3 Stylish Raincoats You'll Want to Wear
Weather can feel like a fashion killer. How are you supposed to show your style if you have to cover it up? The good news, especially for those of us in rainy areas, is that you can plan your outfit to include a cute women's raincoat that will add to your ensemble instead of taking away. A raincoat is just another kind of outer layer. And there are several fun styles that you can take advantage of. Here are three different kinds of raincoats and ways you can style them.
The Rain Jacket
Most regular rain jackets have a collared neckline, which is extremely helpful if you need to protect your neck from an awful wet raindrop slipping down your back. When not in dramatic enough weather to require a tight neckline, the rain jacket collar loosens and folds back to give the nice V-neck of a collared shirt. Wear a high-neck shirt or a turtleneck to peek through the collar and give a hint of what you have on underneath. Or, if the weather permits, unbutton or unzip your jacket to reveal your chosen outfit for the day.
Both of these styles allow you to play with visibility and layered colors or patterns. Just make sure you have a clear visual difference between the layers. Two bright colors are likely to clash against each other, vying for the eye's attention, while two complicated patterns right next to each other risk blending together and creating an overwhelming sense of business.
The Trench Coat
This is the classiest rain jacket, reaching past the waist and either covering the hips or extending further to end somewhere around the knee. Trench coats typically have buttons and belts and usually come in various neutral colors. The darker variations tend toward black, matching smoothly with winter and late autumn color palettes. The lighter variations are generally browns, beiges, and sometimes even whites and creams, and these work well with spring and early autumn looks.
Trench coats can be paired with jeans and a striped t-shirt for a bit more of a casual look, but where they really shine is with more refined urban looks. A black dress under a white trench coat with knee-high black high-heeled boots is a stunning style. For a cute spring outfit, try white pants and stilettos with a top in a darker brown combined with a light beige trench coat. Finally, a mix-and-match of black pants, black heels, a women's white blouse, and a cool khaki trench coat is a very cosmopolitan style.
Or, of course, you could throw convention into the winds and choose a more brightly colored trench coat, like bold red, rose pink, or military green. Just keep in mind a strong coat color may limit the kinds of outfits you can choose. However, when paired with a complementary outfit, these uniquely colored coats can look phenomenal and give you an impression of confident individuality.
A Raincoat With a Hood
For those who like the mysterious aura of the hood or those who just worked an hour doing their hair right before the skies decided to open up, the raincoat with a hood has several different variations.
If you know you will be exposed to some pretty intense elements, like on a hike or on a boat or some other outside activity, a hood is a must for protecting your head. A significant amount of heat escapes through our heads, so not only is a hood great for keeping that heat in, but it is also important for keeping the cool rain off. Nothing gives you the shivers like when a cold raindrop slips from your hair and slides down your neck. If you get a raincoat with drawstrings, you can even close the hood until as little of you is exposed as possible. If you find yourself going out and about often, you may want to consider a hooded coat that can be used flexibly for either snow or rain.
If you are not planning on severe elemental exposure, a hood can still be a stylistic choice that can keep your hairdo safe and make you look good. Take the fur lined hood, for example. A gray fur lining on your hood with a green jacket can set up a nice spring look if combined with a white top and dark blue classic jeans. If the fur is white on a white jacket, it can create a lovely winter contrast if you are wearing a black outfit underneath.
Rain doesn't have to dampen your style. With the right raincoat, you have options for creating fun and interesting looks no matter what the weather decides to do.