Plan ahead for when the mercury plummets with the MR PORTER team’s edit of cosy winter pieces.

The winter coat. The single most important item in your wardrobe between now and next spring. It’s likely to be the piece that will see the most wear this year, so it’s worth making sure you invest in the right one. Duffle or bomber, down jacket or overcoat, there’s never been a wider selection on site, so naturally we’ve been scratching our heads trying to decide on our declarative style statement.

But it doesn’t stop there. Once the choice is made, there’s the question of how to accessorise it. What’s the right scarf for a cashmere overcoat, which bobble hat goes best with a bomber? Planning for the cooler months is a minefield of different textures and changing temperatures. But help is at hand. Read on to find out how the MR PORTER team plan to tackle the cold, woolly-hatted head first.

Picking a new coat for autumn is one of my favourite things. It’s an opportunity to try a new fabric or road-test a new cut, to make a statement or return to a time-honoured style. I’ve got my eye on this boiled-wool duffle coat by CMMN SWDN. Not only is it the colour of the moment in a rich shade of cinnamon, but it’s boxy enough to layer over chunky knits such as this cable/basketweave one by Saint Laurent. And this pillarbox-red hat by French label Ami will keep my ears nice and toasty.

At the beginning of 2017, I set myself the New Year’s resolution to buy less, but buy better. Ten months in and it’s the first one I’ve ever properly stuck to. So, starting as I mean to go on, I’ll be investing in this overcoat by Salle Privée, one of our latest launches on MR PORTER. Meticulously made in Italy, and with a touch of cashmere, it is soft enough to sleep in and should last a lifetime. A camel-hair sweater, such as this one by Kent & Curwen, is a great alternative to itchy wool, and the mustard shade makes a winning combination with the navy coat. Plus, if it’s good enough to keep a camel warm during cold nights in the desert, it’s warm enough for my morning walk to the station. Scarves are a great way of adding colour to any muted outfit, this winter I will be wrapping up in this Drake’s checked wool one, which I like to think of as a blanket for my neck.

The great enemy of winter is flu. It is the ruiner of fun, the Mr Genghis Khan to your Persia. If there is a more sure-fire way to wring the joy out of the prospect of a work Christmas party or family dinner, we don’t know about it. There are many ways to stave it off – see our piece on 17 Ways To Not Get Sick, for starters – but first and foremost, it is important to not spend the colder months shivering. That is why this season I will be investing in this vast colour-block wool scarf from Acne Studios. I don’t intend to wear them at the same time but this Our Legacy tanker faux shearling-trimmed bomber is sure to see me through the Baltic mid-winter mornings riding the Overground, while my new Anderson & Sheppard brolly will safeguard me from the sleet and rain.

Like most city dwellers, I don’t ask much of my winter clothes. Specialist outerwear brands like to claim that their down-filled jackets were designed to withstand arctic conditions. This is nice to know, but it’s of no practical relevance to me. I am not going to the North Pole like this week’s cover star Mr Mike Horn. I am going to Caffè Nero. Similarly, while I’m comforted by the knowledge that Nemen’s parent company, Finest Cloth, has been providing fabrics to the US Armed Forces since the 1940s, a desire for military-grade outerwear is not why I’ve put this fishtail parka on my Wish List. I just like the way it looks. The same is true of these hiking boots by Feit, which I won’t be wearing to climb any mountains, and this “boatbuilder” sweater from Inis Meáin, which I won’t be wearing to build any boats.

I have three tips for this season that defy traditional notions of formal dressing. The first is to dress down your camel coat. I am a firm believer that an overcoat should be more than something you wear to the office or smart occasions, so I’ll be wearing this wool-blend one from Ami with a grey Sunspel sweatshirt and a pair of raw denim jeans, finished off with the classic staple Common Projects sneakers. My second tip is to try swapping the formality of a double-breasted blazer for a double-breasted cardigan. Casual enough for a quick coffee meeting, it’s warm enough to combat the cold and easy to slip on and off as you zip around town. This one is from Camoshita. The final rule is: don’t shy away from suede. Giving it some Scotchgard pre-care will see it through the dark and drizzly days. What I like about these John Lobb boots is not only the fact you can team them with virtually anything, from wool trousers to denim, but that the Goodyear-welted soles mean they will last for decades.

Prince of Wales check never exactly went out of style but judging from the latest menswear shows it’s having a particular moment right now – and that makes this Solid Homme overcoat a solid investment. When it’s cold and grey, I liven things up with a pop of festive colour. I love this bright red Neil Barrett cable-knit sweater for the way it hangs (thanks in part to the cut-out detail in the waistband). Chunky knitwear doesn’t always flatter one’s frame, but this is the exception. This Thom Browne scarf has integrated pockets, so when your more frugal other half exclaims, “How ****ing much!?” you can say, “But I didn’t need to buy gloves, see? So it was a very sensible and parsimonious purchase actually.” Plus, it looks like something your granny would have knitted, and there’s something very cosy and comforting about that, isn’t there?

I won’t be sticking my neck out this winter, at least when it comes to a coat. This shearling jacket by Theory comes with a collar that is busting to be popped and nuzzled. It’s a timeless style that will age well, making it a proper long-term – brace yourself for the “i” word here, folks – investment. But I am going to dip a toe into this season’s predilection for patterns that are graphic in nature (and some viewers may find disturbing). A pair of Fair Isle socks is an easy win for an old man with cold feet like me. And as a nod to the pop colour trend, an orange merino Norse Projects beanie to run with the vibe of the socks and the 1970s tones of the jacket. Winter, do your worst.

**Shop all coats and jackets here **