One of my absolute favourite things about autumn and winter is coats! Choosing which of a dozen ways to finish off my outfit is always a joy–do I want to go the full length, faux fur trimmed route, or cropped, faux leather biker style? Maybe it’s more of a leopard print trench coat day? Weighing up the weather conditions against the look and feel I want my outfit to have is genuinely fun for me–possibly because I own several fabulous coats, I’ll admit. The only kind missing from my collection is a classic wool hooded coat. All my other warm woollen coats don’t have hoods, which means they are delightfully useful right up until there’s any precipitation, which famously there often is in the colder months here in England. But all that changes now, thanks to this timeless but also undoubtedly practical coat by Xiaolizi.

Coat: Timeless Swing coat #1117 gifted by Xiaolizi (A/L)
Discount code Missamymay for 15% off 
Skirt: eBay
Bag: JustFab
Tights: Fishies by SnagTights
Shoes: Leopard Viviene heels by Hotter* (A/L)

Here in England most people own one warm, smart coat that they wear every day during the colder months, commonly referred to as one’s Big Coat. This lovely swing coat, made of a soft wool blend, fully lined, with pockets and an ample sized practical hood, has Big Coat Energy for sure, with a nice hearty side helping of fabulousness. The swing cut through the skirt means that us swing dress lovers can wear it layered over our most voluminous of petticoated outfits without any awkward straining, but it also creates an incredible silhouette paired with a pencil skirt, as these pictures show.

One of the things I love about this coat is that while it will clearly work well to finish off any vintage style outfit, it won’t look ridiculous or out of place worn over jeans on my casual days when I just need to run a quick errand or get out of the house quickly–unlike, one could say, my most glamorous faux-fur trimmed, matching cape and coat set probably would. Me, standing at the school gates in no makeup and a messy bun in this coat, because I got a call from my sister that my niblings need picking up from school unexpectedly? Yeah, that will probably look a bit more reasonable than the Russian-winter set.

Xiaolizi is a family business that hand make all of their items to order, from a varied, gorgeous range of coats (and capes!) to dresses, skirts and even wide legged pants. Their styles cover both vintage and modern tastes, and because everything is handmade to order they happily offer custom sizing if you feel your measurements don’t fit perfectly into their size chart.

My measurements put me in the XXL on their size chart so that’s what I was sent. That size covers 46-48 inch busts and 38-40 inch waists, so it does fit a little big on me all over, but I would always prefer that in a coat to the annoyance of tight shoulders restricting my movement or being unable to do up the button over my bust. Adding a belt to cinch pulls the waist in wonderfully for me, as you can see, and it’s a relief to have roomy sleeves that don’t pinch at my upper arms or prevent me from wearing multiple layers underneath. I can even wear a thick knitted sweater under this coat with no problems. Giving the external flat measurements of a coat isn’t as accurate a size check as it is on dresses or other garments made from thinner materials, so I won’t be providing those as I usually would. Instead I can confirm this coat lines up well with the measurements provided in the size chart, with some extra room to spare if, like me, you’re on the smaller end of the dual size allowance.

This Timeless Wool 1117 Swing Coat can be ordered in red, navy or green, with 25-44 inch waists covered by their size chart, as well as their custom size option. Discount code ‘missamymay’ gets you 15% off your order.

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Disclaimer: The coat featured in this review was gifted to me by Xiaolizi in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are truthful and my own, with no input from any of the companies listed or any other individuals. Items marked with (A/L) are Affiliate Links that would earn me a small commission from your order if used.

COVID-19 NOTE: These pictures were taken alone and safely in a secluded area with no other individuals present or passing by, thus abiding by the strict social distancing rules currently in place to help reduce the spread of Covid-19.