Winter Coat Roundup 2018

There’s something pretty humorous about a gal in southern Arizona writing a blog post about winter coats. Truthfully, I hardly ever wear a winter coat. It’s not that it doesn’t get cold here. It does. We’ll even enjoy our share of snow here this winter. But we don’t have long periods of freezing temperatures like many of you do, so we just don’t need a heavy winter coat much here.

Still, I have a few winter coats. I have the same ones I’ve had for about 10 years now. They’re both basic black, classic cut and beautiful. But since I don’t wear either of them more than a few times each year – usually when I travel somewhere – I just can’t justify buying another one. And after scouring all the winter coat offerings for this blog post I sure wish I could. I would love to have a beautiful and cuddly taupe puffer coat like this one or even a fun plaid coat like this one. Alas, if I wear a coat at all, it will be my black wool coat with the faux fur collar.

But you, dear friend, if you live somewhere colder and wetter, you might be looking for a new coat or two this year. And I discovered, as I was looking through them, that they can be expensive. I would think that would cause you to want to buy smart, huh. So I’ve tried to take the guess work out and I’ve chosen some beautiful coats in a variety of styles, weights and price points for you to consider. I hope you find what you’re looking for here. I think I’ve chosen some real beauties!

Important note: About the selection

Keep in mind that most of these coats come in several other shades or patterns. In fact, I struggled to choose which color to show in some of these coats. Click through the links to see the full selections.

Also I tried to choose coats for which there at least appears to be plenty of inventory. I did include a couple of coats that I noted were running low, but they were just too pretty to leave out.

Finally, I read the reviews on all of these coats. So I tried to only select coats that I would order myself. These are coats with mostly very good reviews. I looked for quality, wearability, style and true warmth. Let me know what you think of my selection.

Activewear Coats for Exercise and Recreation

Let’s start with coats for exercising and recreation during the winter. I’m including these jackets simply because they provide ample protection from the elements and warmth. These are great for an outdoor run or walk, cross country skiing or yard work.

Puffer Vests, Jacket and Coats

First up, the vests. Now these, I can wear here in Arizona. And I do love a cute puffer vest over a sweater or even a flannel shirt. I’ve got some basic ones as well as some spiffed up ones to show you.

Both of the Lands’ End vests come in a wide variety of shades and patterns.

Don’t let the brand names scare you off. When I was scouring the coats I found that they’re all pretty pricey if they’re truly warm, durable and beautiful. But I was surprised to find that coats by, say, Michael Kors are not generally any more expensive than coats from say, L.L. Bean. Also, many of the coats I’ve selected are on sale or they will go on sale. So “favorite” the ones you like in the widget below if you’d like to watch for those sale prices.

Waterproof and Rain Coats

Obviously I could have included a much wider variety of waterproof and rain coats. But the ones I selected are coats that could be used for more than one purpose. So you might wear the second jacket skiing (it got great reviews for packability), and numbers one and three are appropriate for general wear as well as rainstorms.

Wool Blends

In these categories, I tried to select coats that were both warm and beautiful. But some, admittedly, are prettier than they are warm. Also, I do have a full range of prices here. Yes, you will find a few very pricey coats in here. But I know that some of you are willing to pay more for a good coat, considering it an investment piece.

I love all four of the above coats. I wore the fourth one in this previous post.

I goofed a bit on the next graphic. The first and third coat are the same, but the store carries two listings with two different groups of color choices. So that threw me. Anyhow I think both sets of color choices are worth looking at. I’m really crushing over these wool blend coats with the faux fur collars.

Cole Haan Hooded Duffle Coat with Faux Fur Trim // Faux Fur Hooded Wool Car Coat by London Fog // Cole Haan Hooded Duffle Coat with Faux Fur TrimFashion Coats

Fashion Coats

These coats are more about making a fashion statement than keeping warm. But I think they’ll probably provide some heat, too. These coats are especially fun to consider if you have room in your wardrobe and budget for a second coat, but your classic one is still serving you well.

Leather & Faux Leather Jackets

Now you know real leather is expensive. So the two genuine leather jackets I’ve selected are a little pricey. But the two faux leather choices are reasonable alternatives. Then again, I tried to select genuine leather jackets that looked classic so you could wear them for years.

So that’s a wrap! I think overall coats are looking softer, more sophisticated and refined this year. Even the casual coats have an elegance to them. So if you’ve been needing a new winter coat, now might be the time to buy. I think this season’s coats will serve you well for several seasons to come.

Shop Most of the Looks Here:

Not all of the coats above have available links in the widget, but you can always shop them in the links in the photo captions. Still, it’s worth it to look through the widget because some of the coats are showing in different colors, too.

I’ve used affiliate links in this post for your shopping convenience. When you purchase items through my links I do earn a commission, but at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting what I do here by shopping through my links. In fact, any time you begin your online shopping from my website it helps me out, so I’d love it if you’d use the links in the right hand column to our favorite stores whenever you shop online.

It was such a blessing to have so many of you comment in Saturday’s Coffee Time with Kay post. I really do enjoy hearing a little bit about the women who visit me here. That means so much to me. Remember, Saturday I plan to do a Q&A with K post, so please send me some questions. You can ask anything at all! Have a blessed and beautiful day!

Blessed for My Day

Many of you told me Saturday how much you appreciate this “blessing” part of my blog posts. You know, we all crave a blessing. We want someone to speak well of us, to encourage us forward, to assure us of their support, to envision good things for us and to have our back. We especially crave that from those we love and esteem, like our parents, our children, our boss, our mentor, our teacher. But have you ever gone into a situation – a meeting with a friend or supervisor at work or partner in a project or even your spouse – and expect to receive a blessing, but instead you receive negative feedback, hurtful criticism, or maybe just…nothing? It’s so hurtful when someone we expected to support us and cheer us on instead chooses to lash out, criticize or remain apathetic. 

Here’s the thing. People will always eventually disappoint. Yes, all people. No one can meet all of our needs…consistently and flawlessly. Except God. If we are missing out on a blessing that we long to receive from a parent, a boss, a teacher, a spouse or a friend, we can run to God with our empty longing. He will bless us. He speaks good into our lives. He encourages us forward. He equips us with what we’ll need. He has our back. He envisions a good future for us. He blesses us even if others neglect to.

Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and wept. ~ Genesis 27:38