Classic clothes part 1 - coats

There are types of clothes, and themes, that keep recurring in fashion, and garments that keep making a reappearance with only slight alterations. If you have at least a few of them in your wardrobe, they make great staples around which you can ring contemporary changes so that you always look current.

There are several things to watch out for with 'classic' clothes. One is the fabric - it definitely pays to buy a classic silhouette in a good fabric rather than a cheap fabric, as otherwise the fabric will show its age before the garment does.

Another is the colour. Any garment that you expect to live in your wardrobe for a long time should be in a neutral colour that goes with everything else. However, if you're comfortable with a particular style, ringing the changes with colour and fabric is a great way to add a twist to your wardrobe.

The third consideration is the fit and here, it's the shoulderline that is critical. Garments that fit to your shoulderline will age better than fashion extremes. It can be very irritating to have a beautiful item that still fits, is in a good and flattering cut, but where the shoulders have become too large for current fashion.

Today I'll look at coats, as these are often among the most expensive items in a wardrobe, with a good winter coat entailing serious outlay. Here, more than ever, a good fabric is worth paying for and will repay the investment with a reduced cost per wear. The cost per wear on my Burberry polocoat and Aquascutum camelhair car coat have been minimal - both have been in my wardrobe for over a decade, alongside a range of Barbours in dark blues and greens, and a Jaegar car coat in dark cream leather. Meanwhile, scarlet, pink, purple and green coats have rotated in and out of the wardrobe for a bit of fun, but often proving very expensive purchases, given the amount they were actually worn.

With coats, a raglan sleeve is very versatile, as in this leather coat from ShopNBC (sadly not available in Europe). A raglan sleeve has a seam running from the underarm to the neck, and gives you a lot of leeway in the sleeve head (sewist speak for shoulder padding), as does a 'kimono' sleeve, where there is a seam running down the outside of the arm. A competent tailor can reduce the shoulder width on these kinds of sleeve without too much trouble if fashion moves from big shoulders to small, whereas altering the sleeve head on a set-in sleeve is more difficult and costly. This type of sleeve also gives you a lot of room under the arm - useful when you're wearing an item over tailored clothing.

Altering a coat from a narrow to a full cut is much more difficult, so try to avoid very narrow cuts in coats, especially when fashion is on the cusp of a change, as it is right now. If you're not sure, go up a size, then if you switch to clothes with more volume in the next year or two, your coat will still fit over the top.

The classic coat designs are:

Trench - in beige, navy or black cotton or polycotton. Manufacturers like Burberry and Aquascutum (left) are among the best. A trench should fit comfortably over a jacket without creating enormous shoulders that look like you left a coathanger in there, and if you buy one with a zip-out winter lining, you'll more than double its usefulness. A classic trench is double-breasted, has visible buttons, a back gun flap, button-down epaulettes, a front storm flap, a belt with a buckle, sleeves that can be closed with buckled straps and a buttonable back vent to the skirt. Currently, the cut is also narrow, as you can see at left. Choose one long enough to cover your skirt for the most mileage, or ring the changes with thigh-length or mini-trenches. If you have a large bust, consider a single-breasted trench, and if the style suits you generally, look out for it in unusual fabrics.

Polocoat - in beige, navy or black cotton or polycotton. Again, manufacturers like Burberry and Aquascutum make the classic ones. A polocoat differs from a trench in several ways. It is single-breasted and slimmer overall and works better over sweaters than over jackets. It has a 'fly' front (ie, the buttons are hidden by a placket when the coat is closed), there are no epaulettes, there is no pleat to the back, and the belt is optional (there are no belt loops). Polocoats give a cleaner, more slimming line than a trench but can look very frumpy when done up if you have a large bust - they are best worn open, or by those with small breasts.

Overcoat (right) - in beige, navy or black camelhair, wool or cashmere. Here, a raglan sleeve is the best design as an overcoat is designed to go over other clothing, and a raglan gives you more room under the arm. A single-breasted button front or a wrapover with a belt are the most versatile - a wrapover gives you more options for what you wear underneath and is useful if your weight fluctuates. A shawl collar is classic and doesn't date, but if you can't find one, choose revers and a collar that are not exaggerated or rounded (Peter Pan-style), or a contrast velvet collar inspired by the man's Chesterfield. Overcoats are great if you need to wear a suit to work or have to travel on public transport, where the longer length is useful, but if you mainly drive, you'll get more mileage out of a car coat (see below).

Waxed jacket - in dark green, navy or brown waxed cotton. Barbour produces the most famous range of waxed jackets but there are many other, cheaper manufacturers producing similar garments. The most useful waxed jacket comes to about mid-thigh, has a heavy zip that can be zipped from top to bottom or vice versa, wind flap with heavy poppers, moleskin-lined handwarmer pockets, large bellows or 'poacher' pockets, a corduroy collar and either elasticated cuffs under an outer cuff, or cuffs that close with a strap and buckle. Traditionally the lining is tartan, and there are pop-out or zip-in liners. The main difficulty with waxed jackets is their upkeep as they really need rewaxing every year to maintain their looks and impermeability but there are now fabrics that mimic the impermeability of wax without the upkeep.

Parka. The parka appears every year in a different guise or fabric. The classic parka has a hood, often with a contrast lining and a fur edge which may be fake or real. It has a front closure and possibly a drawstring waist and/or hem. Bright colours and good wools give a twist to this classic, which has come a long way from the picket lines of the 1980s. To avoid that look, don't buy dark green ones with an orange lining but go instead for something like this nifty blue number from Grattan. Alternatively, try out a padded version in a short or longer length. In this type of parka, the fold-away hood is usually hidden in the collar and there is often an internal drawstring waist. I notice that here in France, the lightweight, padded fashion parka is one of the most popular options on the street, worn with a fur-trimmed hood. 

Duffel coat. Like the parka, the duffel is always available - each year in a different colourway or fabric. The classic duffel should be made from boiled wool or woolmix, have a hood, large patch pockets and toggles on leather frogging. One about knee length is very versatile and doubles as a car coat for casual use, and the patch pockets are very handy in winter if you're wearing gloves, as they're easier to use than inseam pockets. This yellow one is from this year's Grattan catalogue.

Car coat - this describes a length, rather than a style, but is any coat short enough to sit in comfortably when you're driving. In a good car coast you should be able to raise your arms easily and it shouldn't get in the way of the seatbelt or gear shift. All the above styles are available in car-coat length, but for a general purpose car-coat, a slightly loose, tent-like cut with a raglan sleeve is a good bet and leather is a useful material - my dark cream leather from Jaegar has been going strong for over 10 years now and has been worth its weight in gold.