When I was younger I was always about fashion over function and that is still partly true. If I was having a night out I would never ever take a coat. It doesn’t matter how bad the weather was, I still wouldn’t take one. I went out one Christmas when it was freezing, in heavy snow, and still didn’t take one.

One of the reasons was that it was irritating to have to either carry it around or check it. However, the main reason was that I just didn’t want to ruin my outfit. A lot of that is still true. If I have an event and I absolutely love my outfit then I’m reluctant to take a coat. It hides your outfit or ruins your overall look.

Fashion Over Function

When I heard about the research carried out by Bijou Bijou I wasn’t surprised by what they found. They discovered that 62% of women will avoid wearing a coat that covers their outfit, even in cold weather. These women also intend to go coatless (completely made this word up) this autumn and winter.

Top reasons for braving cold weather

1. The style of coat does not match the outfit 

   This does make sense to me as sometimes you just don’t want to spend out on a coat just so it matches that one outfit, especially if you’re only wearing it to travel in.

2. Women want their outfits to be seen

   If you have gone to the effort of putting together an amazing outfit obviously you want it to be seen.

3. They don’t want to carry a coat around when indoors

   Coats are a pain to have to carry around as more often that not once you arrive at your destination you’re going to take it off.

The research found that 73% of women aged 36-40 were the most likely to ditch their coat versus only 41% aged 18-24. I’m actually quite surprised about this as we generally feel the cold more as we get older. We are also led to believe that as women get older they make more sensible fashion choices that provide function over fashion.

By Age
Age	Yes	No
18 – 24	41%	59%
25 – 30	44%	56%
31 – 35	49%	51%
36 – 40	73%	27%
41 – 50	52%	48%
51 – 55	44%	56%
56 – 60	51%	49%
61 – 64	48%	52%

Do you plan your outfits and ignore the weather forecast?

All Answers
Yes	No
86%	14%

If I’m going out to an event I generally hate taking a coat because I know I will get hot and end up having to carry it. However, I do actually love outerwear. I have a ridiculous amount of coats for one person mainly because they are all very different styles to suit different looks.

I think it is important to note that if you get really cold you’re more like to make yourself ill. Dr William Bird, medical consultant for the Meteorological Offices’ Health Forecast Unit, advises: “If you’re caught out in a sudden icy snap, you will start to shiver and that depresses the immune system, thus making you more likely to catch a cold. We lose up to 30% of our body heat through our heads, so also consider wearing a hat.”

I would love to know what you think about this. Do you focus on fashion or function?

About BIJOU BIJOU

BIJOU BIJOU is a new fashion jewellery brand created by editors and stylists who have worked for leading fashion outlets such as Vogue magazine. Aimed at women, the company offers over 2,000 products from their own range. They also feature guest jewellery designers such as Bill Skinner, Maria Black, ASHK Jewelry and Caroline Najman.

Office for National Statistics – Table 1 2011 Census: Usual resident population by five-year age group and sex, United Kingdom and constituent countries (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/2011censuspopulationandhouseholdestimatesfortheunitedkingdom)

Survey data: BIJOU BIJOU surveyed 412 women aged 18-65 in the United Kingdom between 19th and 20th September 2017