Damson Madder started in London in 2020 and launched just before the UK's first Covid-19 lockdown. Emma Hill was the founder, and the first customers were people who loved a check, a ruffle and a frill. Six years on, you can still spot the handwriting across a rainy street.

Hill had been a fashion buyer, and she has said the label gives its designers time to paint, draw and embroider by hand. The name comes from early experiments with organic fabrics and natural dyes: damson is the plum, madder a flowering plant used in dyes. That is why a Damson Madder raincoat feels like a small joke with a serious fabric behind it. Vogue singles out the Liu raincoat as a bestseller for transitional weather, and October is exactly that.

Here is the first set. The Liu comes three ways: the burgundy showerproof one with waist ties and cuffed balloon sleeves, the gray check, and the pink. I would take the burgundy over a black knit dress with tights and boots. The Matilda in gingham is the waterproof one, with taped seams and a blue bungee cord at the waist, so it suits a real downpour better than a drizzle. The Logan in forest green has balloon sleeves and branded poppers, and it reads almost like a coat you would wear on a dry day too. Then the two trenches: the Anja flips from tan gingham to solid red, and the Myrtle in navy gingham can be buttoned off into a short jacket.

My tip: pick by the weather you actually have. The product pages call the Athena and the Liu showerproof, and the Matilda and Logan waterproof, and that difference matters on a long walk. Check the hood and the waist ties before you decide, since those are the details you will notice every morning.

Most of this group is not a rain jacket in the strict sense, so read the labels. The Lailah is the true shell: an oyster gingham bomber with a ruffle back, hem ties and elasticated cuffs. The Joanie bomber in olive is made from recycled nylon, with a detachable bow and a blue check lining, and recycled fabric is part of how the brand describes its materials. I went deeper on a related idea in Legres Boots: London Label Made in Italy by Anonymous Founders.

The lining is where the brand has fun. The brand's outerwear carries reversible styles and patterned linings, and you can see it in the Marcelle barn jacket, which flips from khaki color block to red gingham, and the Reversible Opal puffer in plum with a burgundy check reverse. The Pearl hooded puffer comes in navy and green check with a removable tie-front hood. The Chachi in pale aqua has a gingham lining and big hardware.

Pair the Lailah with straight jeans and a chunky scarf, or put the Pearl over a long skirt for the first properly cold week. Test the zip and the hem ties while the jacket is on: they should cinch without bunching. The Nora is a printed check denim jacket with an adjustable tie, which is more of a layer than a rain piece.

What I would skip: the unlined Antoine canvas barn jacket if you want rain cover. It is a lovely light stone layer for a dry day, nothing more.

These are the long ones, and a long raincoat does what a short jacket cannot: it covers your knees and the top of your boots. The Rains A-line in glossy black is waterproof and ties at the waist, which I would wear over a suit on a Monday. The Stutterheim Mosebacke is knee-length, matte, with triple-welded seams and a chest patch, and it has the quiet look of a coat made for ferries.

For something with more pattern, the Stand Studio True Raincoat is longline leopard with an attached hood and snaps, the closest cousin to Damson Madder's love of print. The Seasalt Cornwall Janelle is olive, fully taped, with a fleece-lined top and a quilted lower half, so it is the one for a damp country walk. The Kimi & Kai Aine is belted and fully lined, with a removable hood and a back vent.

If you prefer tailoring, the Donna Karan belted style has oversized lapels, and the Lauren Ralph Lauren balmacaan is A-line with a removable hood. The Varley Tovera in burgundy adds a drawcord-toggle hood and a longer cut.

The test: sit down in it. A long raincoat should not pull across the hips or ride up past your knees. What I would skip: a long coat with no hood if you walk to work, because an umbrella is no match for wind.

Anoraks are the practical cousin of the raincoat, and they suit cooler days with a sweater underneath. The FP Movement Dew Point in blackberry is hip-length, seam sealed and waterproof, with a brimmed hood, high collar and thumbhole cuffs. The Hunter Dina is cropped and rubberized with a toggle hood, a shape that works with a high-waisted skirt and tall boots.

The L.L.Bean Mountain Classic Anorak comes in cream and adoberose with a kangaroo pocket, which makes it the friendliest in the group for weekends. The North Face Antora in orange and black is a lightweight shell that repels water and wind, so it can sit in a tote. Varley's Etta in birch has snaps over the front zip and side pockets, while the Kimi & Kai Molly is hip-length black with zipper pockets and an elastic pull-string hood. The Cole Haan packs down, and the cream Levi's has toggle details and a drawstring waist.

My fitting-room test is to raise both arms and bend forward. The hem should stay put and the hood should sit back without choking you. Check the cuffs too: thumbholes, adjustable straps or plain elastic change how much rain runs up your sleeve.

What I would skip: a shell so thin that it only protects from a mist. Look for the words seam sealed or waterproof on the page.

The trench has a rain story built in, and the waxed jacket does too. Barbour's Beadnell is the classic waxed cotton with a corduroy collar and gold snaps, while the Gracefield is longline, dusky green, showerproof and hooded, with a double zip. I would wear either over a wool jumper and cords on a damp Saturday.

For the proper trench shape, London Fog's Heritage style is belted and double-breasted with a detachable hood and contrast lapels. Columbia's AmazeTrench is long, black and sealed at the seams, and the Helly Hansen Wesley II adds lightweight insulation under a waterproof outer. Lands' End does a shorter khaki double-breasted one in a water-repellent shell, Orolay offers a long beige single-breasted with a detachable hood, and Lole's Aliz is hooded with storm flaps and snap-tab cuffs.

If you love the Damson Madder trench idea, remember that the brand's own reversible trenches carry patterned linings. Here, the pattern is subtler. Look at the lapel, the belt and the buttons, because those carry the shape.

What I would skip: a trench that looks great but has no water-repellent finish if your commute is mostly outdoors.

If I were choosing, I would start with weather. Buy the waterproof Matilda or Logan for real downpours, and the Liu for everything between a mist and a shower. Then pick the color you will actually pair with your October clothes: burgundy, forest or the gray check.

If you want a second coat, take a long one from the other brands for work and a hip-length anorak for weekends. Make sure the hood fits, the sleeves cover your wrists and the waist ties are where you like them.

Hill began with a check, a ruffle and a frill, and she ended up with a raincoat people look for on purpose. That is a pretty good argument for letting a wet Wednesday be a little fun.