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Winter Coats Under £170

Thursday 22 September 2011
First of all, I want to thank everyone for following my blog and the lovely comments that you've all posted over the past year. It never fails to touch me when I read engaging exchanges and encouraging words from all of you. I started this blog initially for my mother so that she can see photos of Lil L and find out what we've been up to. It didn't occur to me that anyone other than my family and friends would even want to read what I write. Although I may have been a technical engineer in my past life, trying to create a Facebook page for the blog was clearly out of my depth. It took me several hours to work out all the bits and bobs. I'd appreciate it if you could take a moment and click on the Facebok like button on your right if you've enjoyed my blog.  Secondly, what do you ladies like to see more of? I have the attention span of an insect. As you can see, I tend to flit from topic to topic depending on what's on my mind. You can either leave me a comment or send me an email. Thank you! **HUGS**

A friend of mine asked if I could help her find a coat for £150 or under. My take about winter coats is that it should be classy, warm and of a reasonably good quality. With the advent of resale shops and discount websites, it's easier than ever to purchase designer clothes at low prices. I've made plenty of mistakes where I'd settled for cheap High St coats only to find out that
1) there's an issue with the quality after wearing it after one season. i.e. the zip or buckles broke, the lining came undone  etc
2) it's too trendy and looked out of place by the time the second winter came around 
3) the coat is a poor insulator and I'm freezing to death due to the low wool content in the fabric

Having said that, there are a few tried and true High St stores that I rely on for good quality clothes at very affordable prices. One of which being Uniqlo. Often I'd splurge a little more on coats and jackets but I hesitate to spend more than £15 for a t-shirt. The winter months are long and can be pretty brutal. Nothing compared to the winters in parts of the US and northern Europe, of course.

When I first arrived in the UK 3 years ago, I brought along my winter coats from Auckland. The winter months back home tend to be relatively mild. My new English friends told me that the winters are no different to New Zealand seeing that this is the South of England after all. Weeeelllll, on our first winter, it snowed. A. LOT. Followed by blizzard. All I had was a cotton blend trench coat. We were snowed in and every public transportation ground to a halt. Apparently, it was the worst winter in 20 years or something like that. The second year, it was far worse. Everyone was stunned. The entire country shut down thanks to a low stockpile of salt. It was all over the headlines where it was declared the worst winter in 100 years. By the time my third winter came along, we took off to New Zealand to enjoy a nice balmy summer.

I also avoid looking like a Michelin man (or woman) by wearing a layer of Merino wool thermal tops from Icebreaker. My family and I have been wearing them for years. I support New Zealand products whenever I can. That said, the merino wool from New Zealand is amongst the best in the world. Okay, I'm biased. To date, I will buy ONLY New Zealand apples which thankfully, are readily available at Marks and Spencer. Ooops. Like I said I have the attention span of an insect. Sorry. I've compiled a list of winter coats, all of which have at least 50% wool content because I don't want anyone blaming me when they turn into an iceblock.


winter coats

1. Paul & Joe Sister Triumph Wool Mix Coat £165 from The Dressing Room
2. Uniqlo Blanket Wool Duffle Coat £89.90
3. Great Plains Camel Coat £135
4. American Retro Holly Chained Embellished Wool Coat £143.50 from The Outnet
5. Uniqlo Single Breasted Coat £89.90
6. Uniqlo Wool Cashmere Trench Coat £129.90

14 comments:

  1. Love your blog...After I bought my first down feather 3/4 coat from Theory...can't live without it every winter...so light and warm even -30C in Canada. Momo

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  2. I love, love #1 and #6! I feel like with coats, there has to be some form & curves to them or else they may make you look like a bag. Good choices - they are all cute! :)

    Hope that you have had the chance to enter my Tiffany & Co. necklace giveaway! It is about to close! :)

    xox
    Kat
    www.maryanddyer.blogspot.com

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  3. Love those coats you compiled! They are so stylish and affordable!

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  4. These are great choices!!! I love camel and neutral tones! They're basic and will never go out of style. Awesome selection and great prices! :D
    http://sassyuptownchic.blogspot.com/
    SassyUptownChic xoxo Kim

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  5. I love #6 I love a wool trench and how it fits and flatters a woman's body! It's also reasonably priced too! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, I put together casual outfits too so you won't always have to vicariously live through me ;)

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  6. No2 the uniqlo duffle coat is my fav for winter, it is a classic design, and not too dressy or too casual. Perfect for everyday.
    Being in the South of Europe I must admit I'm blessed with warm weather, last New Years the temps were around 20c, I didn't even need a cardi out. I'm usually wearing a light cashmere beige coat from Loro Piana, but it doesn't cut it in Berlin or London... I don't even know what kind of frost bites I'd get in Boston in this light coat... So I have a Barbour parka for this kind of cold weather. I used to have a Martin Margiela black puffer coat, but it was too big on me (got it on a 70%off sale in Berlin) and now that I lost even more weight it is huge so I gave it away.

    Love your blog the way it is I don't think you have to change anything. It is always interesting in terms of subjects, and visually very pleasant!

    I liked it on FB!

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  7. Love your choices! I need number 5 in my life!!

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  8. i love 1, 5 & 6!
    your blog is better than online shopping bc you hv narrowed the items down to the really nice ones. it's so pleasurable to check in n see a new post. it's a blog tt takes me away to a dream world of beautiful clothes, yummy food, exotic travel...love it! and your photos...thank you thank you, keep blogging!

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  9. maybe not 6. i used to wear a grey one just like tt. i felt like a detective. so , yeah, not 6.

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  10. these are lovely, thanks for sharing. I can't believe it's almost time for winter coats!! xo

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  11. Momo, thank you for taking the time to post a comment. Much appreciated. Thankfully, our winters are pretty mild compared to what you get in Canada. I'd probably have to buy a jacket similar to yours if I ever get the urge to visit your country during the coldest months.

    Kat, glad you like the choices. I like a little structure to the coat. I've "liked" your blog so fingers crossed, I win your lovely necklace.

    StefPatt, glad you like the choices!

    Kim, thankfully, these days we can find pretty good quality clothes at very affordable prices.

    Bravoe Runway, can't wait to see what casual outfits you put together. BTW, I'm a huge fan of trench coats. Can't live without mine!

    Mona P, the Paul & Joe coat has such a retro feel to it.

    Lily, you've always say the nicest and most encouraging words. Thank you. Really REALLY appreciate the kind comments. All the best for your trip to Boston.

    Lauraloo, you must've communicated to me telepathically because no. 5 is my favorite too!

    Terri, whenever I feel drowned in the obstacles I face, I just have to read your encouraging comments. Thank you so very much.

    Black is the new black, thankfully, it's still pretty warm here but it doesn't surprise me when the cold snap returns suddenly.

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  12. I totally think you wear today's look and it'd look just as fab and pulled together :)

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  13. We have Uniqlo here..but their winter collection is not as extensive in UK (it seems that retailers think that ppl in tropics do not travel and if they do, they should don ugly winterwear that makes them fat).

    Anyway, anyone who bought winter coats oneline? How would you ensure that it looks good on you?

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