Fed up of all the gorpcore

[needmorebooks]

Is it just me? It’s everywhere. Look around a city centre and there’s just puffer jackets cropped and long and brightly coloured Rab or Patagonia jackets. Basically everyone dressed for climbing in the Peak District for a trip to John Lewis or Coffee1.

I own outdoor wear but it’s for well, long walks in the forest, going to the coast or going up mountains. Why has it become so ubiquitous? And it’s all ages and classes seemingly. I don’t get it.

It’s just boring and scruffy too imho. I want to see people looking nice in wool coats and looking like they take a bit of pride in their appearance. Sorry if that’s controversial, maybe this should be in AIBU? I hate feeling like I’m overdressed when I just have a long wool coat on, I hardly see others in the same. Just fed up of the sea of gore-tex and hiking shoes.

Anyone else?

Ugh. It’s nice to just dress up a bit, you don’t need a reason.
Nobody is stopping you doing that if you want to. It isn't nice for me, I have no interest in it or having more clothes than I need. Doesn't bother me if other people want to be more dressed up than me. Why do you need people to dress like you want to to dress how you want?

Oh give over with the ‘how did they cope before??’ nonsense, you can apply that to literally anything, it doesn’t strengthen your argument at all!
I have a long puffer coat (my husband calls it my football managers coat, and has yet to run out of jokes to that effect 🙄😅), I’ve a couple of wool blend coats, a gorgeous pure wool coat and a couple of inherited furs. You can be absolutely sure I’ll make the sensible choice of wearing the coat most suited to the weather when it’s pissing it down (again!!) rather than the fanciest choice, dependant on the occasion, of course. I hardly think a trot around Lidl is worth dressing up in a posh frock and start coat for! I love to dress up but let’s be sensible with it. Last minute Christmas shopping is horrible enough without being soggy at the same time 😂

Have you seen the scruffy bastards turning up at the theatre nowadays?! The THEATRE! It’s such a shame that we seem to have lost the art of “dressing up”!

Move to Milan. Everyone wears black wool coats. Husband commented its like going to the world's biggest funeral .

Here in Manchester I'd love to wear a wool coat but never even buy a new one, mine is older than my 15yo son! They aren't warm enough and soak up the rain. Only good for September and April.

I did have trench coats because by the time it's warm enough for a wool coat you can probably get away with a trench and they last all summer

Wool coats are heavy when you take them off. Mine are for business meetings and funerals

@needmorebooks I’m with you OP. I went to Amsterdam a few weeks ago and was struck by how nicely/well dressed everyone was. And they weren’t really- I just didn’t see any gymware/puffers/dryrobes. People were in wool coats and trousers, boots and non garish trainers. Didn’t we use to dress like that? It’s now not the norm enough it caught my eye when I went somewhere different.

You’ll like me OP, I dont own any coat in a synthetic material.

In winter my coats are all wool or I have a Barbour. I often get compliments on them. I’ve never been wet through, and just use a hat or umbrella, no hood needed.

They got wet. I remember my grandmother telling me about trying to dry out her one warm winter coat in the evenings to wear it the following day.

Waterproofing and technical fabrics are so much better these days. I keep my smart coat for going out out. For my commute, and knocking about town, my waterproof puffer is lighter, more breathable and keeps me completely dry. It’s a no brainer.

So long as they are not tredding mud in who actually cares?
And this comes from somebody who doesn't actually own out door wear as I can't think of anything I'd like to do less than muddy wet walks.

I love going to the theatre. It's a rare treat for me these days. I'm not wasting that treat by faffing about and changing to dress in a style others consider appropriate. By the same token I can entirely understand others who enjoy dressing up wanting to do so to make it more of an occasion. Horses for courses.

Wool coats get really heavy when they're wet and take an age to dry. They're also really itchy.

I like my cropped puffa jacket.

Wear what you want and let others have the same courtesy

I spend a lot of time on a train or train platform. So I need something really warm for the freezing platform but lightweight and packable for the boiling hot, crammed train. A big, heavy wool coat just doesn't cut it, as smart as they are.

I have smart boiled wool type coats but they are used for occasional wear these days.

As for what people in the 1950's did. They either got wet and had to cope with heavy, impractical fabrics that took ages to dry. Or they had sweaty nylon macs.

What are garish trainers?

Wool coats are in this year. I have bought one and love it. But if raining the waterproof would need to come out!

I wore a gorgeous red wool coat to work last week - it pissed down in the afternoon and I commuted home on the bus smelling like a wet sheep. Apologies to my fellow passengers.

It’s fashion though and fashion changes. Puffer jackets weren’t really a thing 15 years ago. Now we can’t get rid of them!

I like proper gorpcore where it’s styled as an outfit rather than a scruffy fleece or muddy coat slung on with a dress.

I was in South Korea and I was one of the few people with a waterproof coat with a hood - a lot of people didn’t even have coats but everyone had an umbrella. The rain was heavy but it wasn’t particularly windy so an umbrella worked perfectly. It’s rare it rains like that here - it’s usually sideways rain and your brolly ends up instantly inside out.

I have a thin waterproof coat for summer and a padded waterproof coat for the other 11 months of the year 😁 I value being dry and warm over strangers thinking I look stylish.

I'm with you, OP. Not chic. And for me, chic always trumps practicality!

We were browsing a potential moving location the other day and I commented to my DH that we couldn't possibly move there as neither of us own a long puffer or a Labradoodle that comes absolutely everywhere with us.

Not everyone has a car? I walk and use public transport. A wool coat would get sodden and feel horrible.

I've got three coats which are warm enough to wear at this time of year in the UK:

• a heavy, long, wool houndstooth Barbour coat
• a cream coloured machine washable Regatta hip length waterproof hooded puffer jacket
• a khaki Regatta changing robe jacket

Which two you think I'm more likely to wear as we reach the time of year where the weather is a) wet and b) fucking freezing at the same time?

Plus the second coat is new and looks pretty good and smart IMO. The dry robe I wear for actual swimming and really wet dog walks.

But I've had some kind of puffer or down jacket in winter for about 12 years now as nothing beats them all round for being warm, lightweight and at least water resistant.

This year I found one which looks pretty smart and fashionable as well as practical.

Yeah, are they like belly tops? Showing your stomach?

Where I live it rains a lot and is very windy so you can’t use umbrellas. The solution is waterproof coats. No, they don’t look elegant but being warm and dry comes first.

I donknow about city life, but in Lancaitseems to rain 95%of the time and often cold and windy. I have a nice wool coat I never wear as you always need a hood. An umbrella is often completely useless and getting it so wet would ruin it. Also lots of ppl can only afford one coat so a practical coat is the option.

Setiously though if you’re in town it’s car to shop to shop to car. Not much outside needed.

You do realise that not everyone has a car? For me it is house to bus stop just for starters and then there's a lot of waiting around and walking about.

I just can’t get that worked up over what other people are wearing. Even at the theatre.

If it isn't wet and I'm going out in the evening I might wear my wool coat, or a leopard print faux fur. But for going out when it's wet and looking smart every day, puffer jacket.