Before we get any deeper into autumn, I need to tell you that this year we have a New Coat. This doesn’t happen very often. I mean, every year shops make out that the coats they are flogging this season are radically different from the coats they were flogging this time last year, for obvious coat-flogging-related reasons. But most years the coats are, in fact, pretty much the same as last year’s, except perhaps in a different colour, or a bit shorter or longer, or fluffier.
Which is why I am quite beside myself with excitement about the scarf coat. Because only about twice a decade does a genuinely new kind of coat come along. Five years ago, we had the rise of the puffer jacket. About five years before that, the trenchcoat, which had played a supporting role in style for a century, suddenly took on main character energy in our shop windows and wardrobes.
It is probably not a coincidence that this happens roughly every five years – rather than every year – because five years feels like a reasonable lifespan for a coat.
The scarf coat is, well, exactly what it sounds like. It’s a coat with an integral scarf, which you can fling over your shoulder or wrap around your neck. But here’s the thing: while this sounds like a dumb gimmick, it is actually brilliant. Autumn and winter dressing is an endless tug of war between style and the mundane business of fending off cold, wind and rain. The scarf coat brings the aesthetic and the practical together into one streamlined look. The matchy-matchiness of it makes it feel a bit extra, a bit fancy – but it also does what a coat has to do, which is stop you getting cold.
The IP here belongs to Stockholm brand Toteme, whose scarf coat was an instant fashion hit when it launched in November 2021. Three years later, everyone is on the bandwagon. I imagine this is quite annoying for Toteme but, on the other hand, the scarf coat – which is to Toteme what the boxy tweed jacket is to Chanel – has earned it deep respect as a small brand that has had a huge impact on fashion. The Toteme coat is luxurious, in a heavy wool for warmth, with a smooth line and finished with distinctive blanket stitching and tassels on the scarf. It is also £810.
Affordable takes are now everywhere. John Lewis is pulling ahead, making the scarf coat a central pillar of its fashion-forward autumn collection, with versions starting at £69 (pictured). Cos has done a double-faced wool scarf cape – a dropped shoulder version with slits instead of actual sleeves – in navy wool with large leather patch pockets, which looks much more expensive than its price tag of £155. Mint Velvet has a pretty scarf coat in blush pink, with a button fastening and a fringed scarf for extra drama, for £235.
Because it’s a relatively new style, there aren’t many scarf coats to be found in charity stores yet, but it’s worth looking for last year’s versions on Vinted or eBay. Last winter, River Island did a scarf jacket in grey, with black leather backing on the scarf, which made it look very premium. It was £75 and it sold out, but I recently found one on eBay for £14.25.
As a scarf coat veteran – I’ve had my camel wool coat by the Dutch brand Róhe since last winter – allow me to share my thoughts in case they are useful for rookies. Most importantly, make sure the coat looks good when you wear it open, with the scarf hanging loose. Some styles have an asymmetric scarf that only really works when wrapped, which is hopeless, because you need to be able to unwind the scarf without looking wonky.
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If you are buying online, check that the scarf is actually attached, rather than just matching, which is a cop-out. Go for a jacket or three-quarter-length coat rather than full-length: the scarf works best if it sits flush with the hem of the coat, but a knee-length scarf will end up flapping all over the place. Get this coat right, and you could be sorted for another five years. That’s a wrap.
Stylist’s assistant: Sam Deaman. Hair and makeup: Sophie Higginson using GHD and Nars. Model: Naoko at Grey Agency. Grey cropped scarf coat, £69, johnlewis.com. Top (just seen), £22.99, mango.com. Trousers, £99, karenmillen.com. Earrings, £140, giovanniraspini.com