Why the key to office style is a coat you'll want to keep on all day
Back away from the sad desk cardigan. I’m not referring to the statement cardigan that you already know is this season’s standout piece. I mean the one that you brought into the office, draped over the back of your chair with a private smile over how ‘useful’ it was sure to be on those days when the air conditioning gets too much, and then either wore every day through the summer or forgot about completely. That one. It’s time to take your sad desk cardigan home, give it a rest and upgrade to something with a little more oomph.
I’m talking about a season-shifter. Aka a coat, but not the kind of coat that you have to take off as soon as you’re indoors – in fact, you may want to keep it on all day.
Belted cocoon coat, £390, Cefinn
This kind of coat combines function (covers the arms, blocks out the chill) with form, finishing an outfit in much the same manner as a great necklace or pair of shoes.
Sometimes these coats are so magical that they can cancel out the blah-ness of whatever you’re wearing underneath, meaning you can get away with another day of basics. (I know I’ve hoodwinked my colleagues into complimenting some of my mediocre outfits, just by virtue of a dazzling indoor coat.) At the very least, they can add another layer, another colour and another shape to your outfit.
Cotton kimono coat, £115, Cos. Striped belt trench, £59.99, Mango. Studio by Preen purple wool blend coat, £160, Debenhams.
This belted cocoon coat from Cefinn is a perfect example. Its three-quarter-length sleeves stay out of the way of typing, its lightweight hopsack fabric means you won’t bake, and its button-backed belt (virtually unlosable) creates the suggestion of a waist, even over layers. So long, cardigan.
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