Voice of London

It’s getting cold now, like properly, actually, cold – and sometimes wet, too. It can all be a bit dreary and depressing until you realise: harsh winds and grey skies? That’s Big Coat Season, baby!

Big coats are ace primarily because of their warmth and multitude of pockets, but they also look great and enable you to stand outside a pub holding a pint without fear of catching death, so they’re inarguably worth putting down a few quid for.

Here are some of the best big coats you can wrap around your shivering arms before the next Arctic storm comes for us all:

This yellow puffer jacket by Penn Sport:

Here’s a fact: puffer jackets are good. Yellow puffer jackets? The absolute bee’s knees. Show the winter dullness who’s boss with this striking banana-toned coat which is, to my knowledge, the best thing you can spend £80 on this week.

The all-over logo print adds an extra layer of garishness to an already garish garment in case you want everyone to be sure you only wear brands, mate.

This parka by Tommy Hilfiger:

There’s the parka, which was invented by Liam Gallagher in the nineties, and then there’s the good parka – and this is one of those. Tommy Hilfiger’s down parkas are capital W-for-Warm for when the mercury starts dropping. This one’s also clean and sophisticated in style, so you don’t look like you’re doing some last minute preparation for a skiing holiday in the crisps aisle at Sainsbury’s.

There are some downright dynamite colour variants as well. Rhubarb? Yes please. But the chief among them has to be Dijon, which probably hasn’t ever been used to describe a colour until Tommy Hilfiger went and used it. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant brilliant brilliant.

This oversized faux-fur coat from ASOS DESIGN x LaQuan Smith:

This coat is completely absurd. For that reason and that reason only, it makes the list. ASOS have quietly been making waves with their DESIGN arm this year, and this collaboration with rising New York fashion star LaQuan Smith is one of their latest moves to make more than just cheap socks and dresses and stuff.

At £200, all there is to say is this: wear it if you’re brave enough.

This red puffer jacket by Converse:

It’s puffer jacket time again, and if you were planning on painting the proverbial town red this winter, this is the coat for you. This one’s also a good choice if you were planning on painting the town black or white, because there’s a good little bit of non-tacky logo-incorporation on this jacket, and as we’ve established: you love the brands.

This is actually a very reasonably priced jacket that won’t break the bank. It’s also a coat you can throw over any outfit when it’s a little bit chilly, so this one wins for sheer value. If you are, however, financially irresponsible and/or stinkingly rich, here’s one…

This hooded duffle coat by Burberry:

My, my, my, this one’s pricey! But Burberry are good again now, after a period in the early to mid-2000s where every Tom, Dick and Harry was wearing Burberry check. And duffle coats are a sartorial classic, so this one’s a winner.

This wool blend coat with a cheeky bit of Burberry check hidden in the hood is guaranteed to move you up the chic ladder and will upgrade the look of whatever you slap it over – there’s no way that it can’t. If you’ve got £990 burning a hole in your pocket, get one of these in your wardrobe. Do it!

Words: Matty Hall | Subbing: Taylor Paatalo