This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Some of our favorite classic coats for work as of 2024 include: olive / blue / green / caramel / black / gray (not pictured but also) – and don't forget to check out our editors' favorite washable winter coats!
Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.
Are you on the hunt for a new winter coat to wear on your commute to work? There are a TON of great options — and some crazy sales happening right now — so I thought we'd do a roundup.
I've always advised here that wool coats are the more formal option and, in my humble opinion, often “look better” with conservative work attire — but I'll be the first to note that down coats and puffer jackets have come a LONG way, and there are a ton of stylish options out there right now.
(I know I've seen readers singing the praises of this particular coat.) Ladies, what do you look for in a winter coat — what are the most important qualities to you? Washability? Pockets? Hood? Warmth? Comfort? Do tell..
This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
Some Recent Picks for Winter Coats To Wear On Your Commute
Some of our favorite classic coats for work as of 2024 include: olive / blue / green / caramel / black / gray (not pictured but also) – and don't forget to check out our editors' favorite washable winter coats!
Hunting for great winter coats in plus sizes? These are some of our latest favorites:
There are a ton of fun trendy winter coats for work at Nordstrom this year – these are our favorites!
Readers, which are your favorite winter coats? Are you on Team Wool or Team Down? Have you bought any great ones recently?
Like this feature? Check out other recent installments!
This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
Anon
Next year I want to invest in a nice wool coat for fancy winter days. Most days, however, I wear a giant down parka because I’m Canadian and winters here are awful and last forever. Especially since I commute by public transit, looking cute is way less important than staying warm and dry. Everyone else is in down parkas too though.
Seafinch
You might be surprised at how you much you wear it. I commute by public transport in Ottawa and often wear a wool coat. I am all over the place depending on conditions but I alternate between that, a puffy, fur trimmed Utex parka to the knee, and a full length Lands’ End squall. I either wear Blundstones (85%) or my lined Bean boots. The Lands’ End wool coats are gorgeous and often on great discount.
Anon
Hey fellow Ottawan. :) I really want to splurge on Blundstones but haven’t taken the plunge quite yet.
Fromthe6
I just bought a pair of Blundstones for weekends but they are sooo comfortable and light that I ended up wearing them for commuting. I’m in Toronto – not as much snow as Ottawa – but still cold here!
JLR
Hello, hello both fellow Ottawan’s. It’s so nice to know you’re here.
Vicky Austin
I will always swear by Lands’ End, but I live in a state that ends in Dakota, so.
Anon
I live in a state that ends with a Fornia so i don’t really need a heavy coat. I’ve been finding those really lightweight down coats good for me and for my kids for the chilliest days. For other days I’ve been doing well with a shaped ruana. I really like the one from Cuyana in baby alpaca. I like it better than a pashmina type shawl because it stays on my shoulders due to the way it is seamed.
Small Firm IP Litigator
I’m in LA, but I run very, very, very cold. My focus is on staying warm. For work, I wear the J Crew Lady Day Coat with Thinsulate in the winter here. If I have to go somewhere that has real cold, I have a Marmot down coat with a hood that comes past my knees. I don’t really care for the appearance of the latter, but I hate being cold and I also wear it for walking around outside on winter days. If I lived on the East Coast, I would be Team Down all the way.
Anonymous
Also in LA, also wear a J Crew coat on winter days below 45F in the mornings, or if /feels/ like its 45 or below.
I run reasonably warm if I’m moving at all, but desk jobs do not inspire moving.
Anon
I live in California but travel all over, most frequently to New York and Boston. I feel like people don’t really wear wool coats as much any more. When I first started working in the 90s everyone seemed to have a dress length wool coat. Now it seems everyone has a puffer with a good, Canada goose if you’re flashy/splashy. Even in the big Wall Street companies.
Bonus for me though, because a down coat is a lot easier to squish into the overhead on top of my suitcase than a heavy wool coat is.
Anon
*puffer with a hood
Anonymous
I’m in NYC and I see wool coats a lot when the temps are in the 40s+, but as soon as it dips to freezing I agree it’s a lot of puffers and down.
Ellen
I love my down puffer coat from Canada Goose. It makes me look smaller after I take it off, so that is a good thing. Men on the street come up and pat me on the tuchus with that and when I ask them why they did that, they say it was b/c they wanted to see whether it was me or the fluffy down. It is the down, I tell them. I do NOT like it when men do that in the summer, when I am on 3rd Avenue. FOOEY on men that get cheep thrills by grabbing my tuchus!
Lana Del Raygun
I love my Lands’ End coat! For me the big thing is length–longer coats are much warmer in the wind, and I need something to protect my legs from the freezing cold metal bench at the bus stop.
KS
I started investing in quality coats a few years ago and have not regretted it. For staying truly warm on frigid days while still stylish, there are a few Canadian options that can’t be beat. I have a down Mackage coat, a beautiful Macakge wool wrap coat with leather accents, and a slightly more casual wool coat with detachable fur collar from Mackage sister brand Soia and Kyo. The down Macakge coat is a FORTRESS. No sub-freezing winds can penetrate that thing and it is cut beautifully so I don’t feel like a michelin man wearing it for work. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that the wool Mackage coat is nearly as warm and can withstand temperatures at or around freezing, depending on the winds. My Soia and Kyo coat is slightly lighter weight. I’ve found it is so so so worth the investment for quality, warm coats that still look beautiful for the work commute or weekends.