Coat de jour
Q. Last week I was wafting around all-autumnal in a chunky cardi. Fast-forward a few days and I'm skidding and sliding in heavy frost and zero temperatures - without a coat. What's still in stock, affordable and not high street mainstream?
We all know the fashion police expect us to buy a coat whilst the air-con is still cooling everyone at full throttle. But most of us remain in denial about winter, right up until it shows up blowing a gale around our hopeful Havaianas. This year, leaving it till your bum freezes means you’re right on the money. Most of those same coats swinging on the rails at the end of summer are now at knock-down prices. Here’s our pick of the best credit-crunch warmers around.
Ethical fashion brand People Tree is well known for both affordable style and fairtrade kudos. This season they don’t disappoint us with the figure-friendly, Gathered Smock Coat (£90). With cropped bell sleeves and figure-flattering voluminous shape, this is made from 100% handwoven cotton in Bangladesh, which means your purchase will help people other than yourself. Available now at Adili.
On the cut-price catwalk is Oxfam’s fairtrade cutie - the Black Heavy Cotton Gathered Coat. This began life at £95 and is now sporting a very flattering price tag of £66.50. Okay it’s cotton, but with some carefully chosen wool layers this coat will swing along nicely (thanks to the scores of tiny pleats working alongside the covered button).
For a little more fashion dash for your cash, Devi Doll London has the rather beautifully cut Crinkle Coat by Stewart Brown (pictured) reduced from £320 to £224. Not only will this charcoal baby never date, it’s fully lined in 100% silk and is made from a cotton and wool blend which makes it quite simply a great bit of fashion sense.
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