April showers

I have been in denial. However, on Tuesday at precisely 3.26 pm I saw the light. Because as it was at that moment, when yet another piece of my scalp had been gouged out by the spokes of the umbrella that my son was helpfully holding over my head (occasionally it did shelter me from the rain as I was bent over double like a little old lady pushing the buggy, but more often than not, I was swerving to dodge being poked in the eye and ended up being soaked) while it poured with rain, that I realised that this was a sign. A sign to say that I could no longer ignore the fact that it was time to tackle the spring jacket. Because we need something, something which will make us feel better about the fact that the weather in Blighty is mighty sh**ey.

It is definitely time to lose the padded parka or woolly winter coat and go for something that says new season but still does the job. And I don’t mean a pac-a-mac thing or vastly overpriced Euro Disney branded rain poncho (which is essentially a bin bag with a mouse on it). So what is there out there to choose from?

The classic trench is a style perennial for a good reason and you can’t really go wrong if you have one of these in your wardrobe. Zara has a good selection of trenches such as this Water Repellent Trench £59.99. Perfect for the office but pretty sharp with a pair of jeans too.

I much prefer this in the navy colourway as the classic cream is just a nanosecond away from classic gream: cream mixed with a layer of London/kiddy grime. It also feels much more versatile – good for weekdays and even better for weekends.

They also have a Cotton Trench Coat £69.99 which comes in navy, camel and sand.

Now if someone said to me what about a duster coat, I would have said no thank you, despite not being entirely sure what one is. However, I think it just is a soft, slightly longer and more flowy trench. If so, then I do quite like the look of this from Pimkie at ASOS £46.99. Think of it as the outerwear equivalent of a waterfall cardigan. Now that is something I can definitely buy into – slimming and elongating. And in fact, right on trend.

& Other Stories has this Trench £95 which comes in black, a pinky beige and a more grey beige as in the image. A word of warning, if you are on the short side then these may not be for you as you might look like you have raided the dressing up box. So maybe not for me after all.

Warehouse has it’s Soft Trench £79. They look better worn undone I think, so not for the torrential rain or even drizzle. Despite it’s housewifely connotations, the duster is looking more like style over substance.

Back with Zara, and they have some good slightly more formal spring coats which would still transcend the work/play divide: Coat with Peter Pan Collar £59.99.

This lovely navy Double Faced Coat £59.99 is essentially a heavy weight knitted coatigan hybrid. Slightly digressing from the whole point of the blog I realise, as drowned rat you would still be, but a good looking one at that.

Cos has this Tailored Lightweight Coat £125 which would keep bedraggled-ness at bay and is such a classic but timeless style that it would work for seasons to come, for the office and the park alike.

ME+EM has another keeper with this Trapeze Coat £248.

I know there are people who may not love navy as much as me so here is a nod to some colour. Pink now with this Zara Patch Pocket Coat £79.99  which is actually rather nice if you can look beyond the crazy striped ensemble and unappealing footwear.

Another pinkie from Cos in a much more casual style but you cannot beat a good lightweight parka, and this one is most definitely a fashionable option: Grosgrain detail parka £130. As with a lot of Cos pieces, this is cut on the large side so you are likely to need to size down so you don’t look like Mr Blobby. But fear not because this will look lovely with your denim and has a hood to keep your head dry and your hands free.

While on the more casual end of the spring jacket spectrum, Gap has a Utility Jacket in a number of colours from khaki and navy £64.95 to this coral colour which is in the sale at £29.99.

Back to the safety of neutrals and Warehouse has a nice Casual Parka £75. I can’t get my head round the shoes though – yuk.

Topshop also has this Lightweight Hooded Jacket £59.00. Too old for the shorts with it though.

Another bit of Glastonbury styling for the youth with the Hunter Festival Vinyl Raincoat £140 but imagine your bum wasn’t hanging out… you would be dry.

So from parkas to trenches and dusters with some more tailored options in between, but hopefully there is a spring jacket to help you banish your winter coat to the back of the wardrobe and make you feel a bit more cheery about the fact that we don’t live on the Riviera.