The 7 Types of Coats Everyone Should Own

A definitive guide.

A collage of five women wearing coat types, a puffer coat, animal print coat, a cape coat, wrap coat, and trench coat
(Image credit: Launchmetrics)

Regardless of where you live and how brutal your winters are, you want several reliable types of coats in your arsenal. From heavy rain and blistering snowstorms to mild but mighty winds, covering all your bases weather-wise takes more than just the one transitional fall jacket or worn-in winter coat you've come to rely on. You want to have an arsenal of all types of jackets and coats for practical purposes—and for variety's sake, too, of course.

The Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 trends offer a starting point for your outerwear hunt. For those with durable weather-proofing in mind (which, with coats, should always be a factor in play), a windbreaking parka or luxe-leaning puffer coat will rise to the occasion. Those who prioritize fashion as much as function will be pleased with how the season's leopard print trend results in spotted and striped faux fur pea coats that spark conversations when worn out and about. Similarly, those with a flair for dramatic theatrics will be enthused by the onslaught of cape coats, with highlights from Bottega Veneta, Christian Dior, and Chloé.

Ahead is a refined and researched guide to coats and jackets, with the specific silhouettes considered essential to have on hand in any situation. Plus, I've edited
a selection of our favorites to shop now, whether you're in immediate need or planning ahead.

Emma Childs
Fashion Features Editor

Emma is the fashion features editor at Marie Claire, where she explores the intersection of style and human interest storytelling. She covers viral styling tips—like TikTok's "Olsen Tuck" and Substack's "Shirt Sandwiches"—and has written dozens of runway-researched trend reports about the ready-to-wear silhouettes, shoes, bags, and colors to shop for each season. Above all, Emma enjoys connecting with real people to discuss all facets of fashion, from picking a designer's brain to speaking with stylists, entertainers, artists, and C-suite executives about how to find a personal style as you age and reconnect with your clothes postpartum.

Emma also wrote for The Zoe Report, Editorialist, Elite Daily, Bustle, and Mission Magazine. She studied Fashion Studies and New Media at Fordham University Lincoln Center and launched her own magazine, Childs Play Magazine, in 2015 as a creative pastime. When Emma isn't waxing poetic about niche fashion discourse on the internet, you'll find her stalking eBay for designer vintage, reading literary fiction on her Kindle, doing hot yoga, and "psspsspssp-ing" at bodega cats.