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Sunday 9 October 2011

Regatta Coat: dry and toasty!

Not really a fashion post this evening, more of a practical clothes post! I was hoping to exclaim that I am reviewing something that you can actually buy however having just scoured the Regatta website, perhaps not, as I cant find any plus sizes! Still I direct you yet again to e-bay and TK-Maxx (which is where this little beauty came from)

Anyway without further a-do my Regatta 'practical' coat:
coat @ Regatta
leggings @ evans
boots @ evans

It's not easy to find branded stuff in plus sizes, so when I saw this coat last year I snapped it up, alas the colour choice was Hobsons, but I actually really like it!

So where did I road test this beauty you ask?

...a long country walk?...
                                      ...a demanding cycle?...
                                                                                   ...nope...

                                                                                                    ...Hull Fair of course!


Hull fair is difficult to describe and do it justice, it is a simply unique experience. It's Europe's largest travelling fair and descends on the city of Kingston-upon-Hull once a year for one week only.  I have been building Hull fair memories for 31 years (seriously since before birth!) my parents even went to Hull fair the first day they met! I cannot do the lights, smells and sounds justice, so I'm not even going to try!

We have a phrase in Hull (aka 'ull -you either love the Hull accent or hate it, whichever you cannot dispute that its one of a kind!) ''ull fir weather' - loosly translated that means 'rainy/cold nip in the air characteristic of autumn'  This weekend was the epitome of ''ull fir weather' The crowds make umbrella usage impossible, so you need a good coat, cue fabulous Regatta coat.


This coat has a removable fleece lining and a waterproof top layer complete with a hood. Perfect for eating your pattie(mashed potato and sage breaded and deep fried) chips and peas from Bob Carvers of Hull Market. This is a MUST for Hull fair they have been cooking pattie chips and peas over coal for decades, they are a Hull tradition. (calorifically a once a year event mind you!)

This many people can't be wrong!:

Anyway last night it drizzled, then drizzled some more, then rained. On top I was soaked but underneath I was toasty warm and dry, my I-phone was zipped in the coat pocket all night and despite me being soaked, it was not. All in all pretty impressive water repelling technology! The fit is very good and the quality is great.
The only negative point is the pesky label:

 X-X-X-X-X-L, seriously  regatta 5XL? when is that ever useful information? you bothered to make a plus size coat which is amazing! It is of a fantastic quality which is amazing, you put an actual size number on it which is useful, then you branded 5X's and an L on it! ...just Grr! that's all I'm saying!

Anyway to leave on a positive note I had an awesome night! If you're close to Hull make the effort to go (you have until next Saturday) but make sure to dress for warmth and comfort!

5 comments:

  1. Sometimes nothing is better than a practical coat. I bought a practical coat last year, my first in years! I love the pictures of the Fair.

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  2. I love the color of the coat and it looks so versatile!

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  3. I love my regatta rain coat, lol I love piling into it with my wellies to walk the dogs in winter. xx That fair looks amazing!!!

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  4. Thanks ladies! I have a feeling we might need good practical coats if we get lots of snow again this year!

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  5. I love the coat....I've a similar one that does the job, although its from my brief stint as a Brownie leader, so its got the girl guiding emblem on it! But anywho, I know what you mean about that style of coat....I think mine might even be either Regatta or one of their main competitors because I recognised my own coat in yours in this post!

    Its weird, I'm from Nottingham and we have a very similar fair about the same time of year, and mushy peas feature in my food eating at said fair and have done so for years. My family also have a fair going tradition, and have been going most years for the past 29 of them, although my mum never liked going!

    Finally, I happen to be particial to a northern accent, so you describing it was music to my ears....it did a very good job of me imaging northern men, always welcomed of a tuesday afternoon!

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