Fit and care

How a Winter Coat Should Fit, and Three Shapes Worth Knowing

Shoulders, sleeves, length and room for a jumper underneath: the checks that separate a coat you wear for ten winters from one you regret by January.

The SHOPTHIVA Journal3 November 20263 min read

A woman in a long black double-breasted coat standing outside a stone building

Try it on over what you will wear

Most coats that disappoint were bought in the wrong conditions: tried on over a thin top in a warm shop. By December the same coat is pulling across the back and the sleeves have crept up the arm, because it now has a jumper underneath it.

So try any winter coat on over the thickest knit you plan to wear with it. Then move. Reach forward as if for a steering wheel, cross your arms, lift a bag onto your shoulder. A coat that only fits while you stand still does not fit.

The four checks

The shoulders come first, because they are the hardest thing to alter. On a tailored coat the seam should sit at the edge of your shoulder bone. On a coat cut with dropped shoulders, the seam is meant to fall lower, and that is fine, but the coat should still sit smoothly across the back with no pulling.

The sleeves should cover your wrist bone and reach towards the base of your thumb with your arms hanging down. Shorter than that, and gloves leave a cold gap; longer, and the coat looks borrowed.

Fasten it. Over your knit, the front should close without creases pulling in an X from the buttons. If you see them, go up a size.

Then consider the length against what you wear most. A coat should clearly cover a skirt or dress, or stop clearly above its hem. The one length to avoid is a few centimetres shorter than your skirt, which cuts the leg at its least flattering point.

The long, double-breasted coat

If you buy one coat, make it long. A coat that falls to the calf or below keeps you warm from shoulder to boot, covers any length of skirt, and looks elegant over jeans and trainers as easily as over a dress.

The Nina coat (£149.00) is cut generously long, close to the ankle, with wide lapels, a double-breasted front and the details of a classic trench: a storm flap at the shoulder, a back yoke and buckled straps at the cuff. A tie belt lets you switch from oversized to defined in a moment, and a back vent means you can still walk at a proper pace. It is relaxed enough to layer over a blazer.

Petite? A long coat still works. Choose one that is not too wide, wear it open to show a vertical line down the front, and add a little heel.

A woman in the grey Nina long double-breasted coat — Nina: long, double-breasted and belted, with the details of a classic trench.

The short, belted coat

A hip-length coat is the more practical shape for a city life of bicycles, buses and cars. It also suits trousers, short skirts and wide-leg jeans in a way a long coat sometimes does not.

The Agathe coat (£149.00) has a tall funnel collar that stands against the wind, two rows of buttons and a tie belt at the waist, in a soft, brushed finish. Dropped shoulders and full sleeves leave room for a chunky knit. It comes in black, brown and grey.

A woman wearing the black Agathe coat belted at the waist with wide trousers — Agathe: a funnel collar and a tie belt, at a practical hip length.

The coat that is an evening in itself

For the party season, a coat with a little glamour earns its place. The Mathilde wrap coat (£149.00) has a deep faux fur collar and matching cuffs, a wrap front with a tie belt, and a relaxed body roomy enough for a knit. Tied at the waist over a short dress and boots, it looks every inch the evening coat; over jeans, it makes a weekday feel like one. It comes in black or oat.

A woman in the Mathilde wrap coat in oat with a dark faux fur collar — Mathilde in oat: faux fur at the collar and cuffs, tied at the waist.

Making it last

A good coat repays a little care. Hang it on a wide, shaped hanger, never a hook, so the shoulders keep their line. Brush it after wearing to lift dust and rain marks before they set. Let it dry naturally, away from a radiator. And clean it as rarely as you can, following the care label inside.

Questions, answered

Should I size up for a winter coat?

Try your usual size first, over the thickest jumper you will wear with it. Size up only if it pulls across the back or the buttons strain. Many winter coats are cut with dropped shoulders to leave room for layers.

How long should a coat be over a midi dress?

Either long enough to cover the dress completely, or short enough to stop clearly above the hem, such as at the hip. Avoid a coat that ends just above the dress's hem.

Can I wear a long coat if I am petite?

Yes. Choose a slimmer cut rather than an oversized one, wear it open to create a long vertical line, and add a small heel or a boot with a little height.