We're pretty darn proud of the fact that we pioneered the Changing Room Selfie here at The Debrief, and now we're going on step further - meet our new regular feature: Online Shopping IRL.
While you're used to us trying on stuff in stores so that you don't have to, we thought we would give you an extra helping hand and try stuff on that you can only order online so you can see it on, dare we say it, 'normal people' before you click 'buy'.
This week, The Debrief team tried on the cult winter item: faux fur coats. Let the testing begin:
Emma, Social Media Editor
**Coat, £50, Boohoo.com **
The online dream: I fell in love with this coat over Boohoo's Instagram feed, both seeing it on the hanger and on the model. The colour initially drew me in, as I wanted a faux fur coat that would also look good in photos and not look dull.
The IRL experience: The coat definitely looks softer in texture in the online photos than in IRL, but I wasn't disappointed at all by how it felt. It's definitely soft enough not to be irritable or annoying. It also didn't moult which is good.
The debrief: 8/10. Really good value at £50, if it was any less than that I would have questioned the quality… The light blue colour goes really well with other pastel colours and white. I also sometimes die my hair pastel pink so I think two would work really well together.
** **Charlie, Fashion Editor
Coat, £195, Unreal Fur at Coggles
The online dream: I saw this coat and thought it was a Shrimps design (which retail for around £600) so I was intrigued to find out if it was as convincing in real life, or whether it would feel cheap, as it’s such a good price. I’m not mega keen on furry coats that have colour blocked sections, but Unreal have lots of different styles so I wanted to check out this Australian brand.
The IRL experience: This is one of the softest faux furs I’ve ever felt. I still wasn’t mad on the idea of the collar being a different colour, but I would definitely check out their other designs and order one.
The debrief: 9/10. Definitely a good buy, with lots of different colours and styles available.
Chemmie, Editorial Assistant
Coat, £54.99, Missguided.co.uk
**The online dream: **It's such a statement piece - the stripes are great and make it different to most other faux fur coats out there.
The IRL experience: Online, I couldn't see that the coat had a fleece lining (I expected a satiny coat lining) so IRL it seemed like more of a thick cardi than a coat. The coat didn't look as fluffy online as it is IRL, but it's super soft, and warm and snug.
**The debrief: 8/10. **My only gripe is that I did find the sizes came up a little small (maybe because of the fleece lining) so I'd probably recommend sizing up if you want to layer it. Other than that, this is a real winner.
Anna, Creative Editor
Coat, £59.99, Missguided.co.uk
The online dream: I usually dress quite casual and sporty, so fur hasn't ever really appealed as I always feel it's a bit too dramatic for me. I was attracted to this one because of the cropped shape and it felt a bit more understated than the longer versions.
The IRL experience: This was better than I expected, as I had never shopped at Missguided before and I expected the quality to be fairly low because of the low prices. Being a short jacket rather than a coat it was never going to be that warm but actually was surprisingly toasty, especially with the addition of a light denim jacket layered underneath. It was also surprisingly soft! I couldn't stop stroking it!
The debrief: 8/10. The quality is surprisingly good for the price, and the cropped cut makes it easy to wear. I loved wearing it with my This Is Welcome tee and Topshop skirt for an extra injection of print!
READ MORE: We Try On Everything Wintery To Buy In H&M Now That It's Frickin' Freezing
Stevie, Staff Writer
Coat, £75, Rare London
**The online dream: **This looks IRL exactly like it did online except I'm not a model which is an annoying, but irrelevant, issue.
The IRL experience: It felt really soft and like a little dog. I get freaked out by actual fur, so was glad it didn't feel TOO realistic but because it's black could definitely pass for real. Would probably go up in flames, but who cares when it's this soft?! Probably go a size bigger than you think to make it snuggly and to make sure you can actually do it up properly.
The debrief: 7/10. Very warm, but you would have to belt it to protect against cold because it wasn't long enough to wear open and remain toasty. I thought it was really good value, it's bulky but looks expensive which is all I care about because I'm shallow. You could throw this on over pretty much anything, apart from a black furry onesie because you'd look like a bear.
**Natalia, Pictures Assistant **
Coat, £219, Urbancode
The online dream: I don’t really like coloured faux furs, so I wasn’t sure about this from the website pics, I didn't know if it would feel good when on, or make me feel way too self-conscious.
The IRL experience: It was actually better IRL than online - much more flattering than I thought it would be, in terms of cut and colour. It felt pretty luxe, and it was VERY, VERY warm.
The debrief: 7/10. I like it because it's different, but not a totally crazy colour so will be versatile and hopefully not limited to just this season. I would wear it with ankle grazers, trainers or DM brogues and a simple vest for festive drinks.
Lena, Acting Deputy Editor
Coat, £70, Asos
The online dream: Anything from Asos is pretty much my dream. It's something about the prosepct of looking like the models on the site, I never do - but hey a girls gotta try right? Add to that the unusual colouring of this one allowed me to justify buying another animal print faux fur coat (I admit it, I have three already).
**The IRL experience: **One of my favourite things about ASOS is that it actually makes online shopping really accurate; both the catwalk videos and giving the models sizes help for no suprises when you rip the delivery box open. With this the fur texture was soft but not too fluffy and the soft lining made me feel I'd be able to brave even the coldest of days.
**The debrief: 9/10. **Anything that means I can get away with wearing all black and not looking too boring equals a winner. Plus clashing it with other prints would work as a bolder look for party season.
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Follow Charlie On Twitter: @CharlieByrne
Photographed by Anna Jay
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.