Our last poll of 2019 asks you to choose one of two types of toppers. A coat is generally thigh-length and longer, and more insulating and heavier than a jacket. Coats are usually worn outdoors and known as outerwear, whereas a jacket can be extremely lightweight, short, and worn indoors. In the extreme, a jacket can be as lightweight as a shirt and worn in mild weather, while a coat can insulate you in arctic temperatures.
Jackets and coats are both magical wardrobe items. Personally, I think they can make a bigger style statement than footwear, because they are larger, more visible, and closer to your face. If you wear a fabulous coat or jacket with a nondescript pair of shoes, your outfit will shine. If you wear a less than fab coat and jacket with killer shoes, it might not.
Jackets and coats are both really popular with my clients because they are visually magical, and extremely practical in Seattle where you need a topper most of the year. My clients generally have large and varied jacket and coat capsules. They are probably evenly split across the two teams. Some prefer jackets because they work and commute by car. That means they need a topper to wear indoors at the office, and don’t need to brave the outside elements in a thick coat. Driving in a short jacket is also easier than driving in a long coat. Others prefer the ease of layering an item of knitwear under a coat, and the streamlined and elongating integrity of a coat. The added insulation is important too. A coat can look awfully chic, sharp and flattering, and often adds more outfit drama than a jacket.
I LOVE jackets and coats. They are my next favourite wardrobe items after handbags. I have a large capsule of each, and wear the items frequently because I live in a jacket and coat-wearing climate and commute on foot most of the time. I run cold and I’m always grabbing a topper of some sort — even in Summer to combat arctic air conditioning.
Here’s my current collection of jackets and coats. There’s a lot of variety in colour, silhouette, fabric, pattern, and degree of insulation, which keeps things interesting.
I can’t choose, so I’m sitting this one out on the bench with sweetcorn samosas, leak fritters with coriander sauce, salt and pepper squid, butternut and tomato curry with wild rice, and koeksisters for dessert.
Over to you. Do you bat for Team Jacket or Team Coat? Tell us why and no batting for both teams. I suspect we’ll have an even split, so prove me wrong.
