Obviously in the UK we are slaves to the weather; a fact that has been thrown into sharp relief during lockdown. How many well-intentioned walks have been abruptly canceled due to a bruised looking sky? A couple of droplets fall and all hell breaks loose. It might as well be raining cancer. Yesterday my girl made it literally three feet out the door before having to duck back in to grab a gilet and a balaclava.

To be fair, the wintery winds and arbitrary downpours do seem especially stubborn this year. One shard of sunlight cuts through and suddenly people with deckchairs are sprinting for an illuminated corner of pavement. Then the clouds fidget back into place, gloom descends again and everyone trudges back inside to de-pause Emily in Paris.

Perchance some rainwear is in order? Something to keep your style high and your head dry.

Here’s a coat and a hat you might want to consider. They are both from the brand MAN‑TLE (The hyphen? Your guess is as good as mine.) I can tell you they’re Australian and they use Japanese fabrics and hardware. Their inspiration is something to do with the, “rugged tactility of the landscape”; but then, we’ve all got stories.

Call me superficial, but if I’m dropping 600 bar on a coat, I’m less concerned by the “rugged” character of the Australian terrain and more concerned by how I’ll look in it. At that price ‘looking like a total dude’ needs to be the only KPI. 

Over at New York retailer C’H’C’M the sales patter runs thus: ‘Snap Hood Nylon Jacket’ (Canopy)‘. That’s it. Unless you count the $845 price  — which I don’t. So really, all that’s left is to imagine yourself in it, which I’m doing as I type… I like the bold green. I like the big golden fastenings. I’m not sure about the pockets hidden in the seam. Thus ends my imaginary review.

I do think it’d look pretty punchy teamed with this majestic yellow hat (or to quote C’H’C’M: ‘Six Panel Hat’ (Yellow)’. It looks well robust. Somewhere between vintage Run DMC and Banana Nesquik. An emerald jacket and a canary hat… the very idea is giving me confusing feels. I need to just listen to my body, no judgement.

Anyway, it’s always raining and here’s a coat and hat that will leave you 1000 quid lighter but 100% dryer. That’s just maths, you can’t argue with it.