Styling Advice For When Your Coat Is The Whole Outfit

'Outfit Maths': The Winter Edition

This post is sponsored by JOSEPH. You can shop their full range of winter coats here.

Coat season is around the corner, and as a lover of a classic coat, jeans and boots formula, I am here for it. Give me a heavy wool coat any day of the week! One question that crops up a lot in my monthly Style Clinics with subscribers is: what do you do when your coat becomes the whole outfit? And I get it. How do you convey your full breath of personal style when over two-thirds of your body is just one item of clothing? I have a few ideas…

Wearing the JOSEPH Merton Coat, Reversible Shearling Leman Coat & Heritage Wool Louise Coat.

Choose wisely. My number one piece of advice is to curate your coat collection so it’s full of ones you’re excited to wear - even your more practical coats. Think of what vibe you want your outfits to convey or your ‘three words’ if you subscribe to the Allison Bornstein idea. For me, I like my style to be classic, polished and undone, and when it comes to coats, I’d say that I tend to channel classic and polished through them the most, which means the JOSEPH selection of winter coats is right up my alley. But if I had to pick three:

• JOSEPH Light Double Face Animation Merton Coat - with a composition of - 85% wool and 15% silk, this coat feels like butter. Plus, the grid pattern offers some added texture and interest.

• JOSEPH Reversible Shearling Leman Coat - you see the photos of the shearling jacket and the black leather jacket? It’s the same coat. I know. It is 100% leather; I genuinely can’t pick a favourite side.

• JOSEPH Heritage Wool Louise Coat - I love the weight of this jacket - it’s heavy. In a great way, it means it has a gorgeous drape and flow. It’s the deep rich brown that got me.

What a line-up - the Merton Coat, Shearling Leman Coat & Heritage Wool Louise Coat.

Get the trouser/shoe combo right. A post all about the different lengths and cuts of trousers and what shoes to wear with each has been on my to-write list for months, but then Allison did a post about it and explained it in a far more eloquent way than I ever could - so have a read of that here! There’s something about the sheer volume of coats that can really accentuate the trouser/shoe choice, so have a play around to see what feels right for you. From my experience, for shorter trousers, having some skin on the top of the foot showing - albeit with a sock on or not - gives some balance to the outfit. If the trousers are longer or more flared, then I enjoy a shoe with an elongated toe box to add some height to the look.

Add jewellery. I am just a girl, standing here, emphasising the importance of jewellery - again. I know I’m always banging on about it, but when the coat is basically the whole outfit, then it’s all about adding those little touches on the areas of your body that aren’t covered up. You might like dainty earrings? Or drop styles? Hoops? Or statement studs? Whatever works with your style, here’s your chance to add it back into the formula. I tend to gravitate towards a chunky, slightly sculptural gold earring to help add polish to my look.

Wearing the JOSEPH Reversible Shearling Leman Coat in a UK12.

Don’t forget your hair. Just like earrings, however you decide to style your hair can add another ingredient to your style recipe. My advice would be to find a low-effort style that becomes a bit of your signature - or maybe your signature is that you switch it up often? We don’t really think of it this way, but how you style your hair can be part of your uniform. For me, I’ve realised that whilst the rest of my outfit tends to convey more polished and classic vibes, I like my hair to be more undone - nothing too fussy or forced. So I either let it dry naturally or throw a few pieces around a curling iron without too much thought for a sort of messy, au naturel wave.

Wrong bag theory? Just like Allison’s ‘Wrong Shoe Theory’, which can be a great styling exercise to use year-round, I think there’s something to be said for picking a bag that feels like the less obvious choice, too. If your coat is quite smooth and untextured, then a smooth leather tote, for example, might just feel a bit flat when you put it on. So, how about a pony-hair leopard print tote? Or a woven leather mini tote? Or a brown suede bag to add another texture and some bulky gold hardware? Just like with your hair and your jewellery, it’s another opportunity to balance out your three words and round out your outfit formula.

Wearing the JOSEPH Merton Coat in a UK12.

Wrap it up. It feels like an obvious point here, but most coats will have a number of ways you can style them. All of the JOSEPH ones I’ve worn here have optional belts to add. I chose to wear them open because I wanted a more relaxed feel, but if I was going for something more classic and tailored and adding more ease with my accessories, then I might go for the belted option. Heck - the shearling is reversible! There are four ways to wear that - with the shearling side belted or open and then the leather side belted or open. You have options! Did you succumb to the summer trend of the skinny leather rope belt? Yeah, me too. Try that around your coat. Or pop a scarf around your waist à la Leandra. Have a play.

Wearing the JOSEPH Louise Coat in a UK12.

Hopefully, that arms you with some ideas to try next time you feel like your personal style is out of whack this winter. It’s all in the *balance*. Like what you see here? Be sure to subscribe - we’d love to have you!

Anna x