Once reserved for Inuits, Arctic explorers, and the children of over-protective mothers, the parka is now a must-have for fashion enthusiasts seeking to stay warm in frigid months. The parka has come a long way from its meager beginnings, and there are now multiple incarnations of this style, all of which put a new and more attractive spin on this classic coat. However, for those people who are still concerned with function over frou-frou, like hunters, winter sportsmen, hikers, and the like, several companies have kept the parka true to its roots, and have maintained the practicality of this cold weather staple. The parka has proved to be a truly versatile coat, as it appears in versions appealing to either fashion mavens or staunch traditionalists.
Like the duffle coat and the pea coat, the parka also gained popularity in the mid 20th century due to being a cheap, widely accessible military surplus item, before designers began adopting this garment as their own for reinvention. While the basic features are the same, meaning a thick coat with a hood that is normally either stuffed with down or lined with fur which serves to protect the wearer from both wind and rain, different fabrics, lengths, colors, and styles have been introduced, making parkas attractive for men, women, and children.
Certain clothing brands even carry a signature parka for which they are well-known, such as Bench, which caters to young and hip men and women, and whose parka is fur-lined and up-to-the-minute hip. Hooch, which caters exclusively to the fashion-forward girl and woman, also carries fur-lined parkas, as well as the quilted, down-filled variety. The parka can also be combined with other styles, to be trench length, or military-style in an army green or khaki colour. Other fabrics and stuffings are used to give the parka a less bulky appearance, and other embellishments are added such as an animal-print fur collar and cuffs or a satin lining in women’s parkas.
For those who intend to use the parka as it was originally intended, for protection against severe weather conditions, companies such as Helly Hansen and Berhaus specialize in sturdy, heavy-duty parkas made to stand up against fierce storms, rough seas, and whipping mountain winds. Whether you want a parka because they are fashionable, or because you really do need a thick, warm coat, there is a parka out there for you.
© Designer Coats.org.uk 2007.
Younger Girls' Fashion Parka Coat From Marks And Spencer , apparel, body, cold, cosy, faux, fur, hood, lining, marks, parka, spencer, toasty, trim, warm... £20.00 | Two-In-One Storm Coat From Marks And Spencer , apparel, body, cold, cosy, faux, fur, lining, marks, parka, spencer, toasty, trim, warm... £24.00 | John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 4-5 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £28.00 |
John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 2-3 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £28.00 | John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 3-4 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £28.00 | John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 8-9 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £29.00 |
John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 9-10 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £29.00 | John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 5-6 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £29.00 | John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 7-8 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £29.00 |
John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 10-11 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £30.00 | John Lewis Parka Jacket, Khaki, 12-13 Years From John Lewis , bright, casualwear, chilly, christmas, coat, decorated, embroidered, fastening, flaps, flowers, front, fur, girls', gloves, head, hood, john, lewis, lining, parka, pink, pockets, she'll, stud, style, trim, true, warm, warmth, weather, zip... £30.00 | Short parka coat: 65 cm From La Redoute , 100%, belt, bias, brushed, button, centre, coats, collar, cotton, fastening, flap, front, insets, la, loops, parkas, patch, placket, pockets, pressstud, redoute, ribbing, seam, seaming, seams, side, standup, strap, studded, topstitching, trim, women, yo... £31.50 |
Faux Fur Hooded Camouflage Parka From Marks And Spencer , apparel, camouflage, coat, comfortable, convenience, cotton, design, easycare, fashionable, lined, machine, marks, practical, pure, spencer, style, washable... £34.00 | Mid-length parka in crisp cotton From La Redoute , &, 90, adjustable, bellows, belt, bust, buttoned, buttons, cargo, centre, cm, coat, coats, collar, cut, detachable, drawcord, effect, emphasised, eyelets, fasten, fastening, flap, flatted, gathers, hem, high, horn, inset, jackets, la, loops, love, me... £39.00 | LA REDOUTE Hooded parka From La Redoute , 100%, 80, box, buttoned, buttons, cm, coat, coats, collar, collection, cotton, darts, duffle, elbow, front, high, hooded, la, lining, patch, placket, pleat, pockets, quilted, redoute, sleeves, spirit, style, tab, twill, weave, wide, women, wool, yoke, z... £52.50 |
| 2-in-1 Coat From Grattan , 100%, 31, 35%, 65%, 79, cm, cotton, grattan, inner, ins, jacket, lining, parka, pieces, polyester, removable, set, shell, sweat, washable, worn... £55.00 | 2-in-1 Coat From Freemans , 100%, 31, 35%, 65%, 79, cm, cotton, freemans, inner, ins, jacket, lining, parka, pieces, polyester, removable, set, shell, sweat, washable, worn... £55.00 | Ladies Parka Coat (Sand) From Urbanity Store , &, coat, coats, jackets, ladies, parka, sand, urbanity... £55.00 |
Piccadilly Parka From JD Sports , coat, drawcord, embroidered, front, hood, jackets, jd, letteringon, lined, mckenzie, metal, multiple, pockets, printed, rivets, sports, waist, winter, women's, zip... £59.99 | Faux Fur Trim Parka Coat From Marks And Spencer , apparel, cosy, easycare, faux, fur, glamorous, marks, parka, spencer, style, trim... £69.00 | Classic Collection Quilted Long Line Parka Coat From Marks And Spencer , apparel, coat, comfy, fashionable, faux, functional, fur, hood, it's, lined, marks, padded, spencer, stylish, wadded, warmth, we... £79.00 |
Quiksilver Brudda Jacket Black From Board Sport Warehouse , /8%, 52%, 60g/m2, board, brudda, coat, cotton, effect, fake, fleece, fur, hood, jacket, jackets, lining, logo, mens, padding, parka, ployester, polar, quiksilver, qwmjk213, removable, sport, stone, style, trim, warehouse, wash... £94.95 | Coat From Dress For Less , 100%, 86cm, attractive, buttoned, charm, cloth, clothing, collar, cuffs, discreet, drawstring, dress, extrahigh, fake, fit, flaps, fur, highrunning, inner, insert, knitted, lining, logo, mishumo, nylon, padding, parka, patch, plaket, pockets, polyamide,... £99.90 | Adidas Y-3 jacket From Milan Clothing , 3/4, adidas, blue, clothing, coat, drawstring, fit, flap, front, garment, hood, jacket, lined, mesh, milan, parka, pockets, polyester, space, y3, zip... £312.00 |
Adidas Y-3 jacket From Milan Clothing , 3/4, adidas, black, clothing, coat, drawstring, fit, flap, front, garment, hood, jacket, lined, mesh, milan, parka, pockets, polyester, y3, zip... £312.00 |