I was worried that it was too late to post this, as spring is slowly arriving even in the Northern reaches of Europe. Then a friend wrote (from Italy, of all places!) that one should always take a coat with you whenever travelling in Europe, no matter how warm they say it’s going to be. Yes, I thought to myself, it’s never too late or too early to talk about coats.

Despite my irresistible attraction towards the concept of ‘wardrobe essential’, I’ve historically been very bad at actually buying any essential items of clothing. Unless you consider golden sandals and sequinned capes essential, which I kind of do. I’m also fully aware that what is essential for one person may be irrelevant for many others. But the very true statement of ‘wardrobe essential is whatever the person in question considers essential and there should be no pressure to conform nor feel any item of clothing should be considered essential in the first place’ does not an engaging blog post make.

So let us assume that there are pieces of apparel that are more useful, more classic, with more longevity than others. In this context, I think it’s fair to say that a camel coat would qualify. I have had one (not the same one, I admit) for almost ten years and predict I’m going to wear one for another ten. This year should be a good time to invest, as beige/tan coats are actively in fashion* (as opposed to just being classic), so many brands are doing their versions.

I think there are two main reasons for the enduring appeal of this coat: it is versatile and it looks luxe. Nothing works well with every single colour, but camel really does have range. Crucially, it suits both dark tones like black and navy and light ones like white, cream and all the beiges. Possibly even more crucially for today’s world, it looks excellent with denim. Personally, I also happen to like how it looks with brighter colours, be it red, lilac or powder blue.

A camel coat is also a shorthand for a certain understated type of luxury. Not everyone wants to look expensive, but most people prefer not to look cheap, so this connotation is surely not hurting camel’s popularity. I have a short beige** Zara coat with a rather sharp cut that elevates everything I wear despite costing less than 100 euros. The coat I’m wearing in these photos, by Suistudio***, is more expensive, but perfectly captures the allure of a camel coat to me. It is sumptuous, well cut, from a lovely material (actual camel hair) and the length makes it rather statement.

I guess what I’m saying is that if you have been considering buying a camel coat, I would endorse this course of action. It doesn’t need to be Max Mara to give you the effect and you will likely be wearing it for years. Plus it’s the end of the season and you might find a good bargain.

*Looking at the Autumn/Winter catwalks, the beige spectrum was again out in force, so I expect some nice options also in the second half of the year.

**I’m not precious about the exact colour we refer to by ‘camel’, I vaguely mean the shades from sand to walnut. You define your own camel by what suits you.

***Unfortunately, it seems to be sold out.

Coat and rollneck by Suistudio, skirt by H&M, boots by Zara (everything bought by me). Images Getter Kuusmaa, MUAH Erle Taklai, location Oivaline.