jackets, because people like me have been telling you for the past five years that they’re worth investing heavily in (and much chicer than a cardie), you now find yourself abandoning your jacket and embracing your cardie after all. This dilemma has bugged me for years. I studied Brief Encounter for answers. But unless you’re prepared to lug around an oversized Forties fur coat, it’s fruitless. I looked to the early Nineties – the last time jackets were this fashionable – and unearthed something called a serape, a primitive ancestor of the pashmina, often with ruffled edges and frankly unacceptable to today’s sensibilities.
The modern solutions are, I’m pleased to report, far more refined: the cape, the gilet and the wrap. The last two are sleeveless, which might seem counter-intuitive but, on most days, you won’t need two sets of sleeves. If you go for a warm gilet (topshop.com’s black, tipped Mongolian gilet, £90, or celtic-sheepskin.co.uk’s anthracite-coloured, hooded sheepskin padded version, £195) on top of a wool or tweed jacket, you’ll probably be toasty enough, apart from on the coldest of days. For more coverage, as well as a dramatic, fashion-forward statement, capes are ideal. Asos.com has a good selection – I really like the olive, slit-sleeved, belted-at-the-front Harris tweed cape coat, £350, and a black, hip-length one, £225, both from Beyond the Valley.
Alternatively, Zara has camel-coloured wrap-capes, as does deniscolomb.com (above left), my favourite indulgence label. These may look like nothing on the hanger but they settle magically on the body into stylishly slouchy drapes. And they may be pricey, but the asymmetric sleeveless vest reaches the knees at the front – belt that over a jacket, and you’ll be snugger than Shackleton and cooler (in a warm way) than Kate. Plus, you get to change the colour of your sleeves whenever you feel like it. It’s immensely satisfying when fashion comes up with a genuine solution to a problem. Granted the problem is generally of its own making. But still, a solution’s a solution.
Notes on keepIng warm
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Capes are very fashion-forward
You don’t usually need two sets of sleeves, so go for a gilet or wrap
Check out the ranges at Zara, Topshop and deniscolomb.com