Do the duffel shuffle

A few years ago, I went through quite a stage of wearing an old duffel coat. In my head I looked like an art student from the 60s. In reality I had far more people comparing me to Paddington bear than to Ali McGraw. With regret I decided to hang up the coat for good. But I've seen a number of coats recently, lighter and brighter updates of the old classic, that have been convincing me maybe it's time to get up the duff(el) again.

My desire to once again ogle that toggle started with this coat from See By Chloé. There's absolutely no way I could justify spending the £2oo-plus price tag but it's a lovely new take on the style. Because it's 100% cotton it's not technically a duffel coat (by definition, they're made from wool) but that makes it all the better for the Spring.

More more within my budget and with a similar feel and light fabric is the Captain Duffel Coat from Topshop. Oh captain, my captain, how I love its tartan lined hood and cuffs. Most of all, how I love its £70 price tag.

The humble Belgian fisherman was apparently responsible for the first duffel coat. Pay tribute with the Louche Kitty jacket from Joy available in the suitably nautical but nice colours of red and blue. It's lightweight and it's cropped and, though you can't tell from this picture, it's lined with a pretty Liberty-esque floral pattern.

And, while you may not want to consider Paddington a style inspiration, surely one of these coats counts as a bear necessity?