How many coats/jackets and what sort?

[CoastalGrey]

I have way too many but still never seem to have the right one for the right occasion and my life isn’t particularly smart or exciting! I go to work (very casual with the occasional smart meeting) and in my spare time I like walking, pottering round nice shops, seeing friends for coffee or dinner - nothing that should require so much effort deciding what to wear! I’d like to get it down to a handful of fairly decent ones, currently I have:

Smartish black coat but it was cheap and it shows
Long dry robe style quilted coat (no hood)
Duffel coat
Black raincoat
Khaki padded raincoat - nice but quite old
Black pac a mac
Green lightweight raincoat
Short padded jacket, very cosy but a bit bulky
Light quilted jacket - really versatile but now quite scruffy
Faux leather and suede bikers
Grey bomber jacket
Short black trench - lovely but too tight
Faux leather and suede aviator jacket
Various fleeces, shackets and gilets

If you had to limit your coats/jackets to say 5, what sort would you pick and from where?

I have separate coats for work (v smart needed) and weekends/with the kids:

• 2 x smart wool full length coats (one beige, one navy) - only ever worn to work in winter
• Burberry trench - hand me down from my mum - only wear to work in spring
• Wool duffel (casual-ish) - for winter at the weekends
• Navy anorak for spring weekends - very fatty and need to replace!

I think I’m also in need of a puffer/down coat for winter rain…maybe next winter.

This column reminds me of a poem by the great Pam Ayres about the difficulties of being a woman trying to decide on what shoes to take on holiday and the difficulty of cutting down the number needed ..,,

I have a few, but not excessive...

Black Knee length shearling coat (for winter) from White Company
Leopard print leather jacket (for going out/dressing up dull outfits)
Lightweight shower jacket (for walks in the rain in summer)
Completely waterproof plastic jacket (for heavy rain) I can easily later jumpers under this to make it warmer.
Fancy tailored suit jacket (for the monthly trip into the office)
Faux fur Nike jacket (can wear with gym clothes, popping to shops etc)

I don't think I want another, I've had all mine for years as I love them.

I’m very tempted by something leopard print but I’m not sure that counts as cutting down 🫣

I have a double rail in the box room that only contains my jackets and coats. It's ridiculous, and that's AFTER a big charity shop donation/cull.

I don't think I could reduce my choice to 5. The weather here is just so unpredictable often wet and cold that I need -

pack away rainproof
Long rainproof
Puffers of different colours and lengths, with and without hood.
Rainjacket for long walks/hikes (better rain repellent than mere rainproof needed!)
Various blazers and jackets for different outfits
My ahem, Funeral coat.
And lots more too. I love them all, they are the ones I have kept after the big cull, so you can imagine what it was like before!

If pushed I'd keep -
Good Didrikson waterproof
Puffer bum length with hood
Longer puffer with hood
Funeral coat
Summer light jacket

Nope it's not enough 😊

I have 4, one of which was a gift (guess which!)

A black water & windproof jacket, with a zip in/out fleece
A dark blue water & windproof long coat with a zip in/out gilet
A dark blue lightweight waterproof jacket for the summer
A very nice cream wool knee length coat

I see I've found my coat obsessed clan, eek! I've a few...

But it fills a unique gap! I wear my leopard mac when I’m all in black and want to lift it.

Mine is only right with trousers, though - it’s that slightly awkward length that lets a midi skirt hang out underneath and that REALLY annoys me (hence I need one or two four long coats that cover a skirt completely).

@SoScarletItWas you enabler 🤣

I'm not too fussed about coats/jackets. I go for practicality and warmth over style.

I have:

• Warm winter coat
• Really long winter coat for when it is super cold, affectionately know as my sleeping bag
• Waterproof lightweight jacket with hood
• Slightly smarter lightweight jacket (no hood)
• Smart black coat that I rarely wear

Too many , but then again they are all useful. Now I’ve counted it seems excessive. There may be more

coats - 12
2 wool duffels (navy/ camel) for very cold
a 50% wool mid length tweedy coat for mild winter weather
a wool pea jacket black
2 Mac’s
a knee length waterproof - warm
Black smart coat - Spring / Autumn
Didrickson light weight bomber
Marni long cotton coat

Jackets -9
3 vintage leather (2 to be sold)
black wool vintage short
Black cord bomber
black velvet cropped
Summer linen cropped cream
Summer cotton navy
Wool Shacket

I’m looking for a “funeral coat”, in navy - to explain- I’m in Ireland and many of you know about the Irish and funerals - it’s for when I’m not immediate family. Single breasted. Not expensive.
You’d think it would be easy.
Nope.
What I want is easily available in black, grey or camel. But not navy 🥲
I have sooo many coats.
But I really want need a navy coat.

Oh gosh too many.
Camel long coat
Sand coloured mid length coat
Olive green long coat
Grey long coat
Black (you guessed it!) long coat
(wool or wool blend, for all of the above)
Khaki suede biker jacket
Sand suede biker jacket
Denim jacket
Denim shacket (much bulkier!)
Cream and beige checked shacket
Barbour waxed longish coat in olive green
Barbour black quilted coat
Cream Sherpa fleece coat, slightly cropped
Long khaki green puffer coat (Trespass I believe)
I think (?) that’s it.

I cant quite believe that, having written all that, I’m now thinking I’m lacking anything, but I am! I need a lightweight waterproof, the only truly waterproof one is the long puffer. My football managers coat as my FIL calls it.

Also a ski jacket, a tweed shooting jacket and a longgggg waterproof affair for riding in, but I don’t think they really count as they’re specifically for sporting use!

And a handful of promo-type softshells. Very handy for working in. Get given them when we buy tractors and implements.

I bloody love coats ,
Trespass olive quilted parka via Vinted - not my favourite but it’s really waterproof
Navy wool cashmere long coat via charity shop no brand but it’s lovely
Boden black velvet long coat -via Vinted I don’t wear it often but it’s useful for funerals and evenings out.
vintage Danimac via charity shop
joule’s brown tweed style jacket via Vinted - love this but I wish it was wool
saint James boxy brown wool jacket via charity shop -another of my favourites
Saint James navy boiled wool blazer via charity shop
Toast long brown wool mix coat bought this year

I need to sell a per Una red boxy jacket - double breasted so doesn’t really suit me and a tweed jacket that’s a bit snug both from Vinted and going back there.

I’m constantly stalking Vinted for the perfect tweed jacket like the cabbages and roses one with patches on .

I also have far, far too many coats and jackets yet I am currently eyeing up a cream waterproof on vinted...

If I had to only have 5, I would go for;

1. Smart, long, warm, wool coat in your neutral so either black/navy/chocolate/camel/animal etc.

1. Colourful padded waterproof to be cosy & dry & cheerful on gloomy days

1. Lightweight raincoat for spring/summer big enough to wear over a blazer or suit etc. when you need to be smarter indoors

1. Casual jacket like a biker/bomber/denim that you can wear your waterproof over when needed

1. Going out coat in fake fur for dry, cold days

I think 3 is a minimum number of coats
A long wool one for work, weddings, funerals and nights out
A short mac or denim jacket or suede jacket to wear when it gets too warm for the coat
A waterproof walking jacket with hood. A thin loose one that you can wear a fleece underneath
I used to manage with these for years. Then I had to add in a padded longer coat with hood because you can’t carry a brolly when you are pushing a pushchair.

Light weight autumn coat
Winter coat
Spring jacket

i have two others but one has no hood so I never wear it and the other is so formal and heavy but I did wear it recently to my DDs graduation

Went to Whitby last week.. the amount of people ( both men and women) walking around in those Dryrobe coats.. was like a school for adults in uniform.. couples in matching colours .. not very flattering on anyone.
I have a pink Trench coat ( Ulla Pokmen).
Long Khaki thin quilt ( Zara)
Purple thick knee length puffer coat ( Yours ).
Denim jacket ( M&S).
Long lined black blazer
Two coatigans
Two thin raincoats that fold up.
One duck egg blue suede biker jacket.
One light brown leather biker jacket.

Dry robes do look so cosy but I live as far from the sea as you can get in England, I think I’d look a bit daft 🫣

I think my subconscious blocked out the “if you had to only have five” question. Nope.

Big thick long maroon puffer thingy with a hood
Short puffer jacket, no hood
lighter raincoat
short trench style coat
smart wool jacket
denim jacket
Leather jacket

4 blazers

I have way too many coats and jackets and zero interest in culling the numbers!
Tbf though nearly all of them are from Vinted and cost between £5-20.

I have
1 camel trench
1 leather jacket
1 long camel wool coat
1 knee length black wool coat - formal
1 ski jacket/ hiking jacket with a detachable down inside so can be used as a waterproof for hiking not in winter

That's all I need - all good quality and get them mended or dry cleaned as needed. Want to replace my long camel wool coat but haven't found one I love.

I have -

smart Raincoat (Joules)
Thinner pac a Mac
Grey long smart woollen jacket
Thick black/White woollen coat
waterproof winter coat
Denim jacket
A couple of blazers

Love a Jacket! Always spotting new ones id like, but have something for every eventuality now so can’t really justify

coast, I have a cheapish mountain warehouse "dry robe" and it's a gamechanger. I don't need an umbrella on crappy weather days now. It makes me feel very smug and cosy.