The best weatherproof, practical coats to buy this winter

Not so long ago it looked as though nylon quilted coats – what we used to call Puffas before we realised that was a brand name and were told by lawyers to back off unless we were actually talking about Puffas– were set to take over the world. In 2012 the conventional cloth coat gave every appearance of being on the critical list. It couldn’t compete with the windproof, breathable, waterproof, snugness and all round fluffy lightness of the puffy thing. It especially couldn’t hold its own against puffy thing’s cheapness. Ounce for ounce, tog for ￡￡￡￡, puffy thing was unbeatable and ubiquitous.

Then the cloth coat staged a come-back. That’s fashion for you – always flying in the face of reason.

The cloth coat is big again this year. In checks, berry shades and neons, oversized or classic – it’s very, very lovely. I still maintain that every wardrobe needs something that’s arguably less lovely but highly functional. I promise this isn’t Marie Antoinette-ish: a cloth coat  won’t cut it on a country walk, in a downpour or any of the gazillion other situations where you need thermal lagging and flat-pack versatility.

Wax cotton jacket, ￡295, Archie Foal; Down puffer coat, ￡225, Arket

Enter The Performance Coat – because puffy thing has seriously evolved since 2012, when its main contents were dubiously harvested cheap feathers (often painfully plucked from live birds, which we didn’t know). Now they’re silk filled (Stella McCartney), or use recycled feathers (Arket); machine washable (the one from Barbour featured here) and the styling (from Troy’s camo flak jacket to Archie Foal’s part Hipster,part farmer moleskin lined waxed jacket) makes them 24/7 town and country, pub and ball wear.

Wax parka, ￡375, Troy London; Breathable waterproof jacket, ￡189, Barbour 

The gold standard is 49 winters, a wonderful new brand set up by two fashion industry veterans who make coats that transcend trends and work in every condition, from light drizzle outside a fashion show to full on mountain conditions. “The only coat you’ll ever need,” they say - but then it’s three coats in one:  a build-your-own concept. Choose an outer, breathable shell – the wind and water proof Long Parka (￡495) for instance, then add, if you want, a puffy inner one from an array of metallic and plain colours( and filled ethically harvested feathers), ￡395 a hood and sheepskin trim. This is a luxury purchase that you can buy in instalments. And made to last. Could well be the only coat(s) you need.