Style Focus: Coats.

Coats, for me, are probably the be all and end all of any ensemble. They can add a pop of colour to an all black outfit or smarten up your daily jeans-and-a-tee combo. With the added bonus of warmth, what's not to love about a coat? 

Personally, I find that my looks feel incomplete without one.

Some of my friends would probably go as far as saying I collect coats. I'll agree, I have ALOT of coats - these are a mere snippet of all the ones I actually own. Seriously, coats attract a Lauren like a light attracts a moth. They are my thang and since we're coming into the autumn/winter months, it's important to invest in a warm coat but one that also scores you style points. As you can probably deduct from the above picture, I'm rather a large fan of the boyfriend coat, - usually hits around the thigh area and has lapels - the electric blue one is my favourite.This is the shape that suits me the most as I tend to wear heels pretty much daily so it balances out my height. A good cut for you lucky ones blessed with the natural height of a model.

Baggier looking coats, such as the yellow one above, help bulk out smaller frames. I'll be the first to admit that I am in no way petite, but this coat works for me because I have long, slim(ish) legs - at least they look slim when I wear heels. Fur trim is also a good component to look for on a coat as it doubles up as a scarf. 

You can never go wrong with a leather jacket in my opinion (unless you're wearing leather trousers, in which case you may be crossing over into biker territory...word of warning). A leather jacket suits everyone, invest in a good, black one and shove a hoody on underneath. Warmth through the winter whilst still looking cool. 

I understand that one person doesn't need this many coats, most of my friends invest in a good one in a neutral colour and wear it all winter. I can't do that, I've tried.

I tend to gravitate towards coats in bright colours to distract from the fact that I wear way too much black on an everyday basis. I've even got my eye on a cheeky blue checked number in Primark. Bring on payday! 

All the coats featured in this post are from Autumn/Winter 2013 so I'm not sure if they'll still be available for you guys to purchase, I am sorry if you happen to really like any of them but my fingers are crossed that you may be able to find similar ones or online. A very similar leather jacket is still available and you can find it here.

Electric Blue, Yellow & Black with fur trim - H&M

Red & White speckle - Matalan

Black & White (looks grey in pic) - Topshop

Leather jacket - Miss Selfridge

Lauren

xo