Our Colourful Women's Winter Coats – Stay Warm, Look AMAZING!

Once upon a time there was no such thing as a colourful winter coat. This time of year would mean covering up your lovely, bright, vivid outfits with something dreadfully boring and dull, something dark blue or black, grey or brown.

We think winter should be about vivid colour, about fun and creativity, revealing more of your personality not less of it. In our world, this time of year marks an opportunity to love your outer layers, not dread putting them on. Here's some inspiration – welcome to our wonderful women's winter coats.       

Our women's winter coat special - All about fleece

Plenty of our winter coats feature fleece, either as a lining or as the fabric of the coat itself. So what's the score? Fleece is remarkably light, soft, and easy to wash. It was invented in Massachusetts, USA, back in 1979 by a company called Malden Mills, which was keen to develop a new, light, strong pile fabric that was as good as – if not better than – wool.  Malden Mills' CEO originally wanted his invention to be produced cheaply and widely by many manufacturers, so didn't want to patent it. And that's how it became so popular, so fast, right around the world.

Fleece weighs less than wool and comes in a variety of thicknesses: micro, 100, 200, and 300. It rejects liquid, holding less than one percent of its own weight in water. You can machine wash it and it doesn't shrink. It dries fast. And if you're allergic to wool it's perfect. Originally called polar fleece, it can be made from recycled plastic bottles as well as from 100% cotton. And you can actually recycle old fleece to make new fleece, so it's pretty sustainable.  

Stunning women's winter coats made with gheri fabric

Gheri fabric also lies at the heart of some of our most popular winter coats and jackets. It's a gorgeous woven striped and patterned fabric produced using an ancient weaving technique on a traditional backstrap loom. It's a very simple, small horizontal loom that's cheap to make or buy, easy to transport, and can be used while on the road.

Popular for millennia in Central and South America, the backstrap loom's simplicity doesn't mean the fabrics created on it are in any way basic. Quite the opposite. People across the world have woven some of history's most complex and beautiful textiles on this deceivingly basic machine, including the typical striped gheri fabric used to embellish one of our most popular winter coats for women in 2018 – more about that later.

Why we adore velour

Velour is an incredibly soft fabric very like velvet but less expensive. In fact, velour is French for 'velvet', which is usually made from silk. Velvet was probably invented in the Far East and eventually made its way west along the ancient silk roads. Tiny scraps of velvet have been found in China that date back as far as 206 BC, and four thousand years ago Egypt and Iraq made velvet for royalty, an incredibly expensive fabric. Velour also drapes seamlessly, like velvet, and is often made from cotton, sometimes from synthetic fabrics like polyester. The soft surface of velour is called a 'pile', made by first sewing millions of tiny loops then cutting the loops to create a soft, warm surface like a miniature carpet.

Three very different women's winter coats to choose from

So what do we have in store for you right now? How about this glorious plum-coloured velour coat with its shawl collar and stunning genuine silk gheri panels? It's luxurious, soft and stretchy and features a wide gheri panel down the back, another at the front to one side, and more at the neck and sleeves. The elegant shawl collar has three decorative buttons, you close it with hidden buttons, and it has a lovely, soft lining in 100% cotton.  

Here's another winter coat treat for the ladies... a gorgeous, fluffy, warm fleece coat in black with trimmings of soft faux fur and bright  floral appliqué in blue, grey and scarlet. The asymmetrical zip adds a cool twist and a couple of generous side pockets keep your hands warm.  

Or go colour-crazy with this awesome long fitted embroidered jacket with its extra-pointy pixie hood, embellished richly with panels of frothy lace and smothered in embroidery.

Every one of these splendid coats will light up your life this winter, so much more fun than an ordinary women's winter coat. Go play!