We may have been counting down the days for spring to finally arrive, but along with the much-longed-for sunshine, the new season brings grey rain clouds in turn. Well, you know what they say, April showers bring May flowers. But when the weather does inevitably take a turn for the worse, why should our outfits have to suffer as a consequence? We know we can't be the only ones struggling to track down a cute AF raincoat ... For Cosmopolitan UK’s latest debate, two fashion writers share their wet weather dressing approach.
“A raincoat will always be ‘that girl’”
Getting caught in the rain is cute romcom fare, but IRL it’s not as romantic. There’s no worse feeling than wet clothes on skin, so I’m always prepared. I take rain protection very seriously, but then I grew up in subtropical Bermuda, where Helly Hansen rain trousers (yes, trousers) were a teenage rite of passage. I’d rather haul around a big bag to carry rain gear, just in case, than spend my day soaking wet. And now, there are so many options to up your rainwear game, thanks to brands such as Rains and Stutterheim. With the right Scandi-style matte anorak, you can pull off a minimalist look, even on rainy days. And don’t miss Barbour’s collabs, like its latest with Erdem, for a pretty take on the British staple.
- Angel Cordova-Todd, Fashion Assistant
“I can't be bothered with weather admin”
I’m sitting at my desk in floor-dragging flared jeans with a soaking puddle stain creeping up from the hems as I write this. Call me dramatic, but the admin of checking the weather app every morning, then packing up rain gear to drag around the city is a ball-ache. It’s just water, I’ll survive! But I have tried. I’ve left more than one expensive umbrella in a pub, to be lost forever. For truly grim days, I’ll resort to my technical waterproofs from Patagonia or Peak Performance. And a Rains waterproof commuter rucksack is on my wishlist, I’ll admit. But if it’s not raining when I leave the house, I’m chancing it.
- Maddy Alford, Fashion Editor
Maddy Alford is the Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan UK and Women's Health UK, covering fashion content online and in print. Maddy specialises in shopping galleries and first-person reviews of the best fashion buys, from jeans and jewellery to wedding dresses, gymwear, and winter coats. She also writes op-eds on on pop culture, viral fashion moments, travel journalism, fitness, and the LGBTQ+ community's relationship with style. Maddy is also a fashion stylist who has worked on over 100 photoshoots at Hearst, including those starring Raye, Niall Horan, and Lena Dunham. Previously, she has worked in fashion PR and e-commerce, including stints at ELLE US and UK, Net-a-Porter, InStyle, and Time Out New York. Maddy has ten years of experience in the fashion industry in both London and New York City, after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She is passionate about second-hand shopping, inclusive fashion, running on Regent's Canal, and finding London's cosiest pubs.
