Autumn Jackets: Four Layers Worth Trying On This Season
Autumn jackets have one job to get right before anything else, and that is clearing a jumper. Plenty of them do not, which is how a jacket ends up worn twice in September and then abandoned once the knitwear comes out. These four clear one comfortably. What separates them is how much attention each one asks for.
At a glance
- Esqualo blazer in a mauve micro-houndstooth, shot through with sequins, cut relaxed
- Olsen longline in knitted houndstooth at the opposite scale, buttoning to the knee
- Orly gold metallic leopard, zip front with a black leather-look collar
- Micha camel quilted puffer, hooded, light enough to wear now
- Sizes run UK 8 to 18 on most brands, S to XL on the continental labels
- The blazer that goes over a jumper
- Houndstooth at two scales
- When the jacket is the outfit
- The one you actually reach for
- Sizing, and choosing between autumn jackets
The blazer that goes over a jumper
Most blazers are cut to sit over a shirt and nothing else, which makes them useless from October. The Esqualo one is not. It is cut generously through the shoulder and body, so a fine knit goes underneath without the lapels pulling apart.
The fabric is the interesting part. A tiny houndstooth in mauve and cream, with sequins worked through it so it catches light without announcing itself. From two paces it reads as a soft neutral check. Close up there is a lot more going on. It comes with matching trousers if you want the whole thing, though it works harder split up.
Houndstooth at two scales
Two houndstooths came in this season and putting them side by side is the quickest lesson in how much pattern scale changes a garment. The Esqualo check is a few millimetres across and behaves like a texture. The Olsen is enormous, navy against oatmeal, and behaves like a graphic.
The Olsen is also knitted rather than woven, which makes it closer to a coatigan than a jacket. It buttons twice at the front, has patch pockets and falls to just above the knee. Over jeans and a white tee it does all the work in the outfit.
Scale is the thing to decide before colour. A small repeat disappears into an outfit and a large one organises it. Neither is safer than the other; they just want different things underneath.
When the jacket is the outfit
The Orly leopard is the loudest thing on the rail and we bought it deliberately. Gold metallic ground, black spots, a black leather-look collar and a zip straight up the front. It is slightly oversized and stops at the hip.
A jacket like this only needs plain black underneath and plain black below. That is the whole styling note. People are often more nervous of it on the hanger than on, because the metallic reads warmer against skin than it does under shop lights. Worth taking into the daylight by the door before you decide.
The one you actually reach for
Every autumn rail needs a jacket with no opinions, and the Micha camel puffer is ours. Lightweight quilting, a drawstring hood, gold zips and a cream panel across the hem that stops the camel going flat.
It is hip length and genuinely light, so it covers the stretch of weather where a coat is too much and a cardigan is not enough. This is the one that lives by the door and goes to the school run, the dog walk and the supermarket. Nobody photographs it. Everybody buys it twice.
Sizing, and choosing between autumn jackets
Sizes run UK 8 to 18 across most of the brands, with S to XL on the continental labels like Esqualo and Micha. Anything cut oversized is flagged in the product notes, because oversized means different things to different design teams.
If you are buying one jacket rather than four, the question is what you already own. A wardrobe of plain knitwear can carry the leopard or the big houndstooth. A wardrobe that already has pattern in it wants the Esqualo blazer or the camel puffer, both of which sit quietly. The full range is on the jackets collection page, and it is worth seeing what you would layer underneath at the same time in our knitwear. There is more from Esqualo on its own collection page too.
Frequently asked questions
What autumn jackets work best over knitwear?
Anything cut with room through the shoulder and body rather than shaped close to the waist. A relaxed blazer, a knitted longline and a lightweight quilted style all take a jumper underneath without dragging at the armhole. The test in the shop is simple: put the jumper on first, then try the jacket, and check you can cross your arms in front of you. A jacket that only closes over a shirt is one you will stop wearing in October.
How do I wear a bold pattern without it taking over the outfit?
Keep everything else plain and let the jacket be the only thing happening. Black or navy underneath and on the bottom half is the reliable version, because it gives the pattern an edge to stop at. The other approach is to go the opposite way and choose a small-scale print instead, which behaves like a texture rather than a graphic and sits quietly with almost anything. Trouble usually comes from putting two medium-scale patterns together rather than from one bold one.
What is the difference between a blazer and a knitted longline jacket?
Structure, mostly. A blazer is woven and tailored, with a set shoulder and lapels that hold their shape, so it reads smarter and takes a heel comfortably. A knitted longline has no internal structure and moves with you, closer to a cardigan in behaviour even when it has buttons and a collar. If you want one layer that goes to a meeting, take the blazer. If you want one you can drive in and sit down in all day, take the knit.
Is a lightweight quilted jacket warm enough for a British autumn?
For September through to about November, generally yes, and that is exactly the gap it is designed to fill. A light quilted jacket with a hood handles a dry cold day and a bit of drizzle without the bulk of a winter coat. Once it turns properly cold you will want something heavier or a good jumper underneath, which is why we would size it to allow for that rather than buying it close-fitting.
Can I wear a metallic or leopard jacket during the day?
Yes, and daylight is usually kinder to it than shop lighting. A metallic ground looks brighter and harder under spotlights than it does outside, which is why we suggest walking to the door with it on before deciding. Worn over plain black with flat boots it reads as a print rather than as evening wear. The pieces that genuinely only work at night tend to be the ones with a lot of surface shine rather than a pattern.
Written by Emma Molyneux
Emma opened Experience Boutique on Fleet High Street in 1996 and has run it for thirty years. Her daughter Laura now handles the buying, across more than forty European and international womenswear labels.
