It keeps you warm in the winter, but it isn't a hamster. (Topshop Moleskin Jacket)

Member Name: charby

Product:	Topshop Moleskin Jacket
Date:	30/10/08 (410 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Warm, looks gorgeous, not a bad price

Disadvantages: slightly too short

I'm feeling pretty poor at the moment, and it's all Topshop's fault. A few weeks ago now there were two student nights in the Princes Street store in Edinburgh, where everyone with a student ID received 20% off all purchases in Topshop on those nights, which was a chance that I couldn't refuse. The fact that I knew that I was saving a fifth on everything I was buying spurred my on to buy more than I normally would've done, as I have the mentality of 'if I love this now but don't buy it, I'll have to spend a lot more to buy it next week', so I bought loads. I did well though, and managed to get a jacket, boots, three t-shirts, a hat, a scarf, handbag and a purse, as well as a t-shirt and pair of jeans for my boyfriend (from Topman, not Topshop by the way) for around £250. I know that £250 is a ridiculous amount to spend when I'm on a tight student budget, but I reasoned that everything that I bought was something that I actually needed, and now I'll have less clothes that I actually need to purchase in the next few months.

Well, however true that is, the fact remains that I am very low on funds. I am into my (fortunately interest free) overdraft, and since I don't have a job, I have significantly more going out than I have coming in. Because of this, I'm taking back one t-shirt, and stepping up my time spent here on dooyoo as well as cashback sites, to try to increase my earnings from the internet. I like writing reviews for items that I buy, as it makes the purchase seem a lot cheaper, and makes me feel a lot less guilty for spending a fortune, as if I buy something and then review it, I am actually earning some money. Anyway, it was this mentality which gave me the idea to try to add my new Topshop coat onto the site, so that I could review it and offset some of the amount that I spent at the shop. I didn't even know that individual clothes items could be added, as in the fashion section I've only ever seen shops and designers, but apparently they can be, so here is my review.

Strangely, I didn't recognise my jacket at first on the Topshop website when I was looking for it, as the way that I normally wear it is nothing like how it's pictured in the photo above. I normally only button up the bottom two of the four button sets, and then fold the top of the coat into a collar shape, rather like a suit jacket. I find that wearing it in this way suits my body shape more, as I am not very thin, and if I button it up like shown in the photo, I feel that it makes me look a lot rounder than I normally do. The great thing about this coat is that you can wear it in a variety of ways depending on how many buttons you do up and the way you fold the collar and the top, so there's a way to make this coat suit most people.

The thing about this coat that made me buy it however, is the colour, which is teal , dissimilar to how it looks in the photo above. I love this colour and feel that it suits me, and I am fan of blue and green clothes and most shades thereof. I have gingery hair (though it's not a bright orange or red, so it's not overly noticeable) and was worried that a properly green jacket would make me look like a leprechaun (and the fact that my last name is Irish wouldn't help matters if I did), but fortunately this coat's colour is subtle enough that it suits me and I don't look strange at all.

One of the main factors in choosing a coat is whether it keeps you warm or not, and fortunately this jacket does not disappoint. It's fitted on me, so there's not any space for cold air to get in or my body heat to get out, so I stay all snug in it, especially if I'm wearing a scarf too. It's normally warm enough for me to wear it as I described above, though when it gets deeper into the winter I will probably start buttoning it up all the way and having the collar covering my face, as although that's not very comfortable for too long, it will keep me really warm. I still manage to wear this jacket inside however without overheating, but only if I'm not wearing anything else warm, like a scarf or gloves.

Unfortunately, there is one thing wrong with this jacket - it's a tiny bit too short. I'm only average height yet the jacket only reaches the middle of my hips, so if you're taller than 5'7" or so then it might look too short on you, though of course getting a bigger size may help that. The problem with this for me is that, since I'm not the thinnest of people, it makes my hips look fatter than they actually are, but that doesn't bother me hugely, as it sucks me in and makes my waist look smaller, so it evens itself out. Hopefully if I ever lose a bit of weight then this won't be a problem at all!

Finally, this jacket is available in Topshop stores as well as on their website http://www.topshop.co.uk , and is available is sizes 8-14 as far as I know, though you might have trouble finding all the sizes in your own shop, as there weren't many on the shop floor at my store. I have also seen this jacket in the petite section, which is good news for anyone who is a bit too short to wear the regular sizes, as I have a couple of friends who have difficultly finding jackets that aren't too long on them due to their height. The RRP is £55, but if like me you're a student, you can get it at £49.50 due to the 10% discount, or if you know when there's going to be a student night, you can get it for £44 like I did. The label says that it is 100% cotton, whereas the lining (a similar colour to the jacket) is 100% polyester, and it is dry clean only, though can be ironed.

In conclusion, I'm giving this jacket 4* as it's gorgeous and keeps me warm, yet until I lose a few pounds it does make me look a bit chubbier than I actually am. I would recommend it, though you probably won't suit it if you're tall, so beware.

P.S. I'll read a few of your reviews if you can tell me where I got this review title from!

Summary: My new sexy jacket from Topshop