How to dress like a grown up with Shane Watson: Believe it or not, Del Boy’s sheepskin is back in vogue
- Shane Watson shares advice for embracing this season’s shearling trend
- Recommends sticking with natural tan and classic double-breasted Del Boy style
- UK-based fashion expert takes inspiration from Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber
Now it all makes sense. The other day in Zara, I nearly choked on my Polo mint when I checked the price tag on a shearling coat — the classic, three-quarter, double-breasted, natural suede coat with ivory sheepskin lapels and lining that’s been cool since the 1960s.
I kid you not, this coat was £21 short of £600 and the one behind it (not reversible) was only fractionally less. Then my spy at the couture shows in Paris reported that many in the audience — bloggers, buyers, editors; all the fashionable people showing off their best January looks, in other words — were wearing sheepskin coats and jackets.
Some of these will have been real and well over £1,000 (the Zara version, it turns out, is a good price for the real thing), some fake and more affordable. Either way, sheepskin is now officially cool.
What’s more, it’s also always had a down-to-earth, democratic image.
Shane Watson shares advice for embracing this season’s shearling trend at any occasion. Pictured: Cindy Crawford
The coat John Motson wore is — give or take degrees of quality — the same coat that Christine Keeler wore, and that Gisele Bundchen and Keira Knightley wear.
That’s partly what’s driving this sheepskin moment, the feeling that it is the earthy fur coat alternative — that and the fact that it’s very warm and an easier-on-the-complexion alternative to leather.
The soft, woolly texture helps, and the classic combination of camel and ivory — the ivory near the face — suits everyone on the planet. I’ve held on to my olive green leather biker jacket (anything black got handed on to my stepdaughter years ago) in the hope of wearing it one of these days, though I’m not holding my breath.
On the other hand, my trusty sheepskin coat, bought in the Comptoir des Cotonniers sale about 13 years ago, will be worn for ever.
For spring and the cold weeks leading into it, nothing beats a sheepskin. We’ll skip the genuine sheepskin — take it as read that if you win the lottery tomorrow there are hundreds of sheepskin coats and jackets out there, from labels such as Chloe and Miu Miu to Reiss and Joseph and Whistles — and focus on the fake, more affordable options.
Zara has a good mid-calf double-breasted coat with a chunky lapel in all-over mole brown (£99.99, zara.com).
Shane said if you like the idea of sheepskin, but don’t feel you can justify buying a coat, then get yourself a shearling collared gilet. Pictured: Kaia
On the whole I’d say don’t get a colourful shearling; for my money coloured fake fur looks classier when it’s sleek and glossy, but brown sheepskin works just fine. More of a classic in the Del Boy tradition is Mango’s light grey, slightly oversize three-quarter coat, which happens to be in the sale (£59.99, shop.mango.com). It might be a bit roomy for some but it has good buttons and a nice finish and is worth a look. Mango also does a basic three-quarter shearling in brown (£49.99, shop.mango.com).
Pricier, and a lot longer, Stand’s off-white coat with raw shearling seams and concealed snap buttons (£347, standstudio.com) is for making a statement and, of course, for keeping warm.
SHEARLING: THE NEW RULES
- Stick with natural tan.
- Shearling softens a biker jacket.
- Double-breasted Del Boy style is the classic.
- If in doubt, get a gilet.
If you’re more in the mood for a jacket, Boden has a faux shearling in its sale (£112, boden.co.uk) which comes in a soft, fudgey brown faux leather finish (rather than suede) with a wide draped collar. Broad exaggerated collars are popular at the moment and they do give you extra oomph where you need it most. Jakke’s reversible aviator in buttery shearling is another one with an exaggerated collar (£220, jakke.co.uk). Otherwise, Mango also does a faux shearling-lined biker jacket (£69.99, shop.mango.com).
If you do have your heart set on a biker jacket — and they were back on the spring catwalks — then a faux shearling lining will make the difference between too hard-looking and one that’s wearable, especially if you steer clear of black.
A shearling-lined luxury biker may be the one exception to the ‘no colour’ rule (the softer it looks, the better off you’ll be), so if that’s the way you’re leaning, try Whistles’ burgundy version (£195, whistles.com) or Marks & Spencer’s in chocolate (£69, marksandspencer.com).
Finally, if you like the idea of sheepskin, but don’t feel you can justify buying a coat, then maybe do as I have just done and get yourself a shearling collared gilet (in the sale, £17.99, shop.mango.com). The top third is faux ivory shearling with a stand up collar, the rest, quilted khaki. Love a gilet, so best of both worlds.
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