Ah, the first chilly morning when you actually need jackets and jumpers to leave the house. There’s something magical about that first autumnal day; crispness in the air that means you don’t flinch when you see your breath, made even better by delving into the back of your wardrobe to pull out winter’s long-forgotten layers. Last weekend it happened to me.
One minute I’m happily biking to work wearing flip flops and no socks because “it’s not that cold yet”, the next I’m rooting around in boxes from July muttering “fuckety fuck where the hell did I put that lambswool jumper” like a premature Tim Matheson. You know how America has summer and winter? Britain has… weather with seasons occasionally banging we’re-now-summer-now-we’re-not-on-hold kind of thing.
Which means investing in autumn/winter clothes is something I’ve spent most of my life doing. British climate falls broadly into “buzzard-hole-blocking” and “damp crisp carrier bag full of depressed soggy horses” so when it comes to jackets and knitwear I’ve learnt over many years (and many wasted mistake purchases) what’s worth investing in and what’s fine to save on.
Turning up to work looking like the homeless lobby guy isn’t a great look so let’s talk serious cash weather-wear.
Coats Trust me, spend the money on a decent coat. I wasted years buying mid-priced high street coats that only looked good come September. By November the polyester-filled faux-leather dickiebrains would pill, any exposed stitching would weep water like a sieve and the down-fill would compress into a damp dumpling.
Thankfully I eventually sucked it up and spent way too much on a Harris tweed Chesterfield from British heritage brand Huntsman. Seven years on and it not only looks better than anything I’ve owned since (winter coat tenure comparisons are always vs things you replaced it with, nothing before was as good) but has literally never needed repairing thanks to the quality of the construction. The tweed’s dense enough to block strong winds (actual winds. insert dirty wind joke here), it’s cut well enough to go with everything from suits to chinos, and the chest pocket is just big enough to stash a hip-flask.
Which has proved invaluable at winter weddings. For truly waterproofing you can’t beat Barbour. Ok, yes they’re expensive.
But I’ve had my Beaufort for 8-9 years, re-waxed it twice and that wax cotton collar has faded to a perfect worn-in colour and it just gets better with age. And trust me when I say you will go through cheap “budget” waterproofs. Like everybody else buys a cheap umbrella then spends the rest of its life throwing them away and replacing every time they get lost the British weather will find every replacement you buy and destroy them in turn.
Strawposites will soak you and rustic whatever-that-material-is-called starts creepily rustling after a few months. Spend the money. Your future dogwalking self will thank you.
Wool jackets As I’m a city fox rather than a country walker I’ve never bothered with specialist waterproofs, preferring to invest in something decent to keep me warm and dry through rain and bad weather. Particularly worth considering is a decent quality wool overcoat with a high wool content – aim for 80%+ preferably closer to 90-95%. You won’t believe how badly blended-with-other-materials some mid-tier coats are.
Throw on a £150 high street jacket vs a £400-500 British-made jacket and by year 2 of owning them the difference is night and day. Cheap = pills, stretches at elbows/sleeves, looks sad. Spend = ages beautifully and grows some serious character.
Mine’s an Ariston navy overcoat from Ballantyne. It’s got around ten years old now, comes with me everywhere in the winter and still looks sharp enough to wear to meetings. Thrown on over a hoodie it’ll see me through December-February should the office heating break down and we’re left bathing in Arctic winds.
Down If it’s legitimately freezing outside then down is king for warmth vs weight. My only stipulation is buy decent quality – an uninsulated polyester filled jacket is much heavier than something with a quality down layer. Cheap down jackets also leak down everywhere, don’t pack down as small and the outer shell material is often like brushing your teeth with sandpaper.
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Again, something mid-tier from a reputable outdoor brand will be way better than high-end fashion hobo coats. I picked up a North Face down jacket around five years ago and it’s indestructible. Warms me up even when the rest of my outfit isn’t quite winter weather appropriate, packs down small enough to shove in my work bag for those inside recesses and will last me years longer than any fashion option I could buy.
Knitwear The same principle applies to knitwear. Cheap jumpers don’t keep you quite as warm, pill like fuck and don’t hold their shape once washed a few times. Buy mid-tier from decent knitwear specialists and you’ll thank yourself later.
I’m partial to John Smedley, Finisterre and Community Clothing but there are loads of high-quality options once you stop looking at H&M and Uniqlo. Grey merino jumper vs John Smedley jumper: both look identical on the shelf. Fast forward four months and washing about six times; cheap grey=-drops everywhere, loses shape high-end=Sgood as day you bought it.
In that example I have a John S navy crew neck that I’ve had for six winters now, brings me up to about £175 but weighs about ten times more than the rubbish alternative. Yes, about three times what I’d usually spend but I would have bought three of the cheaper versions by now to replace it so in actual fact it’s cheaper than trying to save money! If it’s seriously cold I love lambswool or Shetland knitwear – there’s nothing better.
Get a UK-made one and even better; Majtures in Scotland know a thing or two about jumpers, having to live in their own gloriously shit weather probably means they take it personally when you buy stuff that isn’t up to snuff. They’re not as soft as merino so not quite office appropriate but weekends? Get em down.
Boots And finally boots. Possibly where buying cheap really hurts you. Cheap boots leak, they rub blisters on your feet and generally provide a miserable experience.
I’m not saying spend hundreds but renting a horse would be cheaper than some of the shit tractor shoes they pass off as boots these days. Something mid-range from an established British bootmaker will last you decades if you look after them. I have a pair of Tricker’s Stow boots I bought eight years ago and they still look brand new (they’ve moulded to my feet perfectly over years of wear), require next to no maintenance other than an annual clean/yearly condition and will STILL keep my feet dry.
Compare that to my various “£100 boots I’ll buy every autumn” from failing far too quickly to be wearable. Expensive boots aren’t great, but cheap boots are fucking torture. Redwings/Blundstones are a great option if you’re after something less dressy but equally hard wearing.
I have a pair of Blundstone chelsea boots that have got me through everything from Glastonbury fields to the West Highland Way and still look decent washed up with some jeans on casual office wear Fridays. Buy cheap, you’ll never get the same quality.
Ok, so those were the biggies but what about the little extras?
Waistcoats/gilets. When it’s properly chilly a wool or quilted gilet/vest adds another layer that’ll keep you warm without the need for a big jacket. Down ones are great too for filling out a jacket without adding bulk.
I really want one of these Private White V.C. beauties but at £395 it’s a tough ask. Even baselayers are worth spending a bit more on; I’m forever shouting about merino thanks to Finisterre. It’s breathable, doesn’t stink like synthetics and lasts FOREVER with decent care.
Throw on a jumper over the top for extra layers when it gets colder and you’re sorted. Scarves, gloves etc etc. Just spend the cash where it matters and save on t-shirts/shirts you don’t really care about.
Honestly one of the best winter hacks I learnt was just spend money on the stuff that matters. Nothing screams spending-your-life-in-a-depressed-budget-market-town like a showery winters day where everyone’s coats, boots and knitwear look like they want to kill you and you’re suddenly grateful for your £100 waterproof.
