With the winter weather drawing in, having a good jacket in your wardrobe is a necessity. A good coat should be an investment and versatile enough to work with everything in your closet. However, with so many to choose from, picking the right one can seem impossible. To help with your decision, we asked experts which classic coats will see you through the winter months, no matter what your style.
With the winter weather drawing in, having a good jacket in your wardrobe is a necessity. A good coat should be an investment and versatile enough to work with everything in your closet. However, with so many to choose from, picking the right one can seem impossible. To help with your decision, we asked experts which classic coats will see you through the winter months, no matter what your style.
Duffle Coat
If you wish to protect yourself from the cold British winter, a jacket such as the duffle coat will help you stay warm, even at minus degree temperatures. Taking direct inspiration from the British Royal Navy and used in the military during WWI, the duffle coat has become an extremely versatile and stylish outwear garment.
Fashion houses have all added their own vision and twist to the good old Duffle coat, giving it a bright makeover or adding patterns such as the hounds tooth and tartan check. This particular type of coat has become one of the British favourites.
What makes the duffle coat so special is the vintage-look, the classic three-quarter cut and its extreme simplicity to mix it with potentially any outfit. I recommend to mix a Navy duffle coat (a classic neutral colour is great if you are planning to use it on a daily basis) with a pair of brown/khaki corduroy chinos, a cream turtle neck cable knit jumper and a good thick pair of leather boots. Don’t forget to keep in your pockets a pair of stylish leather gloves and a scarf around your neck for those incredibly freezing mornings.
Ronan Summers from 
Leather Jacket
The leather jacket is a classic style because it is a timeless structural element that is continuously modernised to this day. It is stylish, edgy and definitely a jacket with attitude.
How best to style it: Monotone dark colour palettes of black/grey, keeping it minimal with layers. Nicely tailored cropped ankle trousers, low top shoes, mixed with a sweater/roll neck, or a shirt & tie for the adventurous.
Toni Tran from 
Parka
Along with a good tough pair of boots, the Parka is one of the hardest working pieces of clothing you’re likely to find in a fella’s winter wardrobe. My relationship with parkas goes way back to when I was about 8, my dear mum would tie me up in one (along with those mittens on string, which I clearly didn’t need at that age) at 8am and send me off on the walk to school.
Back when we were kids I swear I didn’t feel the cold like I do now, I couldn’t wait to get the thing off, but now it’s the total opposite. The Parka jacket has made a definite resurgence over the past couple of years, with AW13 season seeing a peak in their popularity.
The perfect Parka has to feature an obscene amount of pockets, medium sized fur collar (not the real stuff of course), reinforced zip/press stud fastening, spacious and filled with Down.
Matthew Pike from 
“Fisherman” Coat
This jacket is reminiscent of a classic parka, has a simple design, and can be worn to suit many occasions.
The style is designed with utility in mind as much as it’s made to look good. Use it as an everyday jacket to stay warm and dry or wear it with a pair of chinos for a smart casual look on those special occasions. It is a great staple for any wardrobe.
Mike Evans from 
Bomber Jacket
The sartorial trend has become sporty, with the premium bomber jacket still reigning supreme as a key outerwear piece for the season.
Sportswear influences can be seen coming through on the catwalk and by other social trend drivers. Lux leather looks or premium fabric pieces are worth snapping up now.
Dan Hasby-Oliver from 
Quilted Jacket
When I first hear the word “quilted” I think of my grandma’s bed spread. But that memory passes and I think of the great and practical winter jacket!
The quilting is a brilliant engineering design for greater warmth. It can feature a warm lining kept in place by the quilted pattern. The light lining means the jacket remains stylish but practical.
The quilting pattern keeps the lining in place so that it all doesn’t fall to the bottom of the jacket rendering it non-functional.
And if you think quilting is recent invention in clothing, don’t! From the early 16th century to 1668 the vest men worn was in the form of an under-doublet, which was waist length, quilted and worn for warmth it became more and more decorative.
Andy from 
If you want to stay warm in style this winter, why not check out our coats page here.
