Springtime, at least in the United Kingdom, is a season of unpredictability – for every bright, blue-skied day, when the restorative heat of summer feels tantalisingly close, is one of gloomy grey and drizzle. And sometimes, the weather can ricochet between the two in a single day, making getting dressed in the morning a Groundhog Day-like conundrum.
The answer, of course, is layers – spring is a time for the clever addition and removal of sweaters, vests and long-sleeve T-shirts throughout the course of a given day (take advice from Prada’s S/S 2026 runway show, where models walked the runway four times each, discarding layers as they went). Though it is perhaps the outermost layer which is your most important decision: the weighty and enveloping wool coats of winter can begin to feel constraining, while it's not quite warm enough yet to go sweater-only.
Step in the windbreaker, a surprisingly hardy – but usually lightweight – piece of outerwear which, as its name suggests, provides a barrier against the elements (they are often waterproof, too). And gone are the suggestions of the anorak or windbreaker being dowdy or dour: Saint Laurent featured bold-shouldered shell jackets as part of its S/S 2026 Fire Island-inspired menswear show, while iterations have appeared at Miu Miu, Loewe, The Row and Prada. Meanwhile the windbreaker’s typical funnel-neck construction has become a recurring outerwear trend in 2026, much down to Phoebe Philo’s embrace of the silhouette.
Here, as selected by the Wallpaper* team, eight of the best windbreakers and anoraks for men and women – from perfect Prada pink to Scandinavian simplicity from Arket.
An exercise in Scandinavian restraint, this drawstring windbreaker from Arket is cut from simple – and ultra-lightweight – black nylon. A drawstring waistline gives a satisfyingly voluminous shape, while an exaggerated funnel-neckline nods to one of this season’s signature silhouettes.
Windbreakers feature in Saint Laurent’s men’s and womenswear collections for S/S 2026, albeit reimagined in Anthony Vaccarrello’s louche and luxurious style. This bold womenswear jacket has a colour-blocked design and signature wide-shoulder line, while the fabric is nylon faille – a silk-like iteration of the technical fabric.
The men’s version of the Saint Laurent windbreaker has become ubiquitous in recent months – it even appeared on the Grammys red carpet, worn by Mark Ronson over a shirt and tie. The design first appeared as part of a S/S 2026 runway show inspired by the summertime ‘ease and escapism’ of Fire Island, New York (see above).
This anorak from COS comes in an uplifting shade of pale blue – a nod to springtime skies – though is also water-resistant, should those skies change to grey. A pullover style with a funnel neckline, it comes from the men’s department, though can easily be swapped between genders (as can most on this list).
Created for sport, though just as easily translated into an everyday wardrobe, this striped half-zip jacket is part of the latest collaboration between Spanish fashion house Loewe and Swiss sportswear brand On. Made for the ‘unpredictability of everyday living’, it is constructed from weatherproof polyester and can be easily folded into a bag for the onset of April showers.
Part of one of Pieter Mulier’s final collections for Alaïa – the critically lauded Belgian designer will head to Versace later this year – this zip-up jacket is crafted from radzimir, a technical-silk blend with the slightest of sheens. Think of it as an ultra-luxurious riff on the shell suit.
Somewhere between a windbreaker and a track jacket (another ubiquitous piece of outerwear for the season), this blouson from Miu Miu sees the Italian house put its typical spin on the quotidien. Out of all the list, this will provide the greatest protection against the elements: inside its technical shell, it’s fully lined with soft grey fleece.
An enlivening injection of colour comes from this perfectly pink Prada raincoat – perhaps the most joyful way to fend off springtime showers. It’s made from lightweight Re-Nylon, the Italian house’s pioneering recycled fabric, while a percentage of each sale goes to the Sea Beyond educational program.