I would like to first apologise for the seemingly persistent winter theme running throughout my recent articles, we are technically still experiencing our ever dependable British summer, although you would be forgiven for thinking that summer had actually ended many weeks ago. It is actually the 23rd September – to be exact – until Autumn does officially arrive and we really can give up any tiny morsel of hope we had left for a dribbling of sun.
Following on from our recent round up of 5 things you really should own for the coming season, I thought that I would expand a little further on one particular item – the shearling jacket. Without wishing to appear overbearing or forcing the issue, a coat is in all seriousness, an investment piece. It requires an awful lot of thought and consideration as it will arguably be THE defining feature of your entire winter look; it covers over half of the rest of your clothes and will get a great deal of use – whether you want to wear it or not.
This means that, in a similar way to shoes (in my opinion anyway), it has to be exactly the right one for you. A coat says quite a lot about the man wearing it and with the current trends in men’s fashion there really isn’t any room for us to be . . . . . sheepish (really sorry).
A Style Revisited
Shearling is a style we saw come charging full bore into the mainstream last season on the back of the ever dependable military trend and with a lot of backing from the major design houses; Burberry Prorsum, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci to name but a few. The situation is no different this year as we see an even greater development in the use of both shearling and fur detailing:
Autumn/Winter 2011 Men's Runways Shearling Jacket Trend
Shearling and fur detailing is a style that we covered with a couple of articles last autumn/winter, so you might well be wondering why I am dragging out it out for yet another showing. However, fashion is constantly changing, never does this world stand still; styles change, new shapes emerge, colours and cuts are always shifting and more and more designs are introduced; this is no less the case with shearling.
Of course, the above look book is by no means an exhaustive list of examples showing how the shearling design has developed over the past year, but it does provide us with a good representation of the general changes. Perhaps the most obvious change is the move away from the overwhelming majority of aviator style jackets that proved so popular last season; playing off the military trend and the fact that these styles of jacket are arguably the best known representation of shearling.
This move away from aviator-esque examples has prompted a push towards the mixing of shearling with Trenchcoat and overcoat styles; something nearly all the major houses have been keen to adopt. The pieces from Gucci (top row) show how traditional and iconic styles can be mixed in tasteful yet subtle colours to create a very elegant but still practical winter coat.
Burberry Prorsum (centre row) have been pushing their current focus on colour even further with shearling and fur detailing mixed into their brightly coloured and patterned trenches. They are also reworking the classic aviator inspired styles with checks and bigger collars and bringing the shearling overcoat bang up to date with a high shine finish.
One problem with certain styles of shearling coat is the risk that you could end up looking like Del Boy. Thankfully the focus on modern cuts and slimmer silhouettes alleviates some of this problem but it can be avoided completely by choosing something a little bit different. The offering from Ermenegildo Zegna (bottom left) shows off a hooded duffle coat reminiscent style, a great way to mix practicality with luxury, while the pale trench coat from Hermes (bottom right) utilises shearling and rarely used colours to create a great re-work of the iconic style.
It is clear then that shearling has become much more than the traditional aviator jackets we are used to, and although they may not be breaking any fashion boundaries, a shearling collar or some subtle detailing is a very easy way to mark yourself out from the crowd without looking like Jeremy Clarkson.
How To Wear
Now, it’s no use shouting the praises of shearling and how it has developed if we don’t offer our loyal readers a little inspiration. Below are 3 different looks, built around the coats they include – hopefully they show how the new developments in shearling can be incorporated with relative ease into your current wardrobe.
Conclusion
Shearling has undeniably developed a great deal over the past year and is now, even more so than before, worthy of our consideration. Subtle changes to our much loved staples affords us the ability to be different without being pushy or blatant, all the while helping to keep us toasty warm in anything winter has to throw at us. If you happen to be looking for a new coat this season, shearling is certainly worthy of your attention.
- Do you like shearling?
- What do you think of the developments on last seasons offering?
- Will you be investing in shearling?
- Have you already invested? If yes let’s here about your experiences.
By: Will Colman
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