My Last Wool Coat Lasted a Decade. I Went on a Hunt to Replace It.
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Welcome to Coat Week on the Strategist, where we’re asking everyone — from New Yorkers to people living in the coldest parts of the U.S. — about their favorite coats and trying out every puffer we can. For more, head over to ourCoat Week hub.
At some point last winter, sick of showing up to anything nicer than a walk in myNorth Face Nuptse puffer, I decided I needed a new woolcoat. The gray double-breasted Isabel Marant peacoat I bought in 2017 felt too swingy, too dated. I needed something long and single-breasted that I could button up to my neck; anything with an open neck lets in too much wind. Scrolling pre-tariff Ssense for wool coats, I came across a Toteme “car coat,” which changed the trajectory of my hunt. Toteme is not really a “me” brand—too “quiet luxury”influencer-y—but now, I had clarity: The coat needed to bebrown. I looked for more options but ultimately drifted back to the Toteme. It was slightly on sale, and I justified that I’d wear it for at least a decade, like I have with all my other coats. What arrived was disappointing: It was pure wool but so thin and with no liner, causing it to cling to my clothes. I didn’t love the slight cocoon shape. I returned it.
In late December, I saw theFaro coat from Cawley. It looked very warm. I ordered it in a medium, which is more or less my size and was one of the few sizes left online that late in the season. It arrived and swallowed me whole. Forget about getting a tote handle over this thing. When I requested a return, the shop was understanding: “It’s definitely a ton of fabric!” I put my North Face back on for the rest of the season.
A year passed, and I still hadn’t found my brown coat. I initially wanted a 100 percent wool coat, but that’s getting harder to find. Even the fanciest brands now cut their wool with a little polyamide. And in the decade since I went shopping for a wool coat, it seems prices have doubled: If it’s pure wool (or mostly close to it) and a heavier weight with more technical tailoring and even nicer buttons, it can hover around $700 to $1,000 and up; if it’s a blend with less wool, expect it to be closer to $300 to $500. I cast a wide net with prices, curious to see how the materials and the construction would range across various brands, as long as it fit within my brown, wool, single-button criteria.
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80 percent wool, 20 percent polyester; unlined
I started at Alex Mill, heading downstairs to the guys’ section. I have to say this 80 percent wool, 20 percent polyester blend felt nice. It wasn’t the heaviest weight, and it’s also unlined (but I didn’t notice much catching on my clothes). The shape was simple but kind of great in a boxy, oversize way (I chose a men’s medium). But ultimately, it felt like a car coat–chore coat hybrid; I wanted something longer.
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100 percent undyed wool; lined
I stopped by Colbo on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side — it carries a line called Museum Garments. The single buttons, collar, straight shape, and heavy weight were all working, but I wanted it to be morebrown. Technically, it’s “heather beige.” Finding the right amount of oversize but not overwhelming, which varies from brand to brand, is also a fiddly process. This is a large (the size available in the store), which ended up feeling too big, especially in the sleeves. I would have gone down one size.
[Editor’s note: The coat has since sold out at Colbo, but it’s available at Merci. The store lists its prices in euros; the USD price shown is an approximation.]
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100 percent wool; lined
Next, I went to Oroboro. It had the Cawley coat in the one colorway offered this year: slate gray. I was curious if sizing down would look less crazy. Yes, the extra small somehow didn’t overwhelm me.Whydidn’t they make it in brown this year? I still love this coat. The wool’s texture is almost Muppet-y; it was probably the most different and special-feeling material I tried. But because it’s so thick, buttoning it felt effortful. This was one of the few 100 percent wool coats, which accounts for it having the highest price on this list.
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Mango Buttoned Wool Coat
68 percent wool, 29 percent polyamide, 2 percent Lyocell, 1 percent polystyrene; lined
I liked the simplicity of this coat from Mango, but it felt a little mod for what I wanted. Sizing up would make it look a little less fitted, less column-y. This is a women’s small, but I probably should have taken a medium. I do wish the collar were less exaggerated and the length a bit longer; it all felt a little Jackie O. The mix of materials made the wool smooth and not itchy but ended up making this specific brown a little dull.
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100 percent wool; lined
This plaid one from Toast fell slightly outside the hunt’s parameters. I felt like the houndstooth might look too statement-y, but it ended up reading more neutral. I also thought the A-line shape and concealed buttons would make it feel slightly retro, but sizing up made it more modern. Plus, I found the shoulders to be a smidge narrow, just harder to get the bulkiest sweater underneath. The buttons, which you can’t see, were smooth, matte, and weighty, and I didn’t fear they might pop off in a month. The roomy deep pockets were easy to access. It was also one of the longer options and definitely one of the warmer options because of its heavier weight and cotton liner.
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67 percent polyester, 33 percent wool (50 percent uses recycled polyester fiber); lined
I loved the shape of this one (it’s a men’s medium); it could handle a bigBabaà sweaterunderneath. But the fabric didn’t feel that luxurious due to the material makeup. And when you look closely, the plaid detail is not that defined. It’s more of a medium weight with a car-coat length, so not the warmest. The price reflects all of this. It still looked pretty sharp for $160.
The Winners
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60 percent RWS wool, 40 percent Tencel Lyocell; lined
When I searched Cos for something that met the criteria, I found it in the men’s section. One thing I noticed throughout some of the bigger brands and fast-fashion types, like Alex Mill, Mango, and this one from Cos, is that the wool blends have an almost too-smooth quality, which can make the colors look a little flat. The independent brands’ coats had a nubbier texture, and the color felt more dimensional. This one from Cos was not the heaviest weight, but the length added more coverage. However, it was a close dupe to the Studio Nicholson one below, with its broader shoulders, longer length, and deep-brown shade — but at a much better price.
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80 percent wool, 20 percent polyamide, lined
This coat channeled the original vision pretty closely and actually improved upon it. The heavyweight wool always looked smooth, while some of the other coats, like the Cos above, had a tendency to get more creased. I was able to get a thick sweater underneath, something I couldn’t do with the Toteme without changing the entire silhouette. It has a menswear look, which is why it felt comparable to the Cos men’s one. It was also the warmest of the bunch (along with the Cawley); the weighty wool could actually block wind. I just wish the buttons were exposed, to visually break up the material, and it’s a bit too expensive to declare as the one true winner.
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70 percent recycled wool, 30 percent recycled polyamide; lined
I like that the taupe color clearly reads more gray-brown (without leaning camel); the Studio Nicholson and Cos ones look more black-brown. The cut is pretty straight — not cocoon-y but not particularly oversize. I actually would have gone up a couple of sizes (this is a size four) to make getting it over sweaters a little easier. This one was pretty simple and ended up feeling very classic. A good less expensive option for those who also don’t want to buy a mens’ coat.
Three Other Brown Wool Coats I Considered …
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