A coat is worn almost every day from October to April, which makes it the piece where quality pays back fastest. Buy well once and the cost per wear falls with every winter. Buy poorly and you replace it in three, and the second coat costs more than the first one ever would have. It hangs by the door and comes out more often than anything else you own.
Start with the cloth
Look for wool, or wool blended with a little cashmere. A dense weave holds its shape, keeps out the wind and hangs straight at the back, even after a season of wear. The Harriet coat is 90 per cent wool and 10 per cent cashmere, soft but sturdy, and it is the coat our customers come back for. Feel the cloth between finger and thumb; a good coat wool feels firm and slightly dry, never limp or fuzzy.
The Romilly is double-faced cloth, two layers woven as one, so it needs no lining and stays light on the shoulders. Cloth like that is slower to make and dearer by the metre, but it keeps a clean edge without bulk, and it will not separate or sag at the front over the years.
Look at the make
A good coat is judged on small things. The shoulder seam should sit where your own shoulder ends, and the sleeve should finish at the wrist bone. Turn the cuff and look at the buttonholes, which should be neat, even and free of loose threads. If the collar sits away from the neck or the front gaps when buttoned, the shape is wrong for you, however good the cloth.
Run a hand along the inside seams, which should be finished rather than raw, and check that the lining is attached with a little ease so it does not pull when you lift an arm. On the Romilly, the edges are stitched by hand, a slow job that keeps the cloth soft where it folds.
Choose a shape you will keep
Colour first. A camel, a black or a chocolate will outlive a fashion shade and work with what you already own. Then shape, since a wrap coat is forgiving and easy to belt, while a straight single-breasted cut is sharper and sits well over tailoring. Leave room for knitwear underneath, because a coat that only fits a shirt will feel tight by December. We repair what we make for as long as you own it, so a small snag is never the end of the story.
