Letters
Life with Wool: Bundle Up with Style and Substance
Growing up in Arizona, we made fun of snowbirds in their lumbering Winnebagos driving for miles with their right blinkers on. I should’ve known this would seal my fate as a snowbird myself. To be fair, just about everyone I know in Maine finds an excuse to escape for a few days in the winter.
Which explains why I’m writing you not from my window overlooking a snowy field in Maine, and not from a hammock on a white sandy beach either, but from a table in a distinctly Gen Z coffee shop in Paris.
One of the true joys of being in Paris during the winter—a winter whose grayness even has its own word, la grisaille—is to be with people who still wear beautiful wool coats. The wool coat is an art form, fabric on parade, a feast for the eyes.
If Maine had a state coat, it’d be the trusty LL Bean Ultralight goose down puffer jacket. I was certainly loyal to mine until I heard that the outdoor retailer Icebreaker was filling their puffer jackets with wool batting instead of plastic or down. Wool filler? Sign me up!
In the time that it took me to fall in love with this insulation—far lighter than down, just as warm, and much more breathable—Icebreaker decided that people didn’t love this form of insulation enough and began cutting back. Icebreaker still has one wool puffer in their line-up. Ibex does too, though it’s lighter in weight and with more limited sizing. Duckworth also offers a wool-filled jacket sourced and manufactured in the United States.
Restless for adventure? Consider the Icelandic company Icewear, whose Icelandic wool batting is blended with a biodegradable 20% bio-polyester. But beware, if it doesn’t fit, you have to pay a $35 service fee and cover the cost of shipping it back to Iceland. Far more practical to simply travel to Iceland, try on all the coats, pet all the sheep, eat all the chocolate, dip in all the hot springs, and come home happy.
However, all of these jackets are still wrapped in a nylon exterior.
The French have certainly embraced the puffer jacket—or doudoune as they call it—a solid percentage of the population still engages in the theater of the wool coat. They wrap and tie and swoop and saunter and strut. They trot with a tightly cinched waist, or they slink with the flowing drama of a caped crusader. Atop it all, they swirl dollops of woolen soft-serve scarves. Some are average, some slender, and some so big, they could double as a curtain.
Knowing this, I left my wool-filled puffer at home and brought a beautiful black wool coat that spends most of its time forlornly sealed off from the world (and moths) in our hall closet. It’s not a coat one would wear on a walk through the woods. It’d bristle at being seen by a gas pump.
But in Paris, my coat has blossomed. It’s been living its best life. It admires itself in shop windows and gives knowing nods to the other wool coats we pass. Yesterday it asked me if I’d leave it here, and is still sulking from my definitive “no.”
Our environment and climate dictate what we need to wear. But I wonder, could wool coats make a comeback in the United States, beyond, say, Manhattan? Have we been so inured to the casual convenience of inexpensive elasticized athleisurewear that all forms of wool coating have been banished from the continent? Is there room for the style and drama of tailored, flowing wool fabric as part of everyday life?
And where would we get these wool coats, anyway?
The more elegant offerings usually contain only a fraction of wool, while the sturdier 100% wool ones tend to fall on the clunky side—which, to be fair, would make them far more suitable for the Blue Hill Hannaford. And all of them are made overseas through a supply chain that is opaque at best.
But we do have choices. The Chicago-based brand The Checkroom creates high-end, made-to-order coats that use American wool sourced from Shaniko Wool Company, are woven into fabric at American Woolen Company. in Connecticut, and are then cut and sewn into the finished garment in Chicago.
Our Canadian friends have more options—but a new favorite of mine is Ste. Marg Scot, which also ships to the U.S., makes a handful of thoughtfully designed, gender-inclusive wool coats with zero plastics or metals, and in joyful colors, all from Canada. Even the toggles are hand-turned in Toronto using remnant maple that’s been seasoned with hemp oil from a local farm.
You’ll pay for this level of thoughtful domestic sourcing and end up with a coat that will last you the rest of your life. A well-made wool coat holds its value in a way that would make any puffer jacket tremble in its shoes. Moreover, a thriving secondhand market keeps these coats accessible to those who can’t afford the retail price.
Can we bring back the wool coat? Fight against the rise of plastic? Dare to be different, and stand up for others who do the same? I probably won’t be wearing my swooping wool coat on walks in the woods any time soon, but maybe I’ll dare to pull it out for occasional forays into the wilds of my Maine grocery store.
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I live in a temperate rain forest where winter temperatures don’t spend a lot of time below freezing except at night. When it rains, it pours. So at this place and time of my life, my most important requirement is real waterproof not water resistant. I love wool coats and have spent many years of my life wearing them but not now. I do think that within living memory, perhaps the past 10 years, it has been possible to buy wool coats from some retailers such as Lands End. But I suspect that has changed significantly over the past few years. Also I don’t think outdoorsy young Americans style themselves that way. But those Parisian girls look great. Upward and onward with the wool coat. Come back good tailoring.
oh wow couuldn’t believe my eyes when i saw your note. i agree. i’ve had wool coats in cashiers but didn’t wear them because too heavy in weight. prefer down puffer coats.
Thanks for this. I’ve been looking for a wool coat all winter, no luck. I have decided to consistently cruise the aisles at Sal’s Boutique. Eventually one will pop up. We used to wear Loden coats. They came in different color combos, and all the cool kids at my NH high school had one. The Ste. Marg Scott coats are beautiful, way beyond my price range at almost $1000, but a treat to see. Happy travels home from Paris. https://di2ponv0v5otw.cloudfront.net/posts/2023/03/13/640fc9c8bd06293c7ddb0f0f/m_wp_640fca17a0e6c625d696c5e5.webp
My mom recently gave me her wool coat that my grandmother (a German master tailor) made for mom’s first winter in America in the 1950s. It’s a beautiful navy blue with a seal fur collar rescued from a previous coat (so over 100 years old). While I’m not a fan of fur attire, it seems a shame to abandon this coat with such an old collar and a long family history. The coat is very warm, probably because of the wool and the love sewn into it.
This sounds so beautiful! I wish I could see a picture of it. I’m with you about the fur, but since it’s so old and full of history, I think it’s great that you’re keeping it!!! Thanks for sharing this beautiful story!
P.S. I live in the upper midwest in a very small town, so maybe I can get the trend going here.
Any boiled wool fans out there? I love boiled wool for its lightness and form-fitting warmth. I have 2 unlined coats for cooler days (not cold) and I feel very Parisian when wearing!
Me! I have three from Germany/Austria including a cape.
I love boiled wool. There was a time in the 80′ and 90’s when it was really in fashion and I loved every minute of it. I wished it was easier to find now.
I am with you! I recently went to Paris with my “vintage” aka “old” Geiger boiled wool coat and felt appropriate! Mine is loose enough to sneak an extra layer underneath. But I agree with Clara that wool coats are everywhere there.
Boiled wool is the best! And unlike other wool coats which may snag, it is excellent for winter woods tromping. Impervious to thorns, snow, and wind.
I love this! I recently donated my full length black wool coat to a charity coat drive (ok, it had 1980’s shoulder pads and styling) but I will never part with my car-coat length cashmere camel jacket with a dreamy jacquard lining! Last December, on the way into a holiday party in the area, several of us simultaneously noticed that we had all broken out our “adult” (mind you we are senior citizens) wool coats which allow a glittery Snowflake or Christmas Tree pin on the lapel. We all felt much more elegant.
I love the image of a group of elegantly attired people heading into a party with sparkly lapel pins. I have a lovely costume snowflake with “pearls and diamond” that would be perfect for this purpose! Maybe next year I will crash your party. 🙂
You make me want to pull out the bright red wool coat I inherited from my mother! I do look at it from time to time and wonder if I’ll ever wear it. You have given me the impetus! As an aside, I have an old (at least 25 years) L. L. Bean parka, with waxed fabric on the outside (from a British Millerain company as the label proudly pronounces) but it has a plaid wool lining. The cuffs on this coat are frayed and I have had the exterior re-waxed, but with the wool lining, it is my go-to winter coat.
I’ve just spent the last 30 minutes visiting all websites of the companies that you mentioned. Thought I’d take a short break to thank you for all the information! I really feel that being a part of the MDK community has helped me begin to appreciate and become more curious about the diversity of yarn that I use. Recently subscribing to the Wool Channel has really opened my eyes to a lot of issues and educated me in so many ways! So thank you for that as well!
Last fall, my 5 year-old grandson asked me why I thanked the sheep we visited at the fair in the fall. I told him it was because they’d give us the coat off their back and we need to appreciate and support that! Now back to shopping ( I had been putting off buying a new winter parka!)
I still wear a snuggly London Fog 100% wool coat that I bought in to mid 80s. Had it altered to remove the huge should pads. Much warmer than any tech coat.
I bought a MaxMara wool coat back in 1998, a long flowing thing of beauty. It cost me £400, a large sum in those days. I still have it. I wore it a lot – as teacher I had playground duty which in the UK winter is not fun. It kept me warm and stylish. I did try a down filled stadium coat from Landsend but it let the wind whistle through. All I have had to do is make a small repair on the top button hole as I would often only do that button up. I am now in Australia and it might get cool enough in the winter to wear where we live, at least that is what I am hoping. Long live the wool coat.
Aaahhh. I bought a long, lovely MaxMara coat in the late 2010s when I was working in Rome. It was a real splurge for me, too, though even with an unfavorable exchange rate (and thanks to the VAT refund) cost only 2/3 of what it would have been in the States. It has been too warm the past several winters for me to wear it (and I live near Rochester, NY), but this winter, it is COLD. I have been wearing my short puffer. Next week, I will wear the MM coat and have warm legs!
Allow me to add 1 more offering to the list of Canadian wool!
Wave Fibre Mill is located near Parry Sound (pop on up for a delightful getaway any time of year on Georgian Bay… but NOT this weekend with Snowmageddon due tonight!). They are die-hard local fibre shed adherents and source ALL of their wool fleece from regional small farmers. They are a 1 stop shop fleece-to-fashion business (and so offer GREATLY reduced carbon footprint). They process fleece, spin yarns, weave their own fabrics and then design and make their clothing!
Here is Wave’s web link to their retail offerings.
https://wavefibremill.com/retail/
Please do understand that a readjustment of thinking is needed. You will pay more for their products, but you are investing in inheritance worthy items. If you compare to the cost of all the products you buy, wear out, replace, wear out, repeatedly you really ARE saving in the long run. AND… you’re saving more than just money in the long run!
Maybe, if you buy ASAP from the USA, you can beat the ridiculous, illegal, self-mutilating tariffs soon to be applied. If you cannot beat the tariffs, you have an excuse to save up for the investment yet to come!
This year, to find a wool coat that fit me (having lost a lot of weight in the two years before) I went to a large thrift shop. There were lots of choices there, probably because many people were cleaning their closets and thinking they would never wear a wool coat again. I have been thinking that next Fall I will go back there and look for a jacket. I live in MN, our coat season is quite long and the effort is worth it.
What a fun article to read on this sunny cold (-17c/1f) morning. As a Canadian and neighbour of Maine, I have a classic wool coat, interlined with wool and a chamois sewn in the back for wind proofing.
But I also have a wardrobe of down parkas in a matrix of:
Good to -5c/23f
Good to -30c/-22f
Good to wear to town
Good to work in the yarn and shovel snow
Best of all, beneath all, my underwear is wool from Icebreaker!
It’s not itchy, and I wash and dry it by machine (in a lingerie bag). And being wool it’s just as comfortable on hot summer days. And there are fun colours, too.
I have a long wool coat that I bought at the grand opening of a Cabela’s store. I love it and am so glad I bought it then because I have never seen another at any Cabela’s store since. Nor have I seen anything similar for near the price I paid. I got lucky and didn’t even know it at the time.
I found a wool coat with a down lining from Woolrich- it is a more elegant version of the puffer and is sooo warm, i need to carefully plan when and where i wear it.
although, i must say that the wool is fraying on the wrists so will need to bind it beautifully….
Yes! Yes! Yes! Everyone should have a fine wool coat. 3 or 4 years back I bit the bullet and bought a British-made duffel coat on Amazon. I had one of these coats when I was in junior high school and have wanted another ever since. This coat is a beauty! It has the horn toggles and is made of double-faced wool with no other lining. I use it mostly as a car coat and I must say it is far warmer and less cumbersome than my Land’s End down coat. If you you can take the plunge financially, treat yourself. You will definitely not be sorry.
Thank you Clara for the informative article. I have been looking for a true grey wool coat for the past 3 years with no success. You have given me inspiration to check out other sources. Love wool coats!! Again, you have given WOOL the respect it deserves!!
Greetings from the state shaped like a winter accessory (mitten). Needless to say, in Michigan a wool coat is an October or November coat. A puffer is a March or April coat. I purchased my favorite wool coat when I moved back from Florida thirty years ago. I still wear it! I much prefer bundling up in layers than sweating profusely while doing absolutely nothing. I have resorted to making my own wool coats. I also made a wool liner for my trench coat. I am definitely team wool.
You are quite the seamstress. I truly wish I could attempt creating a wool coat or a liner.
Bravo!
Liz S
Glad I have hung on to my classic wool coats. May have to put one on today and feel all Parisian.
PS I also have a long camel coat I inherited from my mother. It’s like a warm hug from her every time I wear it. And don’t forget the opportunity to knit all those hats, scarves and mittens to go with the coats.
I love your posts. Cannot believe years ago I gave away my wool coat! One of many going back to my childhood. Those were the days.
a resounding YES to woolen outerwear! when i immigrated to canada from germany over 20 years ago, i brought three (!) woolen coats, beautiful and much loved pieces. i moved into the woods, into a very basic cabin, and over time the most beautiful and elegant of those three fell prey to moths and other critters. i let it go. one other one was already well worn and a little weary and the lining frayed, but i keep it around in the hopes of creating a pattern from it and remaking it. the third one, i think, i will now pull out again and try to find an occasion.
on the farm though, i wear hand-knit sweaters in layers, and they do a beautiful job of keeping me warm. i’m in northern alberta, so the cold is real. three layers are perfect, starting with light-weight woolen underwear.
but my all-time favourite is boiled wool! i find it hard to get where i live, so i brought it home from trips to germany or buy it from there online. i wish somebody would start making it over here! it’s fantastic and so easy to work with. not wind-proof, though – it needs thoughtful layering underneath. and the really heavy european style Loden material is pretty waterproof for quite a while.
Thanks Clara. I am also a fan of wool coats. Would like to put in a good word for an American brand that uses Italian wool called Fleurette. I have several. I get them at the day after Christmas sale. Beautiful drape and they last forever.
This winter the temperature plummeted to the single digits in NJ & I have to say I reached for my wool wrap around coat, maxi length, forest green.
It was comforting just to know I could snuggle in it & be toasty.
Yes it was purchased in Manhattan many years ago when it was in fashion!
Love the article. I’m from Minnesota. We are currently 5 below zero. My husband gifted me with a 3/4 length brown Italian wool coat for my 70 birthday. It’s currently the only thing I love about winter other than knitting all day.
I’d wear one except for the dry-cleaning!
If you live in the New England region you have no doubt seen a few Johnson Woolen Mills jac-shirts on and off the beaten paths. I bought mine at the Eastern States Exposition (Big E) several years ago. The company always brings a great selection of these and their matching bags, blankets, and other warm and beautiful items to the Vermont pavilion every year. Unless the wind is howling, this misnamed product (it’s a winter jacket with breast pockets that make it somewhat shirt-like) is my fall-to-spring topper for a sweater or two. I often am asked if it’s a Johnson Woolen Mills jacket. Other lucky owners appreciate, non-owners envy.
https://www.johnsonwoolenmills.com/products/womens-jac-shirt
Susan, I recently moved to Vermont. I’d love to learn more about the when and where of the Exhibition and the Vermont Pavilion. Please share! (I’m in Middlebury)
It’s usually this time of year that I start cruising through sales trying to find that perfect wool coat. I need to find my waist this year which I feel is important for the wool coat, sigh.
I have a red wool coat and a black one, both from thrift shops. I wear one for church when it’s cold enough but definitely not to work – I work at a grocery store, and the coat rack is in a dusty corner. I say bring back the wool coat!
I was fortunate to live in Munich, Germany for a few years during my 20s. A good winter coat was important there. I shopped carefully until I found a beautiful coat that I wore for years until the lining was shredded. By that time I was living in Ohio and found a new coat (less beautiful and consequently less worn). I also would love to find a great boiled wool coat or jacket. (Why didn’t I buy one of those in Germany?!). LL Bean used to sell a handsome men’s boiled wool jacket and my then high-school aged son wore it and liked it and the feeling that he was more stylish than his peers. Alas, it got left behind at a school concert and we never saw it again. Of course, it has never been offered by LL Bean since :(.
Try eBay! I bought two from there.
I have had many wool coats over the years, starting with camel hair double breasted in grade. I’ve worn out a few, as well. Since the pandemic, I rarely dress up, and my long black wool swing coat hangs in the closet. Not a good coat for cleaning the snow off the car.Must go to Paris! I wonder what happened to the beautiful Harris Tweed coat my mother had? I hope some lucky thrifter found it!
I love wool coats! I purchased a beautiful wool coat 32 years ago. It looks a lot like the Parisian coats you pictured. I still wear it for special occasions, and never fail to get compliments on it. It is a little worn on the edge of the sleeves, but the lining is still intact. Thanks for making me feel a little French today! I loved seeing the coats and the links to websites are great. Always look forward to seeing your name pop up!
I have a lovely black wool coat that I found at a thrift shop for a song. They are impossible to find unless you order online, and I do like to try things on before I buy. I’m not sure how old mine is, but it has a union label made in the USA tag sewn inside. However old it is, it still looks like new, and I will have it the rest of my life!
Yes! I have a below the knee-length cashmere coat that never fails.
I have a wool coat made from a Pendleton blanket. I bought it in a specialty shop in Taos, New Mexico and I love it. Very warm and I get compliments when I wear it. I lived in Texas when I bought it and wear it a lot more now that I live in Minnesota !
I am so envious!
One of my favorite jackets is a red wool I found years ago at TJ Maxx.
A real treasure and living in coastal CT I wear it quite often.
There really is nothing like wool for great warmth.
Growing up in Chicago and working in the Loop after graduation, the need for full length wool coats was evident. I have a red and a blue which moved with me to NJ 40 years ago. Our winters were so mild I did not get much use for them. I also have a red wool cape I purchased at a London flea market 30 years ago and wearing it always draws comments. The coats are classic in style and will never go out of fashion. Hopefully they will be worn by my daughter when they are passed on to her.
I remember fondly a navy wool toggle coat with horn buttons. I wish I still had it. I also had a magenta wool pea coat. They were from the days when Lands’ End carried a large variety of wool coats. I’m hoping they will trend back to popularity.
I love to wrap up in my long wool coat and go out and I live in Southern California! It just feels so good and maybe a bit dramatic.
Thanks for the article, I wish I was in Paris right now.
Oh, Clara. You’d better make up with your coat soon or it will surely get you back by waiting for a blast of cold wind off the river and then dropping all its buttons in a slushy puddle!
I tend to grab my hooded zip front puffer (with flannel lined pockets!) these days, but I still like to get my 20 year old Calvin Klein basic black wool wrap coat for church or special evenings. It’s separated from its matching cinch…I really should make a replacement of some kind. Thanks for the reminder to put it on when I return to IN from HI.
Thank you for including my line (The Checkroom) in your article! My mom is probably your biggest fan! She will be thrilled to hear that I reached your readers.
– Liz Williams
Enjoying the writings daily. With apologies to those against such items, I would need a seal skin coat to achieve a level of comfort sans the chill and humidity in the air in NC today. Two days prior it looked like spring. I would go with a drapey wool though if only for a walk as far as the dog howls to the coffee/tea/bake shop.
There is a Furrier in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador that specializes in seal skin coats. Perfect for a cold damp winter climate.
I have a beautiful boiled wool looooong coat that has one button at the top and envelopes me in wool to my ankles. I looked at this coat long and hard in an Iowa City boutique when I was in college, and I think it’s the best purchase I’ve ever made. It’s a great windbreaker and goes over a large sweater with ease, providing incredible warmth in the coldest conditions. I have no idea who made it (probably a local sewist) but I’ve always been grateful.
I forgot to say it is a deep purple with a kind of Kinte cloth lining along the edges that is just mwah!
Long live the wool coat! But you don’t always have to go too far to find one. My winter walks to and from work here in Brunswick Maine are brightened by my lovely cerise pink Italian wool coat. It was a lucky find a couple of years ago at, of all places, the LL Bean outlet store!
Yes, Yes, Yes! I have always adored, and kept a wool coat in the closet, or on my person. During my Wisconsin years they saw a lot more action, while here in Texas, there are only a few chances to wear them, during our colder days. (Which are becoming more frequent now, with climate change impact. Tonight, 22 degrees in Dallas!?) One of my fondest coat-memories was a red wool one, purchased for my college years, which matched my red suitcase. Oh, the glamour of taking my first flight home, bedecked and rosy.
Eileen Fisher sells unlined, calf-length, boiled-wool coats. I have two that are perfect for NC winters. Neutral colors that look great with shawls.
My favorite EF coat is suri alpaca, sort of a fir green, beautifully made, warm enough for NYC in February. It was pricey but reasonable when amortized over 10 years—so far. It looks like it’ll last forever.
A good friend of mine bought a beautiful Marella bright red, double breasted coat in Paris many years ago. Then quite a few years ago she moved north from Melbourne and its chilly winters to Brisbane – a much warmer clime. Visiting her in Brisbane from my home in southern Tasmania, she very generously gifted me her beautiful coat as she wanted it to still be worn. So each winter I send her photos of her coat when it is out to lunch, at the theatre or walking on a windswept beach.
I love my red wool swingy coat. I’ve had it for 20-25 years and it serves me well here in Minnesota. When the cuffs got very worn, I looked for another wool coat and was surprised that I couldn’t find one that was stylish and affordable. So I took my beloved red coat to an alteration lady who was able to shorten the cuff enough to hide the worn edges. $35 and I have a newish coat!
I still have my navy blue wool, lined with purple satin , monks cape, hood with tassel ,cord to tie , asked for it for Christmas , 1975 ❤️ it’s in perfect shape in coat bag!
Oh, and Pendleton! I have two items, bought at deep discount!
I was in that Hannafords at New Year’s, in a puffer of course. The photo of the 3 young women in coats made me smile so wide. Nothing can compare with the Parisiennes’ joyful way of dressing. The coats, the shoes, the bags, the hair piled up, the attitude…
Thank you Clara! It’s the initial cost that keeps people from buying wool coats.
I have a blue below-the-knee Linda Lundstrom La Parka coat I bought for yard duty on a windswept country schoolyard. The warm wool inner coat with a zip has jingle cones and feather patterns embroidered on the fronts, and the windproof outer coat has toggles. Its hood really excludes wind. It’s rather heavy, and that, I think, is the advantage of a down-type coat.
My mother loved wool Hudson Bay coats, and many were beautiful too.
This is such a wonderful read. “Woollen Soft-serve scarf” is my new fashion goal and I love your descriptions of beautiful wool coats in Paris and the way they swoop and drape on their wearers’ bodies.
Thank you for this Clara. During these scary, uncertain time in Canada, we are looking and searching for ways to buy Canadian and yes Canadian wool is becoming more and more popular.
As you said, if I could find a decent wool coat I would snatch it up. It seems a futile search.
I have been having the best time this morning (yesterday being too much of a rush) reading your column, Clara and all the Comments it evoked, with my morning coffee. And am thinking about what in my closet, in a U.S. state far, far away at the moment, is wool. Well, I do believe there is a Land’s End dressy jacket-length “coat” I bought during one of Sears annual Land’s End sales. It suits me, being short-waisted and occasionally a chunky weight, far more than one of those beautiful ankle-length wool coats which tend to engulf me. But wool is wool, long or short, and I treasure that beautiful aqua thing. Along with a tattered L.L. Bean wool sweater.
Thanks for the Paris story! Even though the scenery is blurred for the sake of the wool coat close-up I can fill in the blanks and dream that I am back again in a city that popped up an umbrella the minute it sensed a snowflake.
Wonderful article! Thank you, Clara. Living in California, I don’t wear my thick wool coat often, but I took it on an early January trip to the east coast this year, when the temps dipped below 20F. I wrapped by Stony Stream shawl (Stephen West) around my neck and shoulders and stayed toasty warm. Plus the brilliant blue layered with the blues/greens/purples of the shawl made me happy. I have an unlined wool coat and a boiled wool coat that are perfect for less frigid temperatures here. I so enjoy wearing my hand knit sweaters throughout the winter as we keep our house on the chilly side.
I hope wool coats (and other wool items) continue to find enough appreciation for their warmth and earth-friendliness. I will check out the links in the article and the comments for more temptation.
Living in South Carolina, I don’t have much opportunity to wear a wool coat. I got rid of all my coats when I moved here. That being said, you cannot find or buy wool at a retail fabric store anymore. I went to school for tailoring and design back in the 80’s and the wools available even retail were remarkable. Even 10 years ago you could buy 100% wool fabric. I have a large piece I use for a scarf/shawl. I wish I still had some of the pieces of fabric I had back then. I still find some great pieces at thrift stores, though. And my knitted wool sweaters keep me warm during our cold months.
I have a few wool coats…. and I have had them long enough I think they are vintage! a red wool jacket that I wore in Grad School in the early 80s (likely too small by a size or two now), my mother’s soft white swing jacket (suitable for San Francisco’s climate…not Maine in winter), and a Saami jacket that was made by a company in VT or NH. It is red melton with the Saami spectacular “felts’ which have yards and yards of glorious ribbons (and only one or two small moth holes). I bought it when 8 months pregnant with my now 31 year old because I figured (rightly it turns out) I’d never be able to afford it once kids happened. I looked but it seems the company is no longer in business-SOB. Glad I sew … I could make one. The Ste.Marg.Scot. is phenomenal. I might maybe even be able to source nice wool and make one for a bit less (I’ve sewn forever). But yeah, the Hannaford thing. Where else do I go that requires dressing up LOL!
I still mourn the loss of my perfect long black wool coat. (It was cut off me by the EMTs after a very bad car accident. Of course I’m grateful that everyone survived the wreck, and for the wonderful people who took care of me during that terrible afternoon, but I’m a little wistful about the coat and have never found one quite like it.) Nowadays I’m rocking a purple wool peacoat that was an LLBean splurge about 15 years ago. After two kids it’s a bit snug, and is looking rather worn around the seams, but I love it.
Living in frigid Western New York for 60+ years, I had dozens of coats in all different fabrics – wool, down, fur, etc. My favorite was a traditional wool gabardine trench that I paid a fortune for but wore for over 30 years! Sadly, I sold them all when I moved to Florida 18 months ago. We have about 5 days a year where you might need a coat. The rest of the time it’s shorts, tank tops and sandals. I do get to use my beautiful hand knit shawls and cardigans on those days when the AC in the stores and movie theaters is on full blast. Lol
I wear a black wool coat that i bought at least 20 years ago…. i still wear it because it still fits, and i can knit scarves and hats in any color and wear them to fit my moods.
Hi Clara,
I love your homage to wool coats. Now 80 I think I have have been wearing wool coats since I was 3 years old (one of those with matching woolen leggings.
I do have a “good” black one, but also have one made from Shetland wool from a rummage sale and a second hand one that my daughter had as a school uniform coat the year we had a sabbatical in England. I love wool coats and living in Vermont they get a lot of wear even to the grocery store. Catherine
I found a dark green long wool coat at my local thrift store in December. I tried it on and it fit perfectly, was coy and warm and also has a capelet over the shoulders! When I wear it I feel like a Victorian carol singer. All this for $12.
The second hand market is a great place to find wool coats, as my closet can attest. Just be patient and keep looking!
Would love you to take up the cause of making children’s pajamas out of wool and have no need for chemical laden fire retardant pajamas.
I so enjoy your writing style!
Ps I had 45 Shetland sheep and sold the beautiful yarn in a farmers market.
As a student in 1980s Scotland I used to buy wool coats (and cashmere jumpers!) in charity shops, and my favourite was a black swing coat with a fur collar that made me look like a European refugee from the 1930s, according to my mother-in-law. Then after I moved to Canada I bought a brand new wool coat in a gorgeous aubergine colour that sometimes looked purple and sometimes brown. It was A-line and very long, so long that I had to have it shortened to ankle-length for my petite frame. And, here’s the best part, it had an alpaca interlining that made it so incredibly warm that it was like wearing a blanket, maybe two blankets. I loved that coat! After twenty years it was pilled and worn and I donated it to a charity shop. Now I wish I had kept it if only to have a blanket to wear to the dog park.
There is an amazing store in Victoria, BC, Canada that believes very strongly in the circularity of garment production and has beautiful wool products. Anian uses recycled wool fibres, keeping them out of the garbage dump, to create the wool coats, jackets and other garments that we are all looking for. This link is to one of their news stories for 2024. https://anianmfg.com/blogs/knowledge/24-for-24 It is worth your time to cruise through their website to look at their story as well as their garments. Their Modern Melton Wool jacket is one of my favourite layers
Love a wool coat – got to wear it yesterday – not often in Texas
Yes! I visited my sister in Düsseldorf for Christmas and New Year’s (winter trips to Europe are the best!) and splurged on a Max Mara cashmere coat. In my defense, I’m 67 years old, so this one should last for the rest of my life. You’d think that, living in San Francisco, I’d have no need of such a coat, but I’ve worn it quite a lot – walking downtown to dinner at night (we have no car, so a warm coat is necessary), visiting my grandson in frigid Seattle, etc. It is fantastic.
I enjoy your writings and wish you well on your adventures! I am a tad envious of your time in Paris and appreciate that you are sharing some of your experiences!
I recently found a tweed wool coat at a thrift shop. Label says Made in USA and 100% Wool! It is well made and in excellent shape! I have been searching for years and I am thrilled with my $20 coat!
Hooray for wool coats! I agree with everything you say. I live in the south west of England and we don’t get extremes of temperature so my Loden coat, bought during our spell of ten years in Vienna, doesn’t come out to play anymore and is far to big to wear in the car. But I shall put it on next time I have to go into town and swoosh around as much as I can. Thanks for this piece, wool coats rock!
Thanks for the introduction to Ste.MargScot. When trying to chose which of my black coats to wear, the bright colours in this collection were a beacon!
I have a vintage black Pemberton wool coat, which is used quite often, as I love it!
I’m still wearing both of my Great-Grandmother’s wool coats, in the PNW winters, …one at a time, of course!
Thanks for the source guide. Well done!
I love a wool coat and have a short version that I love for three seasons here in the Northeast. While not made in the US, Paynter is an exceptional company that makes items 4 times a year so they can have zero waste. Plus, they post lots of interesting videos on Instagram about the making of your garment. This past year we purchased a stunning wool coat for my husband that was woven in Scotland. https://paynter.co.uk/
I still have a black Michael Kors jacket that is basically a slightly longer version of a pea coat. It’s twenty-five years old if it’s a day. It doesn’t get worn much–I live in Albuquerque–but when I want to wear a good-looking coat, maybe with a brooch on the lapel, that’s the one. The back is a little bit dated, but I have no plans to get rid of it.
This hits my heart. One of the first things that happened when I moved to Salt Lake City (Utah), was my mom made me buy a wool coat from Utah Woolen Mills (alas no more). It was expensive and is a bright red, and I have owned it for over 30 years through all my weight up-and-downs. And I have worn it at least once a winter since I bought it. I love the heft of it (it’s car length rather than calf length, alas) and the warmth and its ability to stay warm if you get caught in a sudden snow/rain/sleet storm is wonderful for this weather. With winters warming and with less and less snow, I will probably be wearing it more often.
I am totally for 100% natural fibers,all of them. Clothes and all other natural resources have substantially been mixed with other less cost effective $$$ sources that only fuel pockets and landfills. Leaving 100% natural resources to be unattainable to most.
Yes. I have two Woolrich wool coats; both vintage. I treasure a Uniglo red wool duffle jacket.
I love my cocoons!