Winter Coat Edit
I vividly remember bonfire night as a child. Walking with what felt like hundreds of other families along dark streets, the smell of smoke in the air, kids on shoulders, wrapped up in warm layers. All of us heading in the same direction to the park.
One of my clearest memories is the excitement of getting dressed to go out into the cold night - it was an opportunity for all of us kids to put on our favourite scarves, hats and gloves (and actually NEED them, without immediately boiling). The ritual of getting super cosy and bundled up each year became a tradition, and to this day I overdress for bonfire night…
The fireworks might be over (thankfully. Nobody needs to listen to another round of rockets at 11pm for the tenth night running, thank you) but we finally seem to be getting some properly cold weather in London after an autumn of questioning coat or no coat. My daughter seems to have inherited the ‘cosy’ gene and equally loves getting wrapped up, and I love to think she might end up with those same memories of this time of year. Useful when coaxing her to wear a coat on a cold day, slightly less so when we’re searching for a lost glove before nursery that she insists she absolutely must have before we leave, as was the case this week.
In terms of outer-wear, as she’s gotten older coats have ended up in two very distinct categories, through necessity: weekends or days out, and nursery or playgrounds. We haven’t needed a rainsuit so far this year (I’m kind of sad I didn’t notice when she grew out of that phase. Although I have some great suggestions for those which could be a whole other edit) but the nursery coat does tend to get trashed/covered in mud so is often in the wash, and a slightly different look is needed for the dress and tights combo.
As a change in the weather these days also means an excuse to get scrolling, I’ve put together some of my favourite cold weather finds. Most of the coats could work as unisex, are available from baby size and are high street prices.
Verbaudet Officer’s Coat | H&M Peacoat | Boden Duffle Coat | Zara Wool Blend Duffle Coat
Starting with weekend winter coats aka try not to trash. Paddington-inspired navy coats are always top of the list - we’ve had a few variations over the years and they go with everything. This Verbaudet coat (top left) is our current favourite, with arms wide enough to fit chunky sleeves and cute brass buttons. H&M’s take on the peacoat looks really premium for the price!
Verbaudet Wool Check Coat |H&M Brown fluffy coat |H&M Duffle Coat| Newbie Houndstooth Car Coat | H&M Teddy-lined Duffle Coat
I’ve mentioned before about wanting to dress my daughter like a tiny Victorian, so I love a brown/camel coat as a change and for days out in the city. The one Isla is wearing here is my greatest ever Vinted find (old Boden for £10) but I also love Verbaudet’s chunky checked wool coat with a cosy sherpa inner layer. The closest I could find to a wool Herringbone coat online that wasn’t upwards of £150 was this really sweet one from Newbie.
WHEAT Morgan Puffer | Hooded Pile Jacket | Next Green Borg Fleece| H&M Teddy-collared Puffer Coat | John Lewis Borg Fleece
Mud, chalk, paint, tomato sauce (how does sauce even end up on a coat?). Preschool provides us with many opportunities to chuck a coat in the wash and see how well it stands up. I’ve always opted for fleece/borg style jackets as they work across different seasons, and this one from H&M has lasted really well this year, muddy farm visits and all. In defence of including a cream jacket in a preschool edit, Isla wore the Arket borg jacket above for two winters, so they can work (it was also a great excuse to include one of my favourite photos in said jacket). Puffers are great on really cold mornings, and this beautiful print from WHEAT is likely to hide most day-to-day stains.