The military parka is one of those silhouettes that has never needed fashion to validate it. It was designed to keep people alive in brutal conditions, and that functionality is exactly why it translates so well into everyday wear. The problem is that most versions on the market right now are either too costume, too technical, or so watered down they’ve lost whatever made the original compelling in the first place.

What we’ve been looking for is the real thing. Proper hood structure with a usable drawcord. A length that hits mid thigh and actually covers you. Pockets that are placed where a coat designer who had thought it through would put them. Fabric with weight and weather resistance rather than fabric that merely suggests those qualities from across a shop floor.

Worn over a heavy knit or a wool shirt, a parka like this becomes the coat you reach for constantly from October onwards. These are the ones worth the money.