Interview Coats for Women: The Best Coats to Wear Over a Suit in Winter

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We've rounded up statement jackets for winter — fun, colorful, bold jackets — and I was intrigued to see this comment from an interviewer in a snowy climate, basically noting that many new graduates are wearing FAR too casual a coat over their suit for winter interviews. Here's her comment on interview coats for women:

So wonderful to see no puffer coats. They appear on so many fashion blogs (by people who only work from home!) as the only coat a woman needs. More than once when I’ve been interviewing candidates for a junior position, the candidate has arrived in a puffer coat that I know from the branding cost her well over $1k (so it’s not a cost issue for a new graduate.)

But several colleagues (male and female) have joked about [their] collegiate or excessively casual appearance — which is surely not what these women intend to convey. The same comments are made about male candidates in parkas.

Of course, if there is a blizzard going on, all bets are off. . . . [E]veryone needs a basic cloth coat — for interviews, for formal meetings outside the office, funerals, evening occasions.

I don't disagree — the puffer coat has come a long way in the past 10 years; my earliest association with it was the frumpy writer played by Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone. (Highly recommend if you haven't seen it; it's a classic rom com!) These days you can easily spend serious $$$$ on a puffer coat, but it still doesn't make it appropriate for interviews.

What to Wear to an Interview

As we've noted before, in general your interview attire should be pretty bland — you want to keep the focus on your resume and not your fashion sense. (I've even argued that signs of ostentatious wealth are a bad thing for careers in which you are representing someone other than yourself, especially lawyers who may be in front of a jury.)

Looking for info on more basic suiting? Check out our roundup of the best women's suits in every budget and our guide on how to wear suits, the best plus-size suits, the best petite suits, and the best women's suits in tall sizes — also check out our discussion on the best courtroom attire for women lawyers and the best outfits for interviews. We also feature a Suit of the Week.

{related: check out our entire Guide to Women's Interview Attire!}

How to Wear a Coat Over a Suit

As I've also noted before, you should definitely make sure a suit blazer fits beneath your winter coat, which means you may want to size up a size (or three). Another good tip is that your coat should be longer than hip-length if you're wearing it with skirts or dresses so it covers the suit blazer… Look for something at least finger-tip length or longer.

{related: how to dress professionally on the coldest days}

What to Wear Over a Blazer: General Tips for Women

Don't need a full suit but still want to wear blazers with winter outfits? Here are some ideas for what to wear over a blazer generally:

• a loose-fitting coat, such as one of these reader favorites
• a raincoat or trench coat — these tend to fit more loosely in general and some may have lining — this reader favorite will work in a pinch but of course Burberry is the iconic trench
• a ruana like the one from Brooks Brothers (although you can often find them for a lot less money). Maybe it's me but I feel like these have a very luxe feeling… but they can also read “blanket.”
• In general if you just need a little bit of extra warmth on top of your blazer, you can put any scarf or wrap around the shoulders — you can even do this with a cardigan or sweater, worn over your shoulders instead of on your body.

Classic Interview Coats for Women

{related: what to wear to work when it's cold outside}

Plus Sizes: The Best Coats to Wear Over a Suit in Winter

Hunting for plus-size coats for a winter interview? These are some of our favorites:

Readers, how about you — what are your thoughts on the best coats to wear over a suit in winter? What do you think of when you think of “interview coats for women”?

{related: how to do business casual in cold weather}

Stock photo via Deposit Photos / arkusha.