Long Coats Are the Fashion Insider’s Secret to Looking Stylish and Warm This Winter

There are plenty of trends in the field of coats—from faux-fur fabrications to the funnel neck with a strap that fastens across its wearer's throat—but what really matters this season is the length of your outerwear. Whether your coat of choice is a puffer, something tailored or even a trench, as long as it's, well, long, it will signal you know what's up this winter.

Long coats—the kind with a straight wool hemline that hits the shin or sweeps with a degree of fluidity to just above the ankle—are suddenly being embraced by tastemakers, who sensing the shift from cold to flipping cold over recent weeks are prioritising outerwear that's protective as well as on-point trend-wise.

• Best long all-rounder coat: The Frankie Shop
• Best long camel coat: ME+EM
• Best long black High St coat: Zara
• Best long sculpted coat: Helsa
• Best long evening coat: Toteme
• Best long suede coat: Desavary London

On the streets of Paris, this meant coats that were enveloping. Often coupled with an oversized cut—roomy sleeves plus rounded shoulders etc—the effect was blanketing albeit polished courtesy of tailoring. As an observer, it was convincing. Somehow, a coat that gives more coat looks purposeful even if you pair it with something understated; straight-legged jeans and toe-cap ballet pumps, say, perhaps because it requires a certain amount of commitment that's admirable. Stylist Alexandra Carl wore hers particularly effortlessly, with flared jeans plus a jumper slung around its shoulders, but it would equally make a dramatic statement on this year's party-season circuit if suitably zhush-ed.

It will also be a trend as we travel into spring. For SS26, long coats appeared on the catwalks a surprising amount considering it's a season of balmier temperatures, with particularly luxuriant versions at Alaïa, Ann Demeulemeester and Altuzarra, as well as Bottega Veneta (mock-croc leather car coats), Calvin Klein Collection (drop-waisted trenches) and Celine (double-breasted designs with slits up either thigh). This means investing now will guarantee your outerwear's cool-factor until well into 2026 (and beyond, let's face it, because a long coat will always have longevity).

When it comes to what to wear under your long coat, you really don't have to worry too much. With such a swathing effect provided by its length and fabric, it's the star of the show for a reason.

The Best Long Coats To Buy This Winter