I did not expect my search for spring style to lead me to wanting an anorak. Yet it has. Last year a blazer worked with everything; I wore mine with dresses, jeans and even denim Bermuda shorts. This spring, only an anorak will do.
We’re not talking about trainspotter’s favourite item, though these anoraks have the same functional qualities. Rather, this is fashion’s voluminous, chic take on the sporty, waterproof outdoorsy jacket, parka or windcheater. It comes complete with either a funnel neck or hood, and has migrated from the aisles of your local Mountain Warehouse to be given the fashion treatment by M&S, Cos, H&M, & Other Stories and more.
As a useful item an anorak –from the Inuit annoraaq, or waterproof hooded jacket - makes perfect sense for spring. It’s a transitional piece that deals with unpredictable weather, layers easily over everyday clothes when needed, and always features handy pockets, zips and drawstring fastenings. Calling it a key fashion item seems like a much bigger leap until you see how chic they look, and then it all makes sense.
How designers reinvented the anorak
Their current popularity can be laid at the door of Yves Saint Laurent, and the designer Miuccia Prada, whose brands Prada and Miu Miu have long incorporated functional and technical sporty staples into their collections, mixing them with fashion pieces, rather than, say, a pair of waterproof trousers.
This mix of chic and function, offered in the fashion colours of the season, from lilac to orange and pink, is the way to wear anorak now. M&S has created a dusty pink zip front version, while H&M’s waterproof pink anorak is chic and roomy. & Other Stories version comes in orange with a half zip, and Massimo Dutti’s is in a creamy white shade.
My personal favourite, a billowy anorak with a hood and drawstring details comes from Cos. This new edition of their sellout version of last year, is offered in chocolate brown or burgundy, making it a fashion and functional statement in one. I'd wear mine with straight leg jeans and kitten heel boots, with a crisp blue shirt peeping out from underneath.
Every jacket in this edit has been chosen to work with your most chic everyday staples from wide-leg trousers, to jeans - whether barrel or straight leg - even a statement skirt.
Swap your blazer for one of these, and you'll instantly be in fashion, it is an easy as that. And, bonus, you can wear it to walk the dog too.
