As these dark post-Christmas days close in, the most important item in any wardrobe is a winter overcoat. So, it’s time to button up. The season’s trends cover a wide variety from bomber jackets and puffers to trenches, tweeds and scarf coats. The cornerstone of a winter wardrobe and a multitasker, the coat is the great cover up that can enhance any outfit and add that extra polish and dash whether over jeans and tees, long dresses or glamorous evening wear.
Investing in quality comes with a price, but one that pays off in the end. Durability should be key and classic coat styles never go out of date. Longer lengths dominated at Prada and Miu Miu, wraps and longline trenches at JW Anderson, bombers and shearlings at Alaia while the scarf coat hit the high street at Cos and Arket.
Here in Ireland, there are many luxury tweed choices – Louise Kennedy, Jack Murphy, Avoca, Tiona and of course Magee to mention the principals. The Landskein’s latest collection from Anna Guerin, however, woven by Molloys in Ardara, continues to showcase the best of what Ireland can offer when it comes to marrying Donegal tweed with silhouettes that are versatile, stylish and refined.
The recognition of the heritage of Donegal tweed in Paris, New York, Italy and even as far afield as Hainan in China tells its own story of universal and enduring appeal. It can be an emotional choice, but a tweed coat can equally be worn with denim shirts and chunky knits as with flighty lace-edged slip dresses.
The latest collection, the sixth from The Landskein, called Quintessence, has a coat to suit every shape and comprises 26 tailored pieces distinguished by texture and colour – in deep burgundies (new this season), navies and ivories with shades of dove grey, aubergine and cocoa.
The burgundy tweed is crafted into two styles: Eden, a sweeping floor-length tailored coat and Cusack, a mid-length version. Though there are no trendy scarf coats, a fringed wrap cocoon scarf does the job of enhancing the styles.
Also new this season is an ivory floor-length coat, a snowy white take on traditional herringbone. It creates a look of quiet luxury, especially when paired with a long white skirt and matching scarf. Elsewhere, four new designs in bronzed chestnut-brown tweed made their debut at the Gloss gala in November.
Celebrity stylist Sinéad McKeefry chose five styles from the collection for Claudia Winkleman, the host of season three of Traitors, while other well-known celebrity fans of The Landskein include Glamour editor Samantha Barry, Saoirse-Monica Jackson of Derry Girls, Sarah Greene of Bad Sisters and US actor Abigail Cowan.
There is now a studio showroom in Dún Laoghaire where clients can see the full collection. “These [meetings] often shape ideas for the following year’s collection and become collaborative exchanges,” says Guerin. Showroom appointments can be made at showroom@thelandskein.com.
All jewellery from Loulerie, Dublin. The Landskein can be found in Brown Thomas, Havana, Emporium Kalu, BlueFig, Cork and online at thelandskein.com
Photography by Rosty Key; production and styling by Sinéad Keenan using items from Landskein stockists; modelled by Naomi at Models 1, hair by Jake Ryan, make-up by Ruth Brophy
