Fur silhouettes

There are a lot of fringed and fur coats all over London.

Today is not the first time I notice a particular silhouette that winter only accentuates: oversize upper-body wear.

Especially as fur is the new way of keeping warm in glamorous hippy-chic style.

Love it or hate it, it is the new texture.

No need to have real fur of course, but it is true it adds some statement to a coat. And most importantly it keeps you warm and snug.

Avoiding the chill in style: winter coats

There is no escaping it now, winter has arrived and autumn jackets no longer suffice to block out the chill.

Winter coats are everywhere in magazines at this time of the year. It is all about the 10 best buys, or the 10 cheapest warm coats.

However people stay away from statement coats. The catwalks are full of them but it is easier to pull off a Russian inspired, encrusted coat with fur trims, when you are wearing it inside for the eyes of the camera.

It looks gorgeous but is it warm enough? A winter coat must not be on the bulky or the heavy side (unpractical when living in London and the top layer goes on/off/on/off as you move from bitter cold to overheated tube station).

I hate having to hide under layers and layers of jumpers and wool until I look more like a sheep than a person.

I personally would hibernate if I had the choice.

Unfortunately - and I am not the only one - I cannot stay indoors all day feeding on steaming drinks and radiators. But I cannot walk out looking like a grizzly either.

So what is the magical solution to all of this?

I power-layer - some days it goes up to five.

It is only a matter of finding thin but warm under-layers, then adding a jumper and finishing off with a large woolen dress cinched at the waist. Over that of course comes your habitual autumn coat or warm jacket.

If that sounds a little uncomfortable (it all depends if you are used to loose clothing or not), the statement fake-fur coat is the best option: it's OK if it's bulky, it was styled to look that way.

It is also a perfect way to show off legs in quirky tights.