It’s that time again; the temperature has dropped and you can no longer get away with going out out without a coat on. But finding coats to wear with dresses is no simple task.
It was such a thing in my student days. All dressed up and heading for a club? You didn’t want to throw a coat on for fear of killing your outfit.
My days at Oceana, Pop World et al may be over, but elements of this principle have stuck. Even now, dashing from a cab to a restaurant, I want to feel like I’ve mastered layering up.
With age and fashion wisdom, I’ve learned a few key ways to style coats to wear with dresses – no matter how smart or casual your dress code, and whatever the hem length.
These coats don’t kill the outfit, they make the outfit.
Here are the combinations to try:
The leather blazer
Everyone loves a leather biker jacket, of course. But if you’re off out to a nice restaurant with friends, or if your hemline is a mini, the combination might read as too casual.
Enter the leather blazer; an even sleeker, smarter update.
Bridgerton actress Simone Ashley’s Lanvin jacket skims perfectly over the coordinating minidress showing just enough hemline, but she could also wear this investment piece with jeans and a white T-shirt.
Statement fuzz
Sometimes the right topper for a statement dress is a coat with even more oomf.
Influencer Zeena Shah already has a major printed green maxi dress on, but she’s enhanced it even further wearing this checkerboard Stand Studio faux fur coat over the top.
In patterns and hot colours, at all price points, a full-length fuzzy coat will offer maximum impact and, crucially, warmth.
The crombie
Another coat silhouette that works perfectly over a maxi dress is the crombie, so named because of the original overcoat made by Scottish fashion company J&J Crombie Ltd. (now Crombie 1805). The original designs were made from their famous wool cloth and fitted to be three quarer length.
Slimline and gently tailored, new iterations of the crombie style overcoat are perfect for wearing with dresses today.
The shape works to smooth over frothier dresses below, save for a puff of a hemline around the ankle.
Stylist Sarah Corbett-Winder puts a boho twist on her look, wearing a fringed camel coat over a paisley print dress, and carrying tan accessories.
The little black cape
The LBC is surprisingly versatile when worn over mini dresses and maxis alike.
The sharpness of the cut makes it look smart (see actress Lily Collins) and it’s a fun alternative to a black tuxedo jacket – ideal to wear out with full glam to dinner.
The leather maxi mac
If your dress hemline is a midi or maxi, you might be better suited to a leather maxi coat than a blazer style for coats to wear with dresses.
See author Candice Brathwaite in this pitch-perfect party season look; a brocade fit-and-flare dress, with a fuzz-trimmed leather mac on top. There’s even a belted waistband which, when she does the coat up, will literally tie the whole look together.
The tonal topper
Is there anything better than a perfectly tonal coat match to show that your jacket wasn’t thrown on as an afterthought?
Stylist Erica Davies has nailed it in this all-red ensemble. The key is to wear different textured fabrics to break up the look; here is a wool felt coat, chiffon pleated skirt and satin blouse.
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