The words ‘fleece’ and ‘fashion’ have rarely been uttered in the same breath – until now, that is. But one of the ways in which the world has grown a little kinder is in accepting that comfort should really be factored into style. Gone, thankfully, are the days in which towering heels and ultra-skinny jeans were the style de jour. We have moved into a world where brands like Toast espouse hardy clothes that are chic yet eminently wearable; one in which Crocs – derided for so long – are now deemed cool, ironically or not, by in-the-know kids, and Birkenstocks have long been deemed acceptable beyond the realm of the summer hiking holiday. We no longer want aesthetics to come at the expense of comfort – and yes, we want to be warm enough at all times.

Enter then, the fashion fleece. Most of us will have a trusty, well-worn fleece knocking around for Sunday strolls, dog walks or the times when a cold front from Siberia comes knocking and holds us in its grip for a few days. But mostly, we’ve relegated them in our minds to the distant dominions of Geography fields of yore. No longer. Fleeces have now achieved fashion status, with brands giving a long overdue design twist to these most practical of pieces. We are fully on board – and these are the ones we love.