Temperatures may drop, but not the spirits when armed with a warm winter coat. Jude Hathaway takes a look at some of the covetable styles.
The changeable weather and the end of daylight saving are two factors that let southern New Zealand dwellers know that winter is not far away and it's time to also look to a snugly warm topcoat that wraps them in comfort.
While a feature of just about everybody's winter fashion edit, much of a coat's special allure lies in the fact that it's quite an investment.
Consequently, seldom is the purchase of a top coat the result of a whimsical flutter. Rather, pros and cons are fiercely pondered before the cash or the card is brought out.
But, the time spent in seeking out that right protective outer layer is worth it. There is absolutely nothing better than to waltz through winter nurtured in warmth and also looking good!
And, winter coats are seriously splendid this season by way of their designers' inspired use of texture, colour and shaping.
Many continue to glean ideas from the 1950s and '60s to shape their silhouettes. Still popular are the A-line figure-skimming mid-length coats that brush the knee and have a ladylike quality which in Britain is being championed by fashion leaders such as the Duchess of Cambridge.
But there are also the big, roomy box-shaped styles of the '60s. Capes are another popular option. Bold checks and plaids are juxtaposed with monotones of mustard, grey, black and vivid blues, navy and green.
Pure merino, wool blends and some of the topline polyester and viscose mixes stand alongside the faux fur fabrics. Adding to the exuberance of the season are the coats in which faux fur and wool combine.
Long-established Dunedin retailers such as Diann Waugh have watched the move to colour in recent years.
‘‘Let's get away from the long black coat and have a bit of fun during our long winter months,'' she said with enthusiasm.
She was, incidentally, wearing top-to-toe black at the time!
Designers have once again turned to the military for inspiration.
The big dense army greatcoats of as far back as the Napoleonic wars have, in the 21st century, been reinvented into shaped double-breasted styles of newly-found grace.
And, the ever-popular trench coat, manufactured first by Burberry specifically for the insidious trench warfare of the 1914-18 war remains a fashion staple since it was re-jigged post-World War 1 to suit women travelling in open cars.
Price points, too, are tailored to all budgets. Interestingly it is not always the type or amount of fabric used or whether it is unlined or lined that are the main factors of the coat's cost.
‘‘Price is more likely to be reflected in whether it is manufactured off-shore or in New Zealand or is designed by a boutique designer as a one-off which gives it immediate exclusivity that many women seek,'' suggests Diann Waugh.
‘‘That same exclusivity is also provided by the name alone of notable, well-established design houses,''
Prices also go up when design houses concentrate on comparatively short runs. This adds to the total manufacturing cost of each coat which is reflected in its end retail cost.
And the good old puffer jacket - an Otago staple - has also gained recent fashion status.
Indeed, last month Demna Gvasalia, making his debut at Balenciaga on the Paris catwalk with his 2016-17 autumn/winter RTW range, brought the puffer jacket into full fashion focus.
This prompted Laird Borrelli-Persson, to write for Vogue UK , ‘‘The jeans jacket, the anorak and the ubiquitous puffer got an elevated fashion makeover. The last he gave wings by styling it with a ladylike off-the-shoulder elegance. Needless to say, it is guaranteed to fly out of stores''.
The puffer has an interesting history. Originally used for warmth and protection by the hunting, mountaineering and skiing fraternities, it has more recently introduced fashion elements such as shaping and more flattering ‘‘baffles'' - the manufacturing term for the padding shapes.
It was Eddie Bauer, an American fisherman and sports store founder who applied for a patent for his diamond-quilted goose down version in 1936.
A year later Charles James designed what is considered the first fashion puffer, - a curvaceous, boudoir-inspired white satin number padded with the softest eiderdown.
According to the curators at the Victoria and Albert Museum where it is now housed, it became a cult object in the 1970s, linked with voluminous padded coats.
While padded coats became staples of a city wardrobe in the '80s and '90s. Dunedin first saw long-line puffer jackets on the city streets within the last decade.
Although not favoured by all, they're seen comfortably worn dressed up with tights, high dress boots and scarves for streetwear or with gumboots and jeans at kids' Saturday sports.
At Kathmandu's Dunedin store, the run on puffer jackets, which come in mid-length and shorter styles and with a guarantee of 90% down 10% feather content, usually begins in May or June when temperatures drop, says manager Lyndon Jackson.
So whether it's a puffer, a classy woven or a fun faux fur, the South has them all.
