This winter’s biggest outerwear trends: shearling, peacoats, and trenchcoats. Of course all of these are undeniably chic, but are they really the best choice for frigid winter weather?
It turns out that the answer is yes; as global temperatures rise, winters grow milder, and coats aren’t so much strict necessities as fashion pieces.
Take Burberry, for example. It originated as a winter coat brand, and, although it has expanded its collections, remains primarily known for its jackets, scarves, and other cold weather apparel. However, in their Winter 2025 Runway Show for London
Fashion Week, they debuted a collection of trenches and sweater dresses.
outerwear collection would feature so little actual warmth.
But buyers aren’t looking for serious coats this season.
. The World Meteorologist Organization (WMO) reports that the decade of 2015 through 2024 has been the warmest since global records began in 1850. Burberry’s runways before this record breaking jump featured extensive use of fur, as well as wool and puffer jackets. Christopher Bailey’s 2014 collection, for example, leaned heavily into fur, using it to line jackets and hoods for extra warmth. In fact, this was a pattern repeated throughout the early 2000s Burberry’s outfits were meticulously layered with traditional cold-weather pieces, like knit sweaters, and puffer jackets. Scarves, boots, and tights appeared throughout the collection, tying the looks together and reinforcing the idea that these clothes were designed for real winter weather, not just the runway.
All this leads to the question of what winter fashion looks like in a world losing the meaning of winter. How will designers preserve winter fashion when there is no need for it? The increase of lightweight jackets and breathable wool certainly drop some clues.
The Fashion Clause 
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