The 5 types of Inbetweener coats to consider now

I know and you know that barely a passing thought has yet been given in our collective shopping imagination to The Winter Coat. It wasn’t until someone told me the other day that coat sales now only get going in January, that the idea even crossed my mind. And it’s my job to think about these things. But it doesn’t really get cold until the end of the year, so why kowtow to those old adages about getting your coat in August? It’s like buying a bikini in February.  

Wool blend coatigan, ￡139, John Lewis & Partners; Checked duster coat, ￡65, Topshop

The Inbetweener Coat is infinitely  more important right now, which is why I’ve been giving it far greater consideration. The good news is that it’s not all about practicality: here’s a wardrobe gap with which you can have some fun, because you’re not going to be relying on an Inbetweener to get you through a dog walk in a muddy field in a blizzard. I hope.

Cape coat, ￡99.99, Zara;  Cotton shacket, ￡175, Toast 

A bit of a swish is what you need, which I why I love the resurgence of the cape, as seen at Alexander McQueen, Alberta Ferretti, Erdem and more. Once it gets properly cold, you won’t want to deal with the draught problem that those vented sides create, but when there’s only a touch of crispness in the air, it’s just the thing. Zara’s would be a sensible choice, but can you think of any more divine way to see off SAD than by ensconcing yourself in a cashmere wrap like Madeleine Thompson’s?

Madeleine Thompson cashmere wrap, ￡410, Net-a-Porter

A coatigan is another on-point option. So chic and flattering, whether you go for one with a belted waist or something that skims into a sleek column. Other excellent Inbetweeners: duster coats, shackets (that’s a shirt/jacket) or even a trench. And if a cold snap suddenly hits? Just layer one over another.