8 Pretty and Practical Winter Coats

These stylish coats will keep you warm all winter

These stylish coats will keep you warm all winter

Winter is here and during a year of unprecedented extreme weather phenomena, let’s all take comfort in some very pretty, very practical winter coats. This is a substantial piece of clothing — a staple for at least four months of the year — and it needs to last.  As an investment piece, you should definitely consider performance; but there’s no need to compromise on style. Your winter coat can easily balance both form and function, whether your style is chic, casual or winter warrior.
 

1. Snow Mantra Parka The Icons Northern Lights Collection by Canada Goose, $1,695

Born in the north, Canada Goose continues to be inspired by the colours and culture of the north, as reflected in its latest capsule collection, The Icons Northern Lights: Beneath the Borealis. The colour palette borrows from the extraordinary aurora that lights the Arctic skies. Just in time to brighten our darkest season, the Northern Lights capsule introduces six new, striking colours: Reservoir Blue, Arctic Surf, Meltwater, Overboard Yellow, Sunset Orange and Signal Orange.

These new colours help reimagine some of Canada Goose’s most revered styles, including the iconic Snow Mantra Parka. And along with the new colours comes a new look: the Snow Mantra Parka is now fur-free, as part of Canada Goose’s commitment to end the use of all fur by late 2022. It also now features unisex sizing, so be aware that it runs at least two sizes larger compared to traditional women’s sizes. 

Often referred to as the warmest coat in the world, this isn’t the coat for active winter outings, but it’s definitely the one you want when warmth, safety and functionality are priorities. As expected from a luxury product, there are very thoughtful features to this coat even if you’re not on an expedition.There are 247 pieces that make up the construction of the Snow Mantra, ensuring this high performance coat isn’t just wind- and water-resistant, it brings warmth while optimizing movement. There’s a pocket for everything, the deep tunnel hood has a wire rim to keep it from collapsing over your eyes, reflective tape across the chest and back ensure visibility in low light and side seam zippers allow for ease of movement and quick ventilation.
Available online

2. +J Double Face Peacoat by Uniqlo x Jil Sander, $349

As part of Jil Sander’s final collaboration with Uniqlo, this classic peacoat offers the opportunity to snap up some of Sander’s signature tailoring. This coat is made of double-face wool, with all the classic hallmarks: wide lapels, double-breasted, shorter length. Double-face is a weaving technique that creates a double-layered fabric with both sides being finished, ultimately eliminating the need for lining, which is often used to hide the back side (or “wrong” side) of fabric. That said, this coat does have lining around the shoulders and sleeves to help with sliding on and off.

Admirers of Sander won’t be surprised to see that this coat has contemporary appeal, with minimal detailing and maximum tailoring. Garments with few seams and few accessories have to hold up based on expert craftsmanship alone. The sleeves have a slight barrelling to them, the buttons are all reinforced to prevent sagging and French seams make the inside of the coat as polished as possible.This is a beautiful example of designer couture at high street prices. The fit is large, as is typical of +J collaborations, so order one size down.
Available online

3. Mao Long Down Puffer by Russak, $695

There’s no denying the Russak aesthetic: clean, chic and bold. The Mao long down puffer is extremely lightweight, breathable and water-repellant. It looks extraordinarily high fashion with its semi-gloss fabric punctuated by high-gloss, black waterproof zippers. Looks aside, it’s designed with some extremely thoughtful touches: there’s a tab at the top of the detachable hood so it can be hung to fully dry, there are inner backpack straps to allow for easier carrying and the front placket features magnetic closures for a sleek, polished finish. The Mao is insulated with a premium high-loft blend of RDS-certified down and feather fill and also features recycled leather trims. While it’s very long, it does have side zips to allow for easier movement. There are two, lined, external zip pockets and one inner zip pocket. Fit is true to size, comfortably fitting over winter sweaters, without being oversized.
Available online

4. Jet Ski Jacket by Roxy, $264.99

Sporty yet feminine, this winter coat is built to perform on the slopes, but has all the style elements that make it equally at home in the city. It’s waterproof, comes complete with a detachable faux-fur lined hood and features a dreamy, kaleidoscopic pattern that’s part tie-dye/part Milky Way. Its technical features make this a warrior during winter sports, but they actually translate very well to surviving everyday commuting: the powder skirt at the waist works extremely well to stop wind from gusting up, the zippered underarms make venting easy and discreet and the targeted fill weights throughout the coat keep it lightweight and nimble (120 gram body, 100 gram sleeves and 60 gram hood). This coat never looks bulky, but will keep you warm and cozy. Machine washable and fits true to size considering it’s designed to be a slim fit; size up if you prefer a bit more room.
Available online

5. Sindri Pongee Oversized Puffer by Norden, $545

From Montreal-based Norden, the Sindri Pongee is your winter duvet of dreams, in the form of a coat (pongee is a type of woven fabric with varying levels of slubbing, most commonly associated with woven silk). Lightweight yet incredibly insulating, this calf-length coat is actually rated effective to temperature dips of -30°C to -40°C, without ever leaving you feeling overheated when temps aren’t that frightfully low. The coat is made from recycled and repurposed materials, and filled with vegan polyfill so you can feel good about this purchase.

It’s oversized, but not ridiculously so; order your usual sizing knowing it’ll be a bit roomier (enough to comfortably wear over thick sweaters and sweatshirts), but otherwise no need for sizing down. If pockets are important to you, this one has nine. Nine. Most are chamois-lined and zippered, making them both cozy and safe. The front closure features a two-way zipper and snaps, but more importantly are the two side seam zippers that extend a generous 19 inches up from the hem, making walking and quick ventilation really easy. An adjustable, streamlined hood and thick, ribbed storm cuffs round out this classic Canadian puffer. 
Available online

6. ColdGear Infrared Down Irridescent Jacket by Under Armour $300

Technically, this is marketed as a men’s coat, but not only are we beyond gender labelling, this is too pretty not to share with everybody. The first thing you’ll notice about this jacket is that the colour shifts between red and blue with every move, giving it a radiant luminosity that settles somewhere along the purple spectrum. It’s a basic puffer in the sense that it’ll serve everyone just fine, with a simple, contoured hood, gathered cuffs and four large, zippered front pockets (two at sides, two at chest). Looks aside, where it really excels is in its DNA—it’s exceptionally lightweight but because of its ColdGear Infrared technology that uses a soft, thermo-condutive coating to absorb and retain body heat, it amplifies the duck down’s ability to insulate, making this equally as practical as it is pretty. It’s also water-resistant and machine washable. 
Available online

7. Patera Parka by Arc’teryx, $800

If Vancouver had an unofficial winter uniform, it might just include this Goretex parka from hometown hero Arc’teryx. There’s a lot of love for this brand and a lot of love for this coat, which was designed for city winters. This insulated but non-puffy coat protects from wind, snow and rain, and is easy to throw on for midnight dog walks, casual hikes and running errands in any weather. 

The fit is regular and true to size, with slight contouring to give shape even under bulky layers. The coat has actually been very thoughtfully designed to place specific insulations where they’re needed to increase benefit while decreasing bulk: 750 fill power goose down is in the core and sleeves, where loft is needed, while a synthetic insulation is used in the hood and neck gasket where moisture tends to make contact.
Available online

8. Axis Dark Floral Oversized Coat by Nobis, $1,195

This is a beautiful iteration of the winter down puffer, with chic lines thanks to an extra high neck, which lays elegantly like a portrait collar when open. The Dark Floral colour option amplifies the drama, with its line drawings of flowers in plum against inky black. There are two front pockets and two inner pockets, all zippered. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t like to carry an extra bag, the front pockets are quite spacious, roomy enough to easily carry a large smartphone, hand sanitizer, mitts, extra masks, etc. That said, if you have petite arms, you may find the front pockets a bit too deep to easily get smaller items like keys and lip balm.

The fit is true to size, and is what you’d expect for an oversized jacket—though, proportionally, the arms are slim. It’s roomy throughout the body, has a two-way zipper and features covered magnetic closers at the front and on the back vent. This is also waterproof and machine washable. 
Available online