My Favorite and Best Winter Coat Brands

For years I have purchased various winter coat brands even though I live in a near-tropical climate. There is something about winter and being outside with a sufficient coat that excites me, so I continue to buy coats. I’ve got anything from leather jackets to serious cold-weather coats hanging in my closet. In fact, I have an entire closet dedicated to my coat addiction. With my most recent purchase, I feel like my coat collection is finally complete. I would love to have more coats just to have them, but for chilly weather to freezing weather, I’m set. I can’t wait to share with you my favorite and best winter coat brands and how I’ve used them in my daily life and in my travels.

Since I was in high school, the Patagonia brand has been a staple in my closet. In fact, all the cool kids had “a Patagonia” of some kind. Kidding, I wasn’t really cool, but my friends and I thought we were. We all owned a Patagonia pullover or zip up. Since then, I’ve had a dozen or so jackets and coats from them. I have a couple of vests, a couple of mid-range cold jackets, and a huge puffy marshmallow jacket that was amazing for my Christmas Market trip in Europe. Now that I’m thinking about it, my rain jacket has even come from here. It’s definitely the most prominent of the best winter coat brands in my closet. Patagonia was founded on sustainability and being earth-conscious, which is also a huge selling point for me. On their website, you can buy used/worn clothing, which cuts down the price by a lot. Everything I’ve ever gotten from them is a keeper. I know I’m talking about coats in this article, but I have hats, gloves, socks, and even swimsuits from them. I am a Patagonia head. If you’ve never bought something from them, I highly recommend doing so. 

It was only this year that I started to zero in on J Crew Factory. It's a less expensive version of J Crew (you can tell by the word "factory"), and I like their stuff a lot. I don’t buy a ton of clothing from them, but I do love a lot of their items. My first J Crew Factory coat that I purchased was on Poshmark because the website was out of stock. It was a great experience, and the coat was brand new. I’d been wanting a trench coat for about a year or so for when I travel to Paris, which I try to do annually. So many people wear trench coats there when the weather is mild enough, and I wanted to be more Parisian. I recently purchased another coat on huge discount from them. It's a gorgeous camel color wool blend coat, and it prompted  me to add J Crew Factory as one of my favorite and best winter coat brands. I truly can’t believe how good it feels, and since I am petite and they make petite clothing, it fits like a glove. Or a coat at the length it should be for a peanut like myself. My hack is to purchase coats near Christmas or after so you’re getting the best deals. 

Leather jackets or coats are a staple in my closet now. When trying to suss out what best winter coat brands made good quality leather jackets, I discovered Marc New York on RueLaLa. Last year I bought my first one, a basic black leather jacket, and have worn it every chance I get. They make a bunch of different styles of their leather jackets, so you have anything from a blazer look to motorcycle look. Since I loved my black one so much, I purchased a very light grey leather one this year on a great sale on the same site. While I haven’t had the chance to wear it quite as much, I absolutely love it and feel sexy and sleek when I wear it. A leather coat is something that never really goes out of style and you can keep in your closet for years to come. They are also really popular around Europe in the milder months, so you’ll fit right in if you’re traveling there. Leather jackets are investments, so make sure you buy one you really like and will wear forever. 

Can you see that I’m obsessed with French everything? This and the next brand are both French, and I’ll tell you why I love them. I found Maje years ago while in Paris. I happened to go in January when they have their huge winter sales. As a side note, the sales happen all over the city in January, so you can find great sales everywhere. Back to Maje, though. When I walked in their shop, I felt like everything in there was meant to worn on my body. I still own the pieces I bought a decade ago (at least the ones that still fit) and they are still in style. Their timeless looks never goes out of style. More recently on a trip to Paris, I purchased a black wool coat that had a little flare to it. I wanted something feminine and fun, and I chose a coat that I know I’ll have for a long time. It's why it’s one of my favorite and best winter coat brands now. Good news: you can even buy secondhand on their website. This seems like a trend that brands are doing and it’s genius for people like myself that like to shop secondhand. No matter if you’re a Francophile or not, this brand is worth checking out.

OB-SESSED with this brand. Every time I go to Paris I drop way too much money in this store, but I don’t ever regret it. While this brand isn’t my very favorite of the best winter coat brands, I love it. I also think if I had more coats from them that they would get bumped up. With that being said, I cannot speak on all of the winter coats they produce, but the one I do have is really cool. The Everyday Parisian has more coats from them and I have been dying for some of the ones she owns, but alas, my day will come. Sézane has so many beautiful pieces from which to choose that at some point you just have to pick. I’ve mostly chosen to purchase clothing and accessories from them, and each and every piece is stunning. I look forward to seeing what I come home with on my next trip to Paris, because I guarantee it will be something fabulous. Thank goodness for these amazing French brands!

Each time I mention my love for winter, I get a stink eye from people who absolutely hate it. They think I am crazy and unhinged for wanting to be bundled up in a coat. Do I care? No. I continue to buy coats and adding to my large collection. The brands above are my very favorite of the many I own, and I have yet to be disappointed with anything else I purchase from these companies. This list has taken me years to compile and many coats to love and not love, so I hope you find something you like from it. Your body temperature will thank you on those cold days in January.