No matter how forcefully one tests the maximum capacity of their closet, the urge to buy a new winter coat every season (or perhaps even many times a season) remains strong. But of course, coats are like anything else: Like green juices or boyfriends, they might seem superficially different, but you really end up getting the same thing over and over. There’s something to be said for sticking to what you know, but every so often, you must break out of your shell, whether it be nylon puffer, waxed cotton, or endless acres of mink.

Most coats fall into two categories: There’s the Fashion Coat, which is invaluable when you want something cinch-able and svelte. Depending on style idiosyncrasy, this might present itself as a Sexy Coat, a Fun Coat, or a Statement Coat. It’s a dressed-up, slimmed-down outerwear silhouette, dead set against any Michelin Man comparisons. It’s also the coat that—in the beginning of the chillier season—benefits the most from the gross underestimation of the winter weather. It’s the coat you think you’ll wear every day. (Hint: You definitely won’t.)

Unfortunately, the coat you actually wear every day ends up being something much less figure-flattering. You know the one: It rarely merits either derision or compliments for its puffy arcs and billowing swaths, so wraparound as to be practically panoramic. This is the second type of coat—the Decidedly Unfashion Coat, its formless warmth making it the most-worn, least-body-conscious option hanging on for dear life on your overstuffed coatrack. You’ll never part with it, for fear of freezing to death, but let’s just say that you’re not particularly proud of it, either.

But wait—somewhere between your silk slip–skimming silhouette and your down-filled synthetic blend is a third option: the traditionally masculine-leaning double-breasted All Business, Baby Coat. It’s the one coat you don’t already have three of, and trust us, you’ll want to fix that imminently.

In any incarnation, and in any color—from Goodfellas camel, Patrick Bateman navy, or just regular CEO black—there’s a touch of world-class intrigue to the shape, with just a hint of a very exclusive level of sinister maneuvering. It’s more Bond villain than Bond girl (or even Bond himself, for that matter, as he seems recently much given to the tailored-within-an-inch-of-its-life peacoat, most winningly from Billy Reid). And, of course, done right, it’s a style that’s perfectly suited to the female form, with options like those from Hillier Bartley adding a touch of nobility around the collar, nipping in a bit at the waist, and leaving enough ankle real estate for the perfect midi boot to mark its territory. Carine Roitfeld’s collaboration with Uniqlo yielded the perfect (and très affordable) take on the structured column for a very balanced, measured take that would look right at home with black skinnies or wool trousers. But if light blue what-we-now-call-“vintage” denim is the jean of the original Supers, this surely is the Coat—which is to say, if you want to look like you stepped off the Concorde to the strains of “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (and who doesn’t?), this is the coat to pair with your Re/Dones. It’s a style that both confers and suggests strength, that nods and yields to the lines of the body while building a fortress of warmth around the wearer. You stay warm and physically recognizable, chic and yet still somewhat serious. It just might be the one (and only) coat you’ll need this winter.

The post The Chic Winter Coat You Need Now appeared first on Vogue.

source: Fashion — Vogue Categories — Vogue http://ift.tt/20HoXj1