At 62, the warm jacket I forget I am even wearing
At 62, the warm jacket I forget I am even wearing
Six things that make the Lily the perfect jacket for autumn, from a woman who is not a fashion writer.
Caroline Richards · Customer · Nottinghamshire · 5 min read
Let me be plain about who is talking. I am Caroline, I am 62, I live in Nottinghamshire, and I have never once sat down to write about a jacket in my life. What I have is a coat I had come to dread, a great heavy stiff thing that weighed on my shoulders and bundled me up the moment I put it on, so on the in-between days of autumn I would go out underdressed and cold rather than lug it about. So this is not a review. It is a woman who found a jacket that keeps her warm and weighs next to nothing, saying why.
The one I am writing about is called the Lily, from Nottingham Boutique, a small boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. It is an ultra-light quilted jacket with a hood, and mine is a soft warm khaki, just the thing for autumn. When the boutique later asked if they could put my letter up for others to read, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
I pulled it on over my jumper, stepped out into a crisp autumn morning, and for the first time in years I was warm without feeling weighed down at all. That was the moment it won me over. Read on.
Here is the little bind every cool morning used to bring. My winter coat was so heavy and stiff that I felt bundled up and could barely reach into my bag, so I dreaded wearing it. But a cardigan was not enough against the wind. I never seemed to land on warm and comfortable at once, and on the in-between days of autumn I simply went out cold.
My old coat kept me warm but weighed me down and bundled me up. This one keeps me just as warm and I genuinely forget I have it on.
The Lily is the first jacket I have owned that keeps me properly warm while weighing next to nothing, and having barely taken mine off since, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
The morning it arrived. So much lighter and softer than I expected, and such a warm, useful colour.
WARM, BUT FEATHER-LIGHT, NO BULK
This is the whole thing, really. The quilting holds the warmth in beautifully, so I am genuinely cosy on a cold morning, and yet it weighs next to nothing and has no bulk at all. It is the warmth of a coat without the weight of one, which for anyone who feels the cold but hates being bundled up is exactly the combination you want.
The hood, the neat zip and the fine light quilting. Warmth without the weight.
Warm as my old heavy coat but it weighs nothing at all. No more feeling bundled up. I honestly forget I have it on.
Christine B., West BridgfordSO EASY TO MOVE IN, YOU FORGET IT IS ON
Because it is so light and soft, there is none of that stiff, weighed-down feeling a heavy coat gives you. I can reach into my bag, swing my arms, walk properly, all the things my old coat made a chore, and I simply forget I have it on. It moves with me rather than against me, which at my age I appreciate more than I can say.
I can actually move my arms in it, no more feeling trussed up. So light and soft I forget I am wearing it. Wonderful.
Margaret E., SouthwellIT THROWS OVER EVERYTHING AND LOOKS NEAT
It goes over everything, my jeans for the shops or something smarter for lunch, and it always looks neat and pulled-together rather than sporty or scruffy. The slim quilting and the soft khaki are quiet and smart, so I never feel I have thrown on an old anorak. Warm, light and presentable, whatever I am wearing underneath.
It looks smart over jeans or a dress, not sporty at all. I get compliments every time. Goes with everything I own.
Dorothy S., BeestonA HOOD FOR WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS
There is a proper hood, so when the autumn drizzle or the wind comes in, as it does, I simply pull it up and carry on rather than getting caught out. It is the little bit of extra cover that means I can set off on a grey morning without fretting about the weather. On, off, up, down, it is there when I want it and out of the way when I do not.
The slim quilting and the zip on. Light on, and a hood for when the drizzle comes.
The hood has saved me more than once when the rain came in. So handy, and it tucks away neatly when I do not need it.
Pauline H., ArnoldIT PACKS DOWN SMALL FOR THE CAR AND TRIPS
Being so light, it folds down small, so it lives on the back seat of the car and comes in my bag when we go away, ready for whenever it turns cold. I am never caught out without a layer now, and it takes up next to no room. For days out and little trips it has been the most useful thing I own.
On the peg by the door, light as anything, ready to grab on the way out.
It folds up small enough to keep in the car, so I am never caught out. Perfect for days out and going away. So light.
Eileen T., NewarkLOVELY COLOURS, AND HONEST SIZES
It comes in a lovely range of colours, with a hood like mine or a neat stand-up collar, my warm khaki and a navy, a burgundy, a black and more, so there is a shade to suit everyone. And the sizing runs honestly from a small right up to a 5XL, cut to sit well and flatter. I have the khaki for now and I am rather tempted by the burgundy for the winter.
Such a lovely choice of colours, and it goes up to my size and still looks neat and slim. So pleased I have ordered the navy too.
Maureen C., BinghamThe Lily, against the heavy coat you dread putting on
You can have a warm coat in the cupboard and still go out cold, because it is such a heavy, bundled-up thing to wear. I know, because I did. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
Warm, but heavy and stiff
Bundles you up, hard to move in
Too much of a chore for in-between days
Big and bulky to carry or store
Warm but never comfortable
Just as warm, but feather-light
Soft and easy, you forget it is on
Perfect for those in-between days
Packs down small for the car and trips
Warm and comfortable at once
About the price
The Lily is £42.95 at the moment. It was £86.00.
I will pass on what the boutique told me, which is that the middle sizes and the popular colours are the first to go, and with the autumn sale on they are going quickly, so once a size or a colour has gone it can be a wait for it to come back. Their words, not mine. What I can tell you from my side is that half price is usually where I start asking what is wrong with a thing, and for a jacket this warm and this light, I have found nothing wrong with it.
And I do not trust perfect scores, so I read the reviews before I ordered. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars, which sounded like real women rather than robots, so I read on. The same six things I have just walked you through come up in them, over and over, in other women's words.
Folded down small, ready for the car and the next cold morning out.
If you feel the cold this autumn but cannot bear a heavy, bundled-up coat, this is the jacket I would hand you myself, while your size is still there. Stop dithering and go and have a look.
Caroline
LILY | ULTRA-LIGHT QUILTED HOODED JACKET
- Genuinely warm, but feather-light with no bulk
- Soft and easy to move in, you forget it is on
- Throws over everything, jeans or something smart
- A proper hood for the drizzle and the wind
- Packs down small for the car and trips away
- Lovely colours, hood or stand collar, sizes to 5XL
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
The autumn sale is on now. Middle sizes and popular colours go first.