If 2024 belonged to a jacket, it would undoubtedly be the chore. Otherwise known as the barn jacket or workman's jacket, which signals its roots in the kind of durable clothing that's built to last, the cover-up got the high-fashion call up last year after appearing on the catwalk at Prada. This caused something of style chain reaction, putting traditional versions from brands like Carhartt WIP, whose chore jacket was officially trending last spring according to global search platform Lyst, back in everyone's baskets.
It's the kind of jacket that's so easy to wear - pairing with jeans, skirts, dresses, you name it, and giving everything a down-to-earth elegance that's hard to pinpoint - it seriously makes you wonder how you lived without it. Except in winter. The chore jacket is a lifesaver but, at the end of the day, it's still a jacket (i.e. too lightweight for this month's bitterly cold weather). Whistles, however, has clearly done its homework, delivering a coat version of the chore that is just in time to single-handedly boost your style outlook this January.
www.whistles.com
Made from cotton with a waxed outer layer and a corduroy collar, Gabriella is the friend that won't let you down this month (or next). Throw her over a bundle of layers and her slightly flaring silhouette will make you look impossibly sleek. Wear her to work over high-waisted black trousers, on the other hand, and she'll ensure you mean business.
Unsurprisingly for a coat with these kind of powers, the influencer set has already discovered Gabriella (go figure). Trishna Goklani packed her for a weekend at Soho Farmhouse, wearing her with a cosy knitted cardigan, baggy jeans and gold hoop earrings for a polished yet practical take on staycation dressing. Louisa Hatt, meanwhile, styled hers with a red jumper, barrel-legged jeans and white loafers, captioning the photo, 'A coat appreciation post because this waxed number is so good and will definitely be a staple in my wardrobe.' Quite.
Could it be the coat of 2025? It's too early to say but from the comments underneath photos on Hatt's Instagram - 'That coat is incredible', 'Oh it’s a good one,' and 'No it really is spectacular' - Gabriella just might be.
Natalie Hammond is Grazia’s Senior Fashion News Editor. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).