A statement coat - your shortcut to stealth wealth... How to dress like a grown up by Shane Watson
- Statement coats are piquing the interest of women who normally play it safe
- READ MORE: I'm a style expert. Here's how to dress like a fashion editor - along with the ten things they'd never be seen dead in
The Danes love them. Fashion editors swear by them. Nicole Kidman in the days of The Undoing, the HBO thriller with Hugh Grant, made them a talking point for a while.
However, it’s fair to say your average fashion-savvy British woman (me included) is a little bit wary of a statement coat.
It’s the juxtaposition of the two words that bothers us. Statement we get. Statement sweater; statement earrings; a statement skirt we can understand, but a statement coat feels too limiting.
A coat is inevitably a pricier wardrobe staple and we want it to do all the things a coat needs to do and last for more than a nanosecond.
Once you get into ‘statement’ territory you’re talking about something designed to stand out rather than blend in, that refuses to go quietly with everything you own, let alone sit on a bicycle or volunteer for a rainy walk.
It’s the Princess Margaret of wardrobe items, attention-seeking, not easily adaptable – a luxury for the woman who can afford to wear a different coat every day of the week, not for us.
But what if we’ve been wrong about such a coat and it can be a kind of one-stop cunning solution for the woman who wants to make an impact without fussing about it? What if it’s actually a smart and cost-effective move to buy one striking piece of outerwear, then keep the underpinnings chic and simple?
The continuing vogue for minimal classics is a big part of the reason statement coats are piquing the interest of women who normally play it safe.
Layers: Boden’s quilted blue design for £198
In vogue: Anna Wintour is a lady in red
Fashion editors have always been partial to a monochrome wardrobe and for them a special coat is a no-brainer way to ring the changes. Now the rest of us are getting used to simple tonal dressing, it follows that a statement coat has new-found appeal.
A few years ago, a friend bought a patterned coat from Zara and I thought: ‘That’s nice, but way too tricky; who has time to work out what will go underneath?’ Now I think that coat could go over lots of things I own, except a few print dresses.
And besides, there’s something very satisfying about a coat with character and substance that isn’t just warm and waterproof and useful. You put it on and you feel instantly more optimistic and pulled together – and glamorous to boot.
Anything goes with a statement coat, but for my money a luxurious fabric and texture is where the advantages lie – rather than military detailing or a fishtail hemline.
And it’s important to note that this coat does not have to be bright, blingy or OTT in any sense in order to qualify. Better that it causes passers-by to give you a sly look than drop their coffee.
At the subtler end of the scale Mango’s maxi lapel manteco wool coat in cream (£119, shop.mango.com) is in the stealth wealth statement zone. This lavish-looking belted wrap coat (at first glance I thought the style was called Montecito in honour of LA’s most exclusive residential area) looks like one Gwyneth Paltrow might have in her walk-in wardrobe.
What makes this a statement is its light colour and good cut including those broad, structured lapels. For the 100 per cent cashmere version (the real thing) head to Zara (£399, zara.com).
Otherwise, for a plain bold statement, I’d go for Massimo Dutti’s red cotton trench coat (£169, massimodutti.com): simple but effective, and you’ll be wearing it right through the summer.
Celebrity favourite Charlotte Simone sells quirky statement coats from £300 (charlottesimone.com)
At the other end of the spectrum there’s quirky suede (see the Charlotte Simone website, charlottesimone.com) and faux fur which is now a year-round option, so long as it’s not black.
Keep wearing your animal print (especially cow and leopard) or branch out into colourful boho prints.
The best place to look is Boden whose quilted bright blue-and-white print midi coat (£198, boden.com) is a hit with the fashion crowd.
The embroidered Suzani-esque (that decorative Central Asian style) is another £100, so not cheap, but a good elevator for cream and blue jeans.
Unusual texture and colour provide my statement-coat sweet spot and paler colours will work for you most of the year while looking extra-lush.
Zara Collection has a pale pink, long, midi, wool-mix coat (£149, zara.com) with good big-notch lapels. Wear it over anything, but for extra impact all the reds and wine colours.
