If you are someone in the business of building a forever wardrobe that is high on timeless chic and low on throwaway plastic-y fads, here is a style update to really get behind.
Black longline tailored overcoats are having a major fashion moment. Everywhere I look, a stylish woman is cutting a dash through the streets in a nearly floor sweeping black overcoat.
The appeal to me is the visual drama of the long coat, which also happens to be wrapped in a practical and warm piece that will dress me up if I’m wearing joggers and a cable knit, and look kick-ass shrugged over a kilt or a party dress.
The key to getting it right is as follows. Colour: inky black. The cut: precise yet roomy. The length: mid calf. It has to be well below the knee to work best.
26% Wool Double Breasted Longline Overcoat
26% Wool Double Breasted Longline Overcoat
The first coat I wanted, Victoria Beckham for Gap ”Chesterfield” tailored black style sold out within an hour. The second coat I fell for was Marks and Spencer’s single breasted long line coat with cashmere from their Autograph collection. When I went to click my size, I saw that too has sold out in every size bar an 18.
100% Pure Wool Tailored Double Breasted Longline Coat
100% Pure Wool Tailored Double Breasted Longline Coat
25% Wool Single Breasted Longline Coat
25% Wool Single Breasted Longline Coat
Grr. Annoying, but also confirmation that a black longline coat is the true coat buy of the season, and one to wear for the rest of this decade and beyond.
Thwarted in my initial hunt for The Coat, there was nothing for it but a focussed search through every long black coat I could get my eyes on, editing for a high wool content and a generosity of fabric combined with a sharpness of line.
I didn’t have to go far, because Marks and Spencer, as ever intuiting what we want to buy before we actually get to buying it, have a selection of them that satisfy the brief, and at price points ranging from £250 from a pure wool coat by Jaeger to a 25% wool, 73% polyester version on sale this week for just £56.
The only question that remains after that is whether to go single or double breasted.
If you're not sure think of it this way: whether single or double breasted as long as it is roomy, can take a jumper underneath and when worn open will look laid back yet sharp and with plenty of swish, you're onto a winner.
More Chic Long Black Overcoats to Consider Now
50% Wool Long Single Breasted Coat with Belt
50% Wool Long Single Breasted Coat with Belt
Oversized Longline Double Breasted Coat, 92% Polyester 8% Viscose
Oversized Longline Double Breasted Coat, 92% Polyester 8% Viscose
48% Wool Blend Oversized Single Breasted Coat
