Yahoo Finance Smart coats have taken a back seat: why the parka is set to take over your wardrobe
Whatever else the current government restrictions have in store for us, it’s safe to presume it’s unlikely to include the kind of weather enjoyed by those of us fortunate enough to be active and unshielding during the first lockdown.
Back then, an early-onset spring followed by an especially fine summer allowed for an almost Mediterranean approach to dressing for our officially sanctioned hour’s worth of exercise (otherwise known as a walk in the park). Right now, however, the lack of daylight and an imminent collapse in daytime temperatures requires a different approach: less chic sportswear, then, more Siberia-ready survival gear.
Fortunately, for those tired of donning the obligatory neon-hued, down-filled jacket each time they leave the house, there’s a steady procession of next-generation, military-inspired parkas filling the gap with an agreeably utilitarian swagger.
One example is the AM2-1, the ‘hero product’ of Guy Berryman’s newly launched menswear line, Applied Art Forms, for which the Coldplay bassist has raided his extensive collection of vintage military apparel to source the kind of detail that separates the truly foundational from the merely functional.
AM2-1 Modular parka, £2,225, Applied Art Forms
Rather than rely on one slab-like layer of insulation, Berryman’s modular parka instead deploys an outer shell - complete with detachable woollen ‘sherpa liner’ - beneath which can be tethered two further garments: a long-sleeved, collarless liner coat, and a sleeveless, gilet-like liner vest (sold separately).
Doubling down on this flexibility, is the AM2-1’s combination of a full hood or detachable collar with concealable hood, which gives a garment inspired by the American M65 military jacket a sartorial edge missing in service-issue examples. The aim, Berryman, says, was to produce a parka that's “functional by design, but elevated” – an approach that’s shared by other pieces in Applied Art Forms' initial capsule offering, which includes pleated cotton trousers in Japanese cotton cordura as well as hand-stencilled T-shirts and crew-neck sweaters.
Similarly inspired by ‘retired stock’ (this time from the French army) is fourth-generation French furrier Yves Salomon, who has been producing luxe women's versions of inimitable heft for many years. More recently, he’s focused on a men's collection, true to the silhouette and hue of the traditional parka, but updated and uprated with reversible shearling or down-filled linings. Its new long cotton parka features a removable rabbit lining and coyote fur-trimmed hood and, in a further nod to the style’s transeasonal appeal a removable rabbit lining.
Classic parka, £1,740, Yves Salomon
Meanwhile, over at Lacoste, creative director Louise Trotter has commandeered the same tropes around all-weather service-wear to produce a three-in-one parka in a recycled polyester-cotton twill. The reversible quilted inner jacket features a soft sherpa lining and the peaked hood can be removed to reveal a storm-proof ‘officer’s collar’.
Whichever you choose, it’s worth bearing in mind that footwear will need upgrading from whichever old-school court shoe you favoured during Lockdown 1.0. In keeping with the indomitable spirit of your newly acquired outerwear, better you team your go-anywhere parka with a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s new hiking boots.
Calaurio leather boots, £995, Manolo Blahnik
Fittingly inspired by those intrepid 18th century adventurers who first took up walking as a hobby (rather than a necessary redoubt from being cooped up all day), the new Calaurio is available in a deeply burnished brown leather and features the requisite d-ring and hooked eyelet fastenings ad deep-lugged sole. There will be time for smart coats in the future, but for now a sturdy parka is your not-so-fair weather friend.
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