Coat season is well and truly here. I wasn't sure we'd ever feel cold again after this summer's heatwave. I do love summer dressing, but I think I like a coat more.
I'm a bit of a dab hand at finding real treasures in TK Maxx, and I've found a few coats in there. My friends all say the same: how do you find this stuff? You need to take me. It can be hit and miss, but when you get a hit, it can be a real goodie.
Coats can transform an outfit, and in some circumstances they make the whole look. They have this talent to make me feel more confident, an extra layer that gives me a stronger stride and supports me to stand tall.
The first ones out of the wardrobe this season are featured below. None of them are recent photos: one is from the Dolomites in December 2025, and a couple of the others are from Whitstable in early 2024. It shows that if you buy what you love, feel good in it and choose good quality, you can keep reaching for it again and again. The trends don't matter.
Puffer Power
I found this Adidas Terrex puffer a couple of years ago. My husband calls me a Ninja Turtle in it, which I think is down to the colours. It has an extra tail piece you can unpop for more length and warmth, and it curves like a shell. It's super practical, with a sewn-on bag at the front that even has a glasses holder compartment. This is probably my most complimented coat, and my favourite colour is orange. One of my friends loved it so much that we tried to hunt another one down. There was no joy for an exact colour match, but we found her a caramel, sugar pink and black one.
Smarter Side
This was another TK Maxx find. It's by a brand called Palto, and there are quite a few of them in some of the gold label TK Maxx stores right now. Good pockets are a must, and this one, like the puffer, has a useful extra: an internal pocket with a zip, which is ideal for my keys and lip balms. It partners with two deep side pockets and makes popping out on errands easy, as my coat can do the carrying. Remembering what my Dad has always said to me, don't weigh your pockets down too much or they'll lose their shape. He's right, they do, so I'm considerate of that.
I have a mixture of styles in my collection: designer and vintage, but all hand-picked and well chosen. If you know me, you know I remember everything about a piece in my wardrobe, from when I bought it, where I was, and how it made me feel.
For Keeps
I treated myself to this BALENCIAGA one in 2018, and it took over a week for me to decide if I was keeping it. I unpacked it, tried it on and packed it back up about twenty times. Probably the most I've ummed and ahhed about anything ever. It felt like a lot of coat, but nearly a decade on, I'm glad it's part of my wardrobe. It's waterproof, and it's the one coat I can wear over my thickest, biggest-sleeved knitwear. When I first wore it, I felt like Joey from Friends when he wore all of Chandler's clothes.
Adding Interest
These Colville sleeves are a game changer. I'm currently wearing them to the gym as a little nylon throw-on while I warm up. They come into their own when I layer them over a coat. This is the formal coat I reach for most, from my friend Charlotte's line, HOCKIN. Bought back in 2018 when I was invited to a personal shopping night in Bloomsbury, it has a simple front zip and, yes, you guessed it, very deep side pockets.
Worth The Wait
It took me so long to find my shearling coat. My friend Sally has a vintage one that I'd admired for years. I finally found mine at Reign Vintage about five years ago. It's incredibly warm, as you'd expect, and beyond cosy and easy to wear. The shawl collar rolls up to keep the draft out, so there's no need for a scarf, and it's soft against my neck. It has some weight to it too, which adds to the feeling of being wrapped up. I love to wear it with my Colour Standard faded black sweatpants.
All of these coats are in my rental collection. Not all of them are featured on my website, as they're better met in person. Coats are an easy piece to borrow for a season, whether for a weekend away or a couple of weeks to wear and enjoy as if they were your own. If one of these catches your eye, why not come and try it on?
I'm heading up to Manchester this weekend, and my coat selection will take the lead in what I wear.