Hobbs Coats: Which Ones Earn the Price, and Where to Save

Hobbs coats cost real money. We have 72 Hobbs London coats in stock on so-me today, all sold through Debenhams, and they run from £99 to £427 with a median of £229. Thirty-one of them come in at £200 or under. At those prices the only question is which ones earn it.

The Hobbs wool coats: Livia, Cavendish and Sara

Hobbs gives every coat a first name and keeps the good ones running from one winter to the next, so three names are worth learning.

Livia is the one to know. On Hobbs' own site it is 100% wool, with notch lapels, side pockets, an optional belt and the brand's insignia jacquard lining, and it is long: 119.5cm from the side of the neck to the hem. Hobbs prices it at £379. It is also the name Hobbs stretches furthest. Right now we have the Livia wool coat, a belted Livia wrap, a petite belted wrap, a Livia midi trench and a faux fur Livia. If you buy one Hobbs coat, buy this one, in chocolate or bottle green rather than black.

One warning. Reviewers on the Hobbs site and at Bloomingdale's say the Livia comes up big, so if you can, order your usual size and the one below and send one back.

Cavendish is the shorter, sharper option. Single-breasted, notch lapels, a Melton felt undercollar, 100% wool again, and 92.8cm long, which makes it about 27cm shorter than the Livia. Hobbs lists it at £329, and ours run £279 to £329 depending on the colour. There is a petite Cavendish too, in bottle green, navy and light tan. Bloomingdale's reviewers say this one runs large as well.

Sara is a longline wool wrap with a tied waist, and it is the most dramatic of the three. It costs £360 here, the same as the belted Livia, so you are choosing on shape, not price. Go for the Livia if you want one coat for everything, the Cavendish if it mostly goes over trousers to work, and the Sara if you already own a sensible coat and want the one with a bit of theatre.

Hobbs trench coats and puffers

Skylar is the Hobbs trench: double-breasted cotton with storm flaps, epaulettes, buckled cuffs, a tie waist and a check lining (Hobbs also makes a shower-resistant version). It is £219 at full price in beige or black. That is a fair price for a proper trench. To spend less, the cropped Frida trench starts at £99 in walnut, the cheapest Hobbs coat we have, and the knee-length Vienna is £170.

The puffers are where Hobbs looks most like everyone else. Jaymie has ribbed side panels and a removable faux fur hood, Lumi is shower-resistant with a faux fur hood and snug cuffs, and they cost £119 to £189 here. They are nice enough, but most of what you pay for is the colour (teal, grape, bottle green) and the label. If all you need is a warm puffer, check the rest of the shop before you settle on a Hobbs one.

Hobbs coats by colour

Black and navy are the two biggest colours in Hobbs outerwear. Navy is the house colour on the dresses too, as our Hobbs occasion dresses edit found. The browns and berries are better: chocolate, light tan, wine and aubergine all look richer on a plain wool coat than black does.

Hobbs coats under £200

Thirty-one of the 72 are £200 or under today. Most of those are puffers, faux furs and trenches. The wool coats rarely drop that far, though the Erin, a hip-length 100% wool coat with gold buttons, is £199 in navy.

Before you buy a Hobbs coat

Hobbs sizes run UK 6 to 22 on its own site, and both the Livia and the Cavendish come in petite. Both are dry clean only, so budget for that. Prices move, so favourite the coat you want and let Price Radar tell you when it drops. If the coat is going to a wedding, our Hobbs occasion dresses edit covers what to wear under it.