The Autumn Outerwear Edit

My favourite coats of the season, from high street to high net worth.

The only thing that staves off my S.A.D. as the grey autumn weather starts to settle in is knowing that I can truly start dressing. Case in point: I have just invested in the chicest, sleekest pair of black leather boots (discounted of course) that have been lingering on my wish list and I cannot remember ever being this excited about an incoming DHL parcel. I’m also dying to finally get back into my beautiful coats. Over the past three years, I’ve racked up quite the collection and while I admittedly wince when I tot up their collective cost (although three were half price, I swear!), I will say they’re some of the best wardrobe investments I’ve made. Each of them earn tons of compliments, too.

Not to be an enabler here, but if you’re currently shopping around for a coat, this is one area in particular where I’d urge you to buy as expensive as you can afford. Don’t forget: you’ll be wearing it daily over the next couple months – and come winter, the coat is basically the whole outfit. Invest in something fabulous and who cares what you’re wearing underneath? All that said, I have thrown in a £100ish option which would be ultra chic when styled well (tips included, of course). And while this time around I haven’t included any second-hand bits, if you’re on a budget I would HIGHLY recommend searching for exactly what you want – ‘Joseph Trench Coat UK12’ – on Vestiaire and seeing if you can hunt down a bargain.

---

The Trenches

The Frankie Shop Callyn Trench Coat

€229

I’m not in the market for a trench coat right now, but if I were, this from The Frankie Shop would probably be The One. My philosophy for classic pieces is to always look for those subtle details that give it interest – in this case, it’s the statement pointed collar, the balloon sleeves, the crisp light beige hue and the length (nothing worse than a coat that cuts off around the knee for me). And it all comes at a pretty reasonable price too.

Shop here

Cos Layered Double-Breasted Trench Coat

£225

I spotted this layered Cos coat on a TikTok influencer and immediately added it to this list. It’s very Philo-era Céline, which is always a good thing, and it takes that ‘variation-on-a-theme’ philosophy and runs with it. If you don’t earn a compliment on the very first wear from a fellow stylish woman, I’ll eat my hat.

Shop here

The Frankie Shop Abril Trench

€385

The Frankie Shop is absolutely killing it in the trench department, hence the double entry. (There were a dozen others I deliberated over.) Once again, this one offers lots of subtle little twists on the blueprint with the supersized collar, shoulder epaulettes and single button. Also, it’s generous – it looks like the designers didn’t skimp on fabric, which instantly comes across more luxurious.

Shop here

The Heavyweights

Reiss Lucia Wool Coat

£348

Reiss is highly underrated in my view – and it’s where I’ve found a fair few gems in my wardrobe. This jumped out to me: I adore anything chocolate brown (it’s such a rich-person colour), and this will mark you out in a sea of black, grey and navy, without being overly conspicuous. 

Shop here

Cos Tailored Herringbone Wool Coat

£300

The last coat I purchased was from Cos and it was pretty much in this vein. It’s on the more expensive end of the brand’s outerwear offering, buuuut if it’s worth anything I’ve had a couple people express shock when I told them mine was high street (‘I thought it was MaxMara!’), which according to girl math makes it a bargain.

Shop here

Joseph Fluid Wool Colbert Coat

£318 (on sale from £795)

I’m a sucker for sleek, white Olivia Pope outerwear. It just instantly gives *bougie* – you could layer any old thing under this Joseph Colbert coat and still be the chicest woman in the room. Most importantly, it’s hugely discounted so you’d effectively be getting a pretty high-end piece for a Cos / Reiss price. No brainer.

Shop here

The Frankie Shop Fia Wool Coat

€458

Yes, more Frankie Shop! I love the texture and dimension of the herringbone and the more boxy, mannish silhouette. The styling in the third photo with the popped collar and the black leather belt is genius, too – I’ll be stealing that, thank you.

Shop here

The Hybrids

Cos Oversized Blazer

£180

I’m not much of a blazer wearer myself but I am utterly obsessed with this thick, boxy jacket from Cos that looks three times as expensive. The styling is fabulous too, so I would pretty much copy and paste. In general, Cos is killing it this season – I’m also in love with this divine scarf jacket (yes, a very blatant Toteme ‘dupe’) and would keep an eye out for when it’s back in stock.

Shop here

Rains Banja Liner Jacket

£109

For rainy autumn days, I absolutely love my Stutterheim trench, but very little from the brand or their British counterpart, Rains, felt particularly workwear appropriate or even interesting for me this season. I did, however, come across this lightweight quilted jacket, which reads surprisingly polished and which I’d style with a cashmere knit, tailored trousers and a heeled boot. Then in the colder months, I’d sandwich it under another coat for an added layer of warmth.

Shop here

Nanuskha Maxe Wool And Silk-Blend Top

£288 (on sale from £575)

I’ve had this Nanushka coat-top on my wishlist for a year, after spotting it on a very chic lady at a Frieze party (she was lucky enough to have a friend who worked there) and given how utterly luxurious it looked on her, this price feels like an absolute steal. In my view, this would be fabulous over a lightweight knit throughout autumn before you have to whip the big boys out.

Shop here

The Budget-Blowers

Loewe Trench Coat in Cotton

£2,250

So many details to love about this trench coat: the curved shape of the sleeves, the extra-long belt, the gorgeous khaki green. (The price, not so much.) It could be the greyest, grimmest London day and getting to pull this out of my wardrobe and seeing those letters – L-O-E-W-E – would cure all my woes, truly.

Shop here

The Row Woody Coat in Wool

£3,930

No delusional wishlist of mine would be complete with a splash of The Row. Although more generally, if you’re on the hunt for a black coat, I’d lean towards this sort of silhouette – super long and slim fitting. Something about it just feels more sophisticated.

Shop here

Rohe Oversized Double Breasted Coat

£1,110

Oh to be the woman swanning around in this coat. Oh to be the woman with enough money to dry clean this coat every other day! It’s utterly divine and completely impractical for my lifestyle, which only makes me want it even more.

Shop here

Filippa K Alexa Coat

£880

Filippa K is one of those low-key Scandi brands in the vein of Toteme, but at a slightly less eye watering price point. I’m usually an advocate for a big collar, but something about the neckline of their Alexa coat feels very cool and effortless.

Shop here

---

Stay tuned…

Not to tease too much, but I have some very exciting interviews and guest features coming up over the next few weeks that I can’t wait to share. I’m also collecting questions for the second Reader Report if you have any (drop them in the comments, or send them to workwearinc@substack.com). And likewise, if you’ve bought anything featured in or inspired by newsletters past, then please do send me a photo!