The Case for One Very Good Coat

A coat is the most public garment you own. It is what people see first, longest, and in the worst light. It deserves more thought than almost anything else in the wardrobe, and yet the average person buys three mediocre coats a decade instead of one good one.

The economics

A well-made wool coat, cared for, will outlast fifteen years of fast-fashion outerwear and cost less across those years. Cost per wear is real. So is the pleasure of a coat that fits.

How to find one

• Cloth first. A dense wool or wool-cashmere blend, at least four hundred grams per metre. Handle it.
• Shoulder that sits. Try it with the layer you will actually wear underneath. The seam should end where your shoulder does.
• Length past mid-thigh. Shorter reads as a jacket. Longer needs a taller frame or clever tailoring.

Care

Brush after every wear. A wooden hanger, not wire. Cleaned once a season, twice at most. Store it away from moths in cotton, not plastic, and it will look better in year five than it did in year one.