Do you ever glimpse someone wearing a puffer jacket, a beanie hat and a cashmere scarf and find yourself wanting to ask them, "Excuse me but what are you going to do when it's bitter?" I frequently do, conscious of not wanting to peak too early by diving into the heavy-duty side of my outerwear wardrobe, while freely admitting that my sports jacket isn't quite cutting the mustard when the wind-chill factor means the "feels like" temperature is -1.
Having done plenty of research, however, I've realised there's a solution to what to wear if the weather is cold but not bitingly cold—a wool jacket.
Thandi Maqubela
Halfway between a jacket and a coat, the wool jacket borrows characteristics of both to find the balance that's needed between freezing weather and properly freezing weather, skimming the hip but keeping its wearer snug courtesy of its wool fabrication.
Influencers have already discovered its potential. Thandi Maqubela swears by a grey wool jacket from Rise & Fall, a sumptuous option that contains 5% cashmere for extra softness. With a sculptural cut that includes a collarless neckline and gently-flaring sleeves, it couldn't be more appropriate for office days but will also elevate straight-leg jeans at the weekend.
Vanessa Rose Blair
Salomé Mory, meanwhile, opted for the wool-blend poncho from the latest drop at Uniqlo. The JW Anderson design can be cinched to give its soft folds sharpness or be left to drape over layers (upon layers) of knitwear. Massimo Dutti's range of wool jackets is also particularly worthy of attention, with interesting details like pairs of unevenly spaced buttons and a shorter hemline that will team nicely with high-waisted, barrel-legged trousers.
Salomé Mory
Welcome a wool jacket into your wardrobe and whenever the weather's warm-cold, still-windy in the space of 24 hours, you know what to wear.
Shop The Best Wool-Blend Jackets
Massimo Dutti has so many delicious. versions of the wool jacket, but the button placement on this design is particularly on-point.
This contrast-stitch jacket comes up slightly larger than usual, which means it's perfect for layering up with jumpers and thermals.
COS similarly has a wealth of wool jackets, including this checked version with an elongated silhouette and scarf detail for much-needed warmth.
Hush's wool jacket has a collarless neckline, plus a balloon-sleeved silhouette, that makes it look impressively luxurious.
Arket's wool-blend blazer comes in this seasonal berry shade that feels particularly appropriate for autumn but also Christmas.
Another collarless (as well as buttonless) entry, this time from By Malene Birger.
Skall Studio's 100% wool jacket has an organic feel but a tailored silhouette that lends smart points.
YMC's Italian virgin boiled wool jacket will become a cornerstone of your cold-weather wardrobe.
Hooded with a slightly flaring silhouette that means you can squeeze plenty of knits underneath, Studio Nicholson's wool jacket is worth the investment.
Simple yet effective, this navy wool jacket is perfect for basing your autumn uniform around.
Rise & Fall's sculptural jacket comes with so many pleasing details—the tie belt, the collarless neckline, the flaring sleeve—that you should definitely snap it up before it sells out.
This Uniqlo poncho is something a bit different if you already have your fill of jackets.
