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When temperatures are low (but not, like, doubling-up-on-the-thermal-underwear low), the best men’s topcoats are the only outer layer you need. True, there’s plenty of top-notch coats to choose from right now—peacoats, puffers, parkas, the like. But in the grand hierarchy of cold weather outerwear, the topcoat reigns supreme. Why? Because none of those other options offer quite the same package deal as their baller-iest counterpart.
The right topcoat should meld the confidence-boosting properties of your finest tailoring—that je ne sais quoi that makes you stand a little straighter, walk a little taller—with the kind of timeless good looks favored by history’s most advanced dressers. They’ve been a staple of men’s style since the aristocrats of the world were flouncing around in stovepipe hats and sky-high starched collars, and over the years they haven’t lost an iota of their appeal. Own a T-shirt, washed denim, and Chelsea boots? Throw one of these heavyweight bad boys over nearly any permutation of the three and you’ve successfully unlocked a foolproof winter fit.
Think of ’em as the winter time equivalent of Photoshop: they’ll lend your outfits structure and drape in a way shorter jackets never could, and make everything you pair ’em with suddenly look a whole lot more considered. (Just imagine one billowing behind you like Batman’s cape as he dives headfirst into the seedy Gotham underbelly!) In other words, it’s damn-near impossible not to look cool wearing one.
To help you layer up like the hero you are, we went deep on the freshest, flyest, and all-around best men’s topcoats on the market right this very moment.
The Best Topcoats Shopping Guide
The Best Double-Breasted Topcoats
Single-breasted topcoats are handsome, sure, but their double-breasted counterparts are downright regal, and the best of them should make you feel like a king—or, at the very least, a lord of your small, cramped domain. (If you’re imagining a sort of of elongated peacoat, you’re thinking along the right lines.) Some versions lean on dense melton wools to double down on their chill-busting prowess, while others come done up in wildly decadent cashmere blends fit for actual royalty. No matter what you spring for, the overlapping front panels will keep you swaddled and secure, wrapped in womb-like bliss all winter long.
The Best Camel Topcoats
The camel topcoat earned its pride of place on this list the old-fashioned way: it inherited it—probably from a perpetually elegant older relative who, in turn, inherited it from one of his. There’s a reason this boss-level topcoat makes for a great family heirloom, and it has a lot to do with the style’s generation-spanning cool. At its most powerful, the camel topcoat imbues its wearer—no matter how scruffy—with the type of swagger that comes with being the carefree heir to a dubiously-obtained fortune. If you’re not sure about which topcoat to buy springing for camel isn’t the most groundbreaking move, but you don’t always need to reinvent the wheel to dress like your great-grandaddy was Henry Ford.
The Best Trench Coats
If you looked up ‘topcoat’ in the dictionary, you probably wouldn’t find a photo of a trench next to it. But you’d definitely stumble across the style in plenty of photos from the topcoat’s family reunion. The prototypical knee-length rain slicker shares enough DNA to make it into the topcoat family tree, but it differs from its relatives when it comes to fabric. Most topcoats are made of some kind of thick wool or wool-blend material, but trench coats are often cut from a lighter twill or gabardine for added water-resistance. They’re generally not as warm their cold weather cousins, but you can find plenty of versions with built-in insulation or removable liners for extra heat retention.
Dead set on wearing your navy blazer year-round? (Good on you, sir!) Consider the navy topcoat your trustiest business casual layer on steroids. At its essence, it combines the unbeatable versatility of its shorter counterpart with the blizzard-protecting powers of the finest-grade winter outerwear. And we’re not the only ones who think so. Today you can score a version of the style via an ever-expanding range of brands, from the reigning kings of accessible French minimalism to the Scandinavian suiting whizzes behind the kind of tricked-out tailoring menswear fans freak for.
The Best Black Topcoats
All the coolest stuff comes in black: Jay-Z albums, mall goth nail polishes, the kind of jackets favored by rock royalty and Hollywood megastars alike. Topcoats are no exception. Opt for one in black if you want to flex its fuzzy texture or distinct cut—with no color to get in the way, fabric and silhouette steal the spotlight. All together now: This isn’t a phase, Mom!
The Best Grey Topcoats
What makes the grey topcoat worthy of inclusion on this list? The sheer multitudes of shades the color encompasses, for starters. Right now, you can snag a topcoat in a light, airy grey the color of a fresh snowfall or in a dark heather grey the color of said snowfall after it’s spent the better part of a week accumulating on the street. What do they all have in common? A certain cold weather crispiness you won’t find in their camel, navy, or black brethren.
The Best Plaid Topcoats
Colors are cool and all, but when it comes to leveling up your cold weather rotation patterns are where it’s really at. From bold glen plaids to subtle microchecks, there’s a bevy of top-notch options out there, courtesy of big name designers (if you’re looking to splurge) and mall brand staples (if you’re looking to save a little scratch before your New Year’s trip to Medellín). Regardless of how much you drop, nothing will up the ante more on an early-morning-bodega-run fit, and nothing will look better layered over your snazziest winter-weight blazer.
The Best Statement Topcoats
Large, in charge, and the only piece of outerwear you need to thoroughly upstage everyone else at the dinner table—these are exactly the type of coats you should refuse to take off no matter how close you get to the heating lamp. Your normie friends might shoot you a few sideway glances, but that’s why you’re swaddled in a month’s rent worth of luxe designer fabric while they’re counting down the seconds until they can ditch the scratchy wool abominations they walked in with. No need to leave this guy open so you can see the fit: buddy, it *is* the fit.
