The season is changing again, and with it so will our social feeds. Any and all menswear accounts you follow will be extolling the virtues of layering and the dramatic coat. They’ll implore you to seek out a big lapel, to pop your collar.
“Find a massive Ulster coat in thick, heavy-duty wool,” they’ll say, “and layer it over this enormously chunky rollneck to add depth and texture to your look,” gushing into their tiny microphone about the virtues of statement dressing for this season. And you know what? They’re right. They just don’t take the statement far enough.
Chapal RAF Shearling
Craft Partners
Shearling, a luxurious version of double-faced leather which has lambskin on one side and retains the wool on the other, fell slightly out of favour after the heyday of sheepskin coats in the 1970s.
For those of my generation at least, the mention of it has long conjured images of that era of football, legendary figures like Motson and Revie on a freezing touchline, draped in a magnificent blond coat which frankly looked like it would be destroyed by mud splatter before halftime.
But the reasons they risked it then are exactly why you should wear it today: the look is striking, imposing, and confident; the protection against the bite of a winter wind is almost unmatched.
Yves Salomon Shearling Toscana Parka
Chapal Mouton Retourné Verni in Brown
French house Yves Salomon has continued to champion shearling throughout its lull in popularity. Its full-length Lacon lambskin coat (£4,820 at yves-salomon.co.uk), with the merino wool side displayed outwardly and a fine suede finish to the leather interior, will layer over a hoodie and jeans just as well as over tailoring; the size and shape of the lapels and collar make it a (relatively) conservative choice, considering the medium.
Its reversible Toscana parka (£5,850 at yves-salomon.co.uk) can be styled either with the nappa leather outward or with the sumptuous lambswool on full display, including around the generous hood. Either is guaranteed to keep you warm and get you noticed.
If you prefer a shape more reminiscent of that pitchside classic, Connolly emulates it with the Avedon (£4,500 at their Clifford Street boutique), named after the celebrated American photographer Richard Avedon, another proponent of the style.
Connolly AVEDON Shearling Coat
FENDI Trenchcoat with Shearling lining
Aviation has also long been associated with shearling, with pilots in the early days of aircraft trusting thick sheepskin to keep them from freezing at altitude. Today’s aircraft may be slightly better equipped to combat that cold, but the style endures.
French house Chapal created some of the first examples of those cropped, high-collared jackets and continues to do so today – the RAF Bomber (€8,000 at chapal.fr) was first popularised by the RAF in the second world war. The varnished finish to the outer leather has the added virtue of making the body entirely waterproof. Canali’s AW26 collection features a classic brown version (£4,950 at canali.com) for those who favour a softer aesthetic.
Shearling can equally be used as an accent to lighter garments, if the full weight of an all-leather construction is not to your taste. The cotton trench is a staple for most; this year, Fendi gives it an extra dimension with a spectacular black shearling interior and collar which oozes confidence, opulence and style (£9,700 at fendi.com).
Canali
Brunello Cucinelli presents a peacoat (£8,100 at brunellocucinelli.com) in soft ivory-coloured wool, topped with a wide shawl collar in golden shearling which can be left down to frame the face or popped to really catch eyes. If the extravagance of shearling feels a little daunting to first-time wearers, little touches like these make the perfect first step.
All elements of style have their roots in practicality; shearling is no different. Simply put, winter is cold and shearling is warm. But also like every other element of style, it has evolved to blend self-expression with functionality. Big Coat Season is a time to have fun with what you wear, to make up for the worse weather with better outfits and to be a little bit over-the-top just for the hell of it. Embrace it.
