We Tried All of the Kids’ Coats at Quince

It’s hard to find a less expensive fuzzy sherpa-fleece jacket for kids, even at brands like Old Navy, Zara, Carter’s, and Gap. That said, I would still spend the extra money in this case. Quince’s sherpa fleece is very warm and cozy, but the texture, while soft, feels cheap. Where a Patagonia or a Boden sherpa fleece is a tiny bit rough, like an actual sheep, this fleece feels almost too smooth in an off-puttingly synthetic way. And because the cut is long and narrow, it can be difficult to wear over other layers. My son is almost 4 years old and small for his age, but the size-4T sleeves barely fit over his arms when he was wearing just a T-shirt and a thin sweatshirt. Fleece like this can be cloyingly hot if it doesn’t allow for some airflow, which is why I prefer a lower pile and a boxier cut. And though I could size up in this jacket to get a roomier fit, that would make the body and the sleeves much too long on my son. The color choices are also pretty basic compared with the huge array of bright shades and patterns available for kids right now, from pink-and-purple color block to zebra stripes to adorable little houses.

Three of us — Strategist deputy editor Simone Kitchens, Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio, and I — tried this parka-style coat on our 3-, 4-, 8-, and 11-year-olds. Our consensus is that, for the price, it’s an excellent value. As the name states, it’s designed to stand up to wind, rain, or snow, and it’s very warm without feeling too heavy. It has lots of well-thought-out details that kids and parents will love, including a removable hood (with a zipper, not snaps), fleece-lined pockets, elastic fleece inner cuffs, a “powder skirt” that snaps closed to keep snow out, zipper pockets on the chest and one of the sleeves, a Velcro inside pocket, reflective stripes, and a quick-dry lining. The fit is roomy on my son, and I had to roll up the sleeves, but because of that, I think he’d be able to wear it for two years easily. And it’s long enough to fully cover his butt. Trolio’s 8- and 11-year-old daughters were actually able to wear the same size; the coat is simply longer on the younger one. And because they both ride their bikes to school on dark mornings, she was especially enamored with the reflective stripes that are really high visibility in a flash of headlights but not too shiny or garish otherwise.

Kitchens says the coat grew on her, mostly because it’s super warm. But we share the same reservations about the color options, which are very bright in a sporty late ’80s, early ’90s kind of way. We both chose the navy-teal-and-orange color-block version of the coat (the orange color is exactly like orange sherbet) and Trolio chose the pink-purple-and-navy geometric pattern. None of the three colors appeal to me, but my son doesn’t seem to mind; nor do Kitchens’s and Trolio’s daughters. Of course, style is subjective and every kids’ clothing brand puts out wacky colors from time to time, depending on the season. But I wish there was a more classic solid-color option to make it a bit more wearable day after day.

I was very skeptical about this coat based solely on the 100 percent organic cotton fabric composition and the price, which seems too good to be true. But as far as I can tell from the details listed on Quince’s website, which include a note about the factory where it was made, and the way it feels in my hands, it’s the real deal. The denim is thinner than the vintage Levi’s jean jacket I bought for my son a year ago. But it’s about the same weight I would expect to buy from most retailers today. I got it in the medium wash with darker hardware because it’s fall, but I also like the light wash with silver hardware. The size 4T fits my son perfectly with enough room for a hooded sweatshirt or sweater underneath. The only issue is that the sleeves are a little bit too long, but the jacket looks stylish with them rolled up. And because it’s so affordable, it’s a great jacket to customize with patches, puffy paint, or a Bedazzler kit as a gift.

So far this is the Quince coat my son has gotten the most wear out of, and it’s the one I think is the best deal out of all of the ones I tried. It’s basically a dupe for a Patagonia fleece hooded jacket that he wore to school nearly every day last year — minus the snap chest pocket. It is extremely thin but very warm and breathable, so he can wear it like a sweatshirt over a long-sleeve tee or base layer. But it also layers really well under puffers and other heavier coats, and it’s super easy to throw in a bag as a backup layer. I put it through the wash a few times already, and it came out looking great.

This lightweight down puffer vest and the hooded jacket version were a big hit with everyone who tried them. The vest reminded Kitchens of Uniqlo’s puffer: thin and packable, solid and warm with a zipper that is particularly easy for little hands to zip. “The two deep interior pockets are a nice touch,” she added, noting that she sized up to a 5T so her 4-year-old daughter who is on the tall side will be able to wear it for two years. Strategist lead editor Lauren Levy found the vest to be really well made and a solid layer for her 3-year-old son, who she says is generally excited by the novelty of a vest as a type of jacket and therefore very enthusiastic. She also sized up and found the vest to be roomy but not oversize.

Kitchens, Trolio, and New York features editor Julia Edelstein all tried the down hooded lightweight puffer jacket for their kids, who are 4, 8, and 9, respectively. Like the vest, it comes in several solid colors and cute patterns, some of which have been in and out of stock due to popularity. “It’s a really breathable down,” says Edelstein, explaining that her son doesn’t overheat in it when the temperature inevitably rises in the afternoon. “He looks super cute in it too. The fit is roomier than a few other brands we’ve bought before (like Ralph Lauren), and the down is perhaps a touch less warm. I think my Mayoral puffer is a little bit more durable but much pricier,” she says. Compared with the Patagonia puffers Kitchens has owned over the years, she says this jacket falls somewhere between the Nano Puff and the Hi-Loft Down Sweater. And it has interior pockets, a feature not included in the Nano Puff. Plus she thinks the cheetah-flower print is a fun optical illusion. Trolio says price-wise, the coat is actually incredible since it’s filled with actual down rather than synthetic polyfill. She also notes that it’s comparable in weight and quality to the Primary lightweight puffer, which is expensive and a perennial but expensive favorite of many Strategist parents. It has the right number of pockets to win her younger daughter’s approval too. quote about what she puts in the pockets/her reasoning. Her only complaint is that the outside pockets don’t have zippers.

Though several of us wanted to test Quince’s wool cashmere kids’ coats, the boys’ and girls’ versions are in such high demand that there wasn’t enough inventory for more than one sample, which went to Strategist senior writer Lauren Ro and her 7-year-old son, who likes to dress up and wear ties for special occasions. She loves the double-breasted peacoat style and knew he would, too. The coat is under $100 and made of 90 percent wool and 10 percent cashmere, a feat for any coat-maker. And Ro says it feels really soft and well made with stitching around the slant pockets, nice seaming throughout, a vented back, and a little breast pocket on the inside. “My son is on the smaller side, but I got him the size 7, planning for it to be roomy enough to wear for at least two seasons. It’s the nicest (a.k.a. most formal) coat he owns. Most recently, he incorporated the coat into his Halloween spy costume, and it looked awesome. He ran around in it all afternoon and evening without complaint,” she says.