coat for winter: Leather, wool or London Fog rain type?

How cold is the winter and what type should I get?  and then the question is should I buy it before I leave or when I get here? I'll be there in early September.  Just gave away my old wool coat (hurray) and the new leather ones are here at TJ MAxx for 129.00 dollars - but maybe leather isn't practical with all the rain (that I'm expecting). I'll be living in Sutton or near there (south of London). Any advice? Sheesh I'm in the middle of sorting thorough a household of stuff  - had my first moving sale on Saturday and hope to get the house sold by the end of the month!  I feel the urge to bring stuff but I know it's expensive to ship and expensive to replace (on a single social worker's salary) so I'm in turmoil...lol

I have one of each; actually, 2 wool ones - one long and one short.  And if you can get good coats in the US, do so, because (to my mind at least) they are kind of pricey here.  I moved from Florida, so I had nothing but cardigans!

Dh and I plan to do a big Burlington Coat Factory shop just before we move, for the same reasons...we can get them cheaper here.  (And we are also in FL and so have only lighter coats.)  We actually figure on getting two nice coats each, only short and one long, should last us several years. 

We just don't know what to do about the children...whether or not we should buy some in bigger sizes, or if that would be a waste.

How cold is the winter and what type should I get? 

My 2 cents:  I got a Barbour Beaufort back in about 1991 and have been buying them ever since.  I got the full length Barbour for my wife when she first showed up, and she loves it - but that might be because she saw the Queen wearing one.  I wear a Barbour Beacon in the fall and early winter - also with my motorcycle in the summer. 

i have a few wool coats (every time i am there there are always BITING cold days where it chills even through wool), a barney's raincoat and various other nylon coats varying in warmth.  Then i have my goretex ski coat which i wear most of the time.

i'm coming over with about 12 coats, but i'm a fashonista like that.

I have a parka type jacket from landsend and a tweed jacket from the gap.  My husband wears a field jacket from landsend.  You'll be fine in a medium weight coat/jacket but you should have one that is water proof as well as having a fleece weight lining.  You don't need a super heavy coat if you'll be in the southern part of England and would find them heavy.  It can get pretty cold, but it's the dampness that gives you an almost permanent chill.  I would buy it there though.  Just to save you the hassle of trying to find one you like. 

As for kids coats.  I wouldn't bother buying years ahead.  You can get a decent winter coat for about £20-30 quid.  Possibly cheaper in the sales. 

The more the better, that's my motto! But then I'm with Aimiloo on the fashionista front!!! Heeheehee. It only snowed twice in the London suburbs this past winter, but it can get pretty damn cold even without snow I found out!  I lived in a heavy wool pea-coat for several months, but I've also got a ski jacket style thingy for cold rain, a long wool coat for really serious cold, a leather jacket for cold and clear, and a denim jacket and a light rain coat that I've been wearing a lot lately. My biggest coat pet peeve - even when it's cold out it can be boiling in the tube and then you have to either lug around a heavy wool coat or sweat buckets! 

If I were being held at gunpoint and told to pick three I'd have the pea coat, a good raincoat big enough to fit sweaters under, and a light summer jacket.

Only wear London Fog if you really want to stand out as an American.

      *snap!*
I was just about to post this exact reply!