Hugo Boss Cashmere Coat – A Review

My clothing review posts always do very well and I have been told they are quite helpful so I am definitely aiming to do more. I already have an idea for two items I need to review so let’s get started. Today’s post is about the Hugo Boss cashmere coat which is quite a wardrobe staple if you live in a winter country.

This Hugo Boss cashmere coat is currently not available but Hugo Boss makes similar coats almost every season. I like this one that is still available.

Why Hugo Boss?

I had no real affinity to Hugo Boss as a brand and owned no other clothing item from the store. DJ and I were aimlessly walking around Oxford Street and he pretty much forced me to go in and check out their coats. I am a bad shopper, even if I need anything I keep postponing it and keep thinking I need to do some immense amount of research before I actually pay up – so it ends up not actually being bought at all. So if I actually need something, I need DJ with me so he can be sensible and pretty much force to actually buy it instead of postponing it forever.

So anyway, DJ has bought a winter coat from Hugo Boss the previous year and loved it. I went through a lot of brands (Banana Republic, J Crew, Arket, All Saints and so on, you can see the full list of London stores) before I entered Hugo Boss but it was pretty much a good review from DJ and them having the exact coat I wanted in my size.

Outfit details: Hugo Boss cashmere coat, leopard print camisole top, black ribbed turtleneck, black leggings, black platform boots and brown suede bag.

The Buying Experience

If you have been inside a Hugo Boss store you would know its a pretty fancy looking store with the typical layout and vibe of a high end store – minimal items on the shop floor, bright white lighting, only 10-11 items on a rack and so on. Its a beautiful store to shop in. But be aware that Hugo Boss is quite a hard selling store. We walked in and the a lady came in to ask if we were ok. We said we were fine and she left. It then became pretty clear that DJ and I had no idea what we were doing – we were looking around quite aimlessly although I had checked out this coat I was interested in. She came back and said she would be happy to help and was the perfect salesperson – just enough pressure, not too much. And after she fitted the coat on me it was pretty clear she knew what she was doing. So if you are going into a Hugo Boss store give in to the experience. Remember this is part of the experience is you are paying for.

The Vibe and Style

So now lets get down to the coat. Its about 95% wool and 5% cashmere (main body). The style is quite formal with an a-line cut, straight lapel, the colour is the perfect neutral and I got the coat cut till just below the knee. The sales lady helpfully pointed out that the hem just below the knee would be perfect and cover most skirts (antyhign longer would have made me look even tinier!). I off handed mentioned I was not a fan of the pocket flap and she said you can just tuck it in – once I tucked it in it pretty much did not look like it had flaps at all. All good.

The Material

Like I mentioned the main coat is wool and cashmere. For some odd reason, Hugo Boss takes great pains to clarify the wool used is virgin wool. Maybe its a regulatory requirements but why would want to advertise virgin wool? Logically I would have felt better if my coat was recycled wool – less waste and more sustainable. I would hope they use recycled wool as well but have found anything to clarify this on their website.

But no complaints about the cashmere. Even that tiny little bit of cashmere makes it so smooth and soft – its gorgeous to wear.

The Sizing

Coat shopping is quite a chore for me due to sizing. When it comes to coats, I need a size 4 otherwise they are always too big. Hugo Boss is honestly one of the few non-fast fashion places that keep size 4. This is super important for me.

The Price

So lets put it out there – this is not a cheap coat. But this is also a once in 6-7 years coat. I will be wearing this coat for the next 7 years at least. Even my Topshop coat managed to last for 5 years so I am sure this one will fare even better. The coat was about £350 (not include alteration charges).

The Not So Stylish

My two main cons:

First, I had to have my coat fitted a little bit in the hem and the sleeves. Maybe its a bit much to complain about it but I though it was a little tacky of them to charge £25 bucks for the alterations. Is that too much to ask for from a high end retailer when the item you bought is about £350? Just from a customer service point of view, I feel they should have swallowed the cost for this.

And secondly, the buttonhole of the pockets have frayed a bit. Now this is also partly due to the fact the button holes are slating which I did not realise and I was not really careful or gentle while buttoning up. But in any case, this was a bit of a con for me – button holes for such an expensive coat should not fray so quickly. If I do take it into the store to have it checked out, I will report back and let you guys know how the experience was.

Summary – Will I Buy Again?

I have now worn this coat almost everyday for the last 4 or so months and I can’t really say I have any complaints. With my earlier Topshop coat, by the time December rolled around I usually had to wear my Uniqlo puffer underneath my coat while walking to work. When wearing this coat, I have not had to do this. I wear my jumper and this coat and I am good to go. I actually don’t even need to wear a jumper and just this coat over a tee is warm enough for me (which is really saying something). The only reason I end up wearing a jumper is I am cold in office as well so need something while I am there.

So depending on the design of the coats or whatever fashion I am in interested in, I may buy my next coat from Hugo Boss as well. Its hassle free sizing and good quality which is sure to last so definitely. Safe to say I am extremely pleased with this purchase.

Also have a look at my other clothing reviews. I did one for Other Stories Silk Shirts and one for the Banana Republic Sloan trousers. You will see another review coming up soon. I hope you are enjoying all the posts after our new blog appearance this year. Would love to read some comments or anything you have to say so comment on this post or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Until next week!

– Anisha