The Big Chill Edit
DRESSED FOR THE DROP
NOVEMBER is the month the cold stops being a rumour. The first frost on the car, breath hanging in the air, that moment you step outside and turn straight back for something warmer. The BIG CHILL has arrived — and when the temperature drops, it’s time for a new coat and accessories.
A coat is the one piece everyone sees all winter. It is the first impression and the last thing you take off. So it deserves to be chosen with care: the right cloth, the right weight, the right shape for the life you lead.
But a coat alone is only half the story. The finishing touches — leather gloves, a generous scarf — are what turn warm into polished. This month I've chosen coats from five of my brand partners, then finished the look with Aspinal of London, who don't make coats but do make some of the most beautiful gloves and scarves you'll find.
Aspinal of London — The Perfect Accessories
Aspinal of London don't make coats, and they don't need to. What they make is the part of winter dressing your hands and neck feel first: soft leather gloves and scarves in cashmere, merino and silk, finished with the care you'd expect from a London leather house.
Gloves are where luxury shows itself quietly. A slim black leather glove lined in cashmere goes with every coat in this post. If you feel the cold the way I do, the shearling-lined pair is pure comfort. And the tan woven nappa gloves, lined in a cashmere and wool blend, bring the texture story from September straight into winter.
Then the scarf. A lightweight cashmere scarf in natural sits beautifully against camel, black or navy. For real warmth, the cashmere stole is wide enough to wrap twice or wear over the shoulders like a shawl.
MY PICKS
LEATHER CASHMERE-LINED GLOVES — Black — £125
SHEARLING LINED LEATHER GLOVES — Black — £195
WOMEN'S KNITTED CUFF NUBUCK GLOVES — Tan Nubuck — £145
HEAVYWEIGHT BI-COLOUR CASHMERE SCARF — Latte & Chalk — £195
STRIPE WOOL & CASHMERE CAPE — Latte & Chalk — £325
LIGHTWEIGHT CASHMERE STOLE — Light Grey Melange — £225
Base Blu — The Designer Edit
Base Blu brings together the great Italian and European houses under one roof, which makes it the place to compare the classics side by side. This season the story is wool and cashmere: double-faced, double-breasted and cut long enough to keep the wind off your knees.
For everyday elegance, Ami Paris's double-breasted wool coat in black is the one you'll reach for every morning. Fabiana Filippi's long double-faced wool and cashmere coat in grey is softer and quieter — the kind of coat that looks better every year. And if you want a coat to remember, Alaïa's asymmetric double-face cashmere coat in beige is sculpture you can wear.
MY PICKS
AMI PARIS DOUBLE-BREASTED WOOL COAT — Black — £518 (RRP £689)
FABIANA FILIPPI LONG DOUBLE-FACED WOOL AND CASHMERE COAT — Grey — £1,215 (RRP £1,736)
BURBERRY LONG COTTON TRENCH COAT WITH BUFFALO LEATHER COLLAR – Beige — £2,780
BRUNELLO CUCINELLI CASHMERE COAT — Brown — £3,999 (RRP £5,713)
CHLOÉ DOUBLE-BREASTED HERRINGBONE WOOL SHORT COAT — Brown — £1,409 (RRP £2,014)
AMI PARIS LONG DOUBLE-BREASTED WOOL COAT — Charcoal Grey – £627 (RRP £836)
Finish it with Aspinal: The tan woven nappa gloves and the natural cashmere stole against the beige Lardini.
HEWI for THE ICONS — Investment Coats for Less
Some coats are worth owning for twenty years, and HEWI — Hardly Ever Worn It — is where you find them for a fraction of the original price. These are the icons: Loro Piana cashmere, Balmain shearling, Prada leather, each one hand-checked and ready for a second life.
Loro Piana's grey single-breasted cashmere coat is the definition of quiet luxury, now around a fifth of its original price. If you want real warmth with real drama, Balmain's oversize shearling and suede coat is the one. And a tan Prada leather coat will look as good with jeans as it does over a dress.
MY PICKS
LORO PIANA GREY SINGLE BREASTED CASHMERE COAT — £1,150 (RRP £5,110)
LORO PIANA BLUE REVERSIBLE LAMB SHEARLING COAT — £2,357.56 (RRP £14,340)
BALMAIN OVERSIZE SHEARLING AND SUEDE COAT — £706.50 (RRP £3,950)
PRADA TAN TOPSTITCH LEATHER COAT — £535 (RRP £2,690)
BOTTEGA VENETA BLACK GABARDINE SHORT TRENCH — £441.45 (RRP £1,900)
CHRISTIAN DIOR DOUBLE-SIDED WOOL PEACOAT — £2,150 (RRP £3,900)
Finish it with Aspinal: Black shearling-lined gloves with the grey Loro Piana; the blue merino and silk stole with the Balmain.
The Double F — Coats with a Modern Edge
The Double F is where the classic coat gets a twist: a colour you didn't expect, a leather that reverses, a jacquard that catches the light. This is the edit for anyone who wants their coat to say something.
Victoria Beckham's Catriona coat comes in the deep green I fell for this autumn — still the colour of the season. Arma's mahogany reversible leather coat gives you two coats in one. And for pure evening glamour, Dries Van Noten's gold jacquard coat turns a black dress into an occasion.
MY PICKS
Finish it with Aspinal: The green cashmere lightweight scarf with the Victoria Beckham; black cashmere-lined gloves with the mahogany Arma.
Tory Burch UK — Warmth with Polish
Tory Burch UK does winter the way she does everything: classic shapes, rich colour and a finish that feels polished without trying. This season it's shearling, bouclé and beautifully cut double-breasted wool.
The double-breasted wool coat in ashed mocha is the one I'd buy first — a soft brown that sits between camel and chocolate and goes with everything. The wool bouclé coat in brown and ivory brings that September texture story into the cold. And the reversible shearling coat in cacao is the ultimate winter treat.
MY PICKS
DOUBLE BREASTED WOOL COAT — £1,100
HOODED NYLON COAT — £990
FAUX SHEARLING COAT — £1,100
T MONOGRAM WOOL WRAP COAT — £1,300
NYLON DOWN PUFFER — £550
REVERSIBLE SHEARLING COAT — £5,170
Finish it with Aspinal: Brown cashmere-lined gloves (if back in stock) or tan woven nappa with the ashed mocha coat, and the natural cashmere scarf.
Anine Bing — Cool Scandinavian Tailoring
Anine Bing's coats have that relaxed Scandinavian confidence: generous shoulders, clean lines and a belt that pulls everything in. They look as right with trainers as they do with boots.
The Sana coat in a cashmere blend is my favourite — camel for warmth and light, black for city evenings. The Dylan is double-breasted and belted, the coat for days when you want to look put together in seconds. And the Quinn, in double-faced wool and cashmere, is soft structure at its best.
MY PICKS
SANA COAT — Cashmere Blend — $1,050 USD
LUCA PADDED JACKET — $450 USD
DYLAN COAT — Wool & Cashmere Blend — $900 USD
OSLO LONG PUFFER — Relaxed, Oversized Silhouette — $900 USD
SALI MAXI COAT — Double-Breasted Wool Blend — $850 USD
SANDY LEATHER JACKET — For Milder November Days — $1,150 USD
Finish it with Aspinal: The camel Sana with black cashmere-lined gloves and the natural cashmere stole — a classic you'll wear for years.
Putting It Together
The secret to winter dressing is simple: choose the coat first, then let the accessories do the talking. Three rules I always come back to:
1. Match Your Leathers. Tan gloves with camel and brown coats, black gloves with black, grey and navy.
2. Let the Scarf Soften the Coat, Not Compete with It. A soft natural or a deep green adds warmth without fighting the coat.
3. Buy One Coat You Love Rather Than Three You Like. Coats are an investment. It's the piece you'll wear every day until March.
So wrap up, step out and enjoy the cold — it's the best excuse there is for a beautiful new coat.
Every piece in this post is linked above under each Brand Partner, so Shop The Edits. Happy shopping and be The Big Chill Ready.
BORN2SHOP x
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