Coats and jackets: this season's picks for a stylish autumn

The biker jacket is more in favour than ever: leather, rock'n'roll, a touch sexy and just nonchalant enough, it looks great worn cropped in town.

Red puffer jacket with a high collar and silver-tone details
Illustrative image
A woman wearing a navy wool pea coat with a wide collar
The wool pea coat: city-smart and well cut

Let's be honest: it's 8°C in the morning, you're shivering on the platform, and by lunchtime you're sweating in a coat that isn't doing half of what it promised. By 1pm the sun is out and your coat ends up over your arm. September pulls this trick every single year — and it's exactly the moment to choose your outerwear, before the cold decides for you.

A woman fastening the wooden toggles of a beige duffle coat
The duffle coat and its toggles: chic and warm

Once again this year there's no radical change in the trends — apart from the arrival of the quilted cotton jacket in that "unlikely granny in the saddle" vein: we're taking the liberty of giving that one a miss, thanks all the same. That aside, between the masculine-leaning parka, the cape, the trench, the biker, the puffer, the duffle coat, the so-called princess coat and the wool pea coat, we're hopelessly torn. Hard to settle on just one.

Back view of a belted khaki trench coat worn in the street
The khaki trench: timeless and easy to wear

So we've gone through them, piece by piece. And before you head to the till, one simple but handy pointer: read the label. As a rule, a blend with a low wool content can pill more easily — though it also depends on the quality of the fibre, the weave and how you look after it. Five minutes of careful reading beats a disappointment in December.

A woman wearing a red puffer jacket with a high collar and silver-tone details
The red puffer with its oversized collar: cool and bright

The puffer, reworked and refined, comes with sleek lines, an oversized collar, a lipstick red and silver-tone details: plush and cool. At Zara.

Well, now that's cheering. Colour, style, a lovely, slightly A-line cut with its duffle-style toggles and faux-fur collar... we're smitten. In mustard yellow and punchy purple, this H&M coat also comes with a sensible price tag.

A woman wearing a mustard-yellow coat with a faux-fur collar
The colourful coat: the season's mood-lifting touch

On materials, we know where we stand: synthetic furs vary in quality, don't always match the shape or warmth of a natural fibre such as wool, and their origin remains hard to trace. The plainest piece — the one already hanging in your wardrobe — is often the better bet. A vegetable-tanned leather or a well-chosen second-hand find beats a knee-jerk purchase that ends up at the back of the wardrobe.

A woman wearing a cropped mixed-material jacket with leather sleeves and a cotton body
The mixed-material jacket: leather sleeves, marled body

Sportier, more relaxed, boyish — the parka has plenty of life in it yet. It's easy to play with this masculine piece by softening it with decidedly feminine touches: a slip dress, a few long pendants, a pair of biker boots... Hilfiger Denim parka with a (faux) fur-trimmed hood, at Asos.

A woman wearing an oversized parka with a faux-fur-trimmed hood
The boyish parka, to twist with feminine touches

A change of jacket, a change of style: chic, on-trend and elegant, this Ted Baker jacket — mostly wool — is city-smart to a T, at once pared back and cleverly thought out, with its wide flap collar and belt loops. It also comes in black, at Asos.

It caught our eye, and it's a reminder that red is going to be everywhere this autumn. A short, slightly A-line pea coat with a straight collar, a hood and duffle-style toggles: that's H&M's little coat in the hot colour of the season.

A woman in a checked coat walking through a gateway
Choose your outerwear before the cold decides for you

The trench is, and always will be, a classic — which suits us nicely. Easy, elegant, polished without trying too hard, it also takes on a military edge when it comes in khaki at Zara.

A classic cut and mixed materials for this rather lovely little jacket from Kookaï. Leather sleeves, a cotton-blend, marled fabric on the body and back, hook-and-eye fastenings and a cropped cut: we love the city-chic edge of this original little jacket.

We'll finish with Mango's rock'n'roll leather jacket. A crumpled finish, an asymmetric zip, a cool, sharp attitude — it's right on trend with its wide collar. And you: what will your coat of the season be (or coats, plural)?

Budget

On the budget front, expect to pay roughly £50 to £100 for a coat from a larger high-street store or an accessible brand, £120 to £250 for a mid-range piece (a wool jacket, pea coat or trench), and upwards of £300 for a premium wool or a designer model. Second-hand, you can find lovely pieces for between £20 and £70.

Price varies with the composition (wool content, real or synthetic leather), the length and cut, the finishing, the brand tier, the city where you shop, and the upkeep involved — both wool and leather need regular dry cleaning. You'll find them on the high street and in larger stores, in boutiques, on brand websites or online, and in charity and vintage shops or on resale platforms.