It’s December, which means cold nights buzzing around the busy city between work, social plans and festivities. There’s only one way to so in true style. Enter: the overcoat.
The overcoat is a classic shape, a loose fit with a smooth, chic drape. It has a slightly longer length than a car coat making it more versatile to be dressed up or down for pretty much any occasion. For a formal events, it teams well with a suit for work and even looks the part for a winter wedding. For a casual look, it can be thrown on over an oversized hoodie or a chunky rollneck. Wherever you’re going, and whatever you’re doing, an overcoat won’t let you down.
This winter, it’s all about textures and classic patterns – think houndstooth, tweed and flecked wool. These timeless materials are designed to keep you warm, dry and looking chic for many, many winters to come. And if budget allows, this could be a purchase you could wear every winter and sill be able to pass it onto the next generation.
Here’s our pick of the five best overcoats from this season’s selection. Button up.
Best overcoat for: Authentic Tweed with a modern shape
Sirplus Harris Tweed Herringbone Wool Raglan Overcoat, £795
The overcoat is timeless and so is Harris Tweed. So the combination of the two in this coat from Sirplus is one that transcends fashion. It’s a wardrobe staple that will look just as good in 20, 30 or even 40 years’ time.
Harris Tweed is the only tweed that’s still handwoven. Born and made in the Outer Hebrides, it’s designed to keep you warm and dry in winter and cool in summer. It’s robust enough to withstand the harshest of weather, everyday wear and tear, and it’s easy to clean and repair when needed.
A country classic with a modern, city silhouette, it pairs well with suits, chinos, jeans and joggers. And you can be sure it’ll keep you nice and toasty on a trek out to Leytonstone.
Best overcoat for: This season’s must-have
Percival Minnesota Overcoat, £329
This is overcoat everyone’s talking about this winter. In a heavy twill with contrasting colours, it’s a “textural delight”. High-quality, well-designed and made from pure wool coat, yet it’s a more accessible price than most.
The catch is that you’ll be lucky if you can get your hands on one – it’s a ‘sign up to alerts and keep your fingers crossed’ kind of situation (as with most things from Percival at the moment).
Best overcoat for: A shorter length
Wax London Stan – Brown Fleck Tweed Car Coat, £350
If you can’t get your hands on the Percival, this Stan Car Coat is a fantastic alternative from Wax London. As it’s a car coat, it’s slightly shorter in length than an overcoat and the others on this list, sitting at about knee-length.
The flecked brown tweed is right on trend for this season, but it’s such high quality it’ll keep you warm through a lifetime of cold winters.
Best overcoat for: Double-breasted city style
Toast Double-Breasted Wool Overcoat, £595
We love the fleck in the navy washed wool of this double-breasted overcoat. The herringbone is subtle, just giving depth to the colour and weight to the fabric, making the coat look (and feel) more expensive than it is. It’s oversized, below the knee and has a lovely clean drape. A true modern classic.
Best overcoat for: A lifetime investment
Private White V.C. The Dark Navy Donegal, £1,100
For those looking for something truly special, this collaboration between Private White V.C. and award-winning luxury menswear designer Simon Crompton. There’s a very limited number.
The fabric here is something special. It’s Donegal wool from Donegal Yarns, the last remaining wool spinners in the area. They’ve been making high-quality flecked yarn since the 19th century. Here it’s set in a herringbone pattern and handcrafted into the overcoat you see here in Manchester.
It’s got everything you’d ever want. A regular fit, plenty of external and internal pockets and even cashmere-lined pockets for a really luxurious feel.
It’s pricey but with a lifetime repair service it’s guaranteed to be worth it.
