The Winter Coat for Women in Their 40s: For Work, Weddings and Travel
A woman in her 40s can cover work, weddings and travel with 2 coats: the Nicole wool wrap coat in herringbone gray, $825, for every working day, and the Lucy wool coat with faux fur collar in black, $910, for the wedding and the gala. If her calendar has more airports than ballrooms, the Clara wool trench coat in navy, $910, takes the place of the Lucy.
The Nicole is 100% long fiber wool at 480 grams per square meter, with a 100% Bemberg cupro lining and hand finished horsehair canvas in the lapel. The Lucy is 100% long fiber wool at 460 grams, with the same lining and a faux fur collar that comes off with concealed snaps. Below is the job each coat does, the length for each dress and the order to buy them in.
At a glance
- For work, the Nicole in herringbone gray, $825, is double breasted with 6 buttons and a tie belt, and it measures 46 inches to mid calf.
- For weddings and galas, the Lucy in black, $910, flares to the knee at 40 inches, and without its collar it goes back to the office the next morning.
- For work trips, the Clara navy trench, $910, is 87% long fiber wool and 13% nylon at 420 grams, and it falls to 50 inches.
- For a light coat in the carry on, the Linea belted midi coat in ivory, $770, is a textured technical polyester chosen so it does not crush.
- Every coat is made in our atelier, ships free in the US in 2 to 5 days and comes with 30-day returns, no questions asked.
What does a coat have to do for a woman in her 40s?
It works a harder week than it did at 30. On Monday it goes to a leadership meeting. On Wednesday it stands at the school gate before sunrise. On Saturday it arrives at a wedding where you may be the mother of the bride, in the photographs by early afternoon.
Our story on turning 40 and the coat that says you know who you are is about choosing the coat that feels like you. This guide is about the calendar, and which coat covers which job.
Which coat should a woman in her 40s wear to work every day?
We would choose the Nicole wool wrap coat in herringbone gray at $825. In the photograph it is a black and white herringbone, double breasted with dark buttons, with a self fabric tie belt knotted at the waist and turned back cuffs. The bodice is fitted and flares into a full skirt that ends at mid calf.
The herringbone looks gray from across a meeting room and shows its weave up close. It sits as easily with navy trousers as with black. The wool is 480 grams per square meter, which gives the coat real body on a cold platform. The lapel is built on hand finished horsehair canvas, which is what a tailor looks for in place of glue. The lining is 100% Bemberg cupro, and the coat slides on over a knit sleeve.
If you prefer a solid color, the Nicole wool wrap coat in solid black, $825, has the same 480 gram wool, lining and canvas, with a belt that closes with a large silver buckle. It measures 45 inches from the back of the neck. Both Nicoles run true to size, and between sizes the page advises the smaller one. For more on dressing for the office in winter, read business coats and tailored outerwear for work and coats for the woman who runs the room.
Which coat should she wear to a winter wedding or a gala?
The Lucy wool coat in black, $910, is our answer for the wedding guest and the gala. It is 100% long fiber wool at 460 grams with a 100% Bemberg cupro lining. It is double breasted, with princess seams and a skirt that flares to the knee at 40 inches. The large faux fur collar fastens with concealed snaps and finishes in pompom ties at the front.
The collar is what makes the Lucy a coat for your 40s. Wear it for the ceremony and the arrival photographs. Take it off on Monday, and the Lucy becomes a black wool coat for the working day. The full skirt sits best over a dress of the same length or shorter, so a knee length cocktail dress is the natural partner. If black feels too quiet for the occasion, the Lucy in red, $910, has the same build in a deep red with a tonal red collar.
For a floor length gown, a coat is the wrong tool. The Selina wool cape in black, $770, is 100% long fiber wool at 480 grams with a 100% Bemberg cupro lining, a black faux fur collar and a self tie belt. It has arm openings at the shoulder and a single hand finished back seam, and it is worn open so the skirt underneath keeps its full shape.
A third evening choice is the Paula textured coat with faux fur collar and cuffs, $770. It is a textured botanical viscose with a faux fur shawl collar and deep faux fur cuffs, a full Bemberg lining and a hidden placket, and it ends at the knee at 42 inches. You can see all of them together in gala outerwear, and our guide to what coat to wear to a winter wedding as a guest pairs each one with a dress code. For the dress itself, start with winter wedding guest dresses over 40.
What coat should the mother of the bride wear in winter?
The mother of the bride often arrives before everyone else and stands outside for photographs. Her coat goes on and off all day, and it has to look finished in the very first picture.
Over a knee or tea length dress, the black Lucy at $910 with its collar on is the most formal arrival we make. Over a long gown, the Selina cape at $770 keeps the skirt free. For an evening reception over a short dress or a jumpsuit, the Iris short tailored coat in deep black, $770, ends above the knee at 36 inches. It is 81% cotton, 14% polyamide and 5% elastane with a soft satin finish, a full front zip, a double ring clasp belt and a tiered hem.
Our story on the mother of the bride at a winter wedding covers the dress, and what to wear over a formal dress in winter covers the layer. The full edit lives in mother of the bride outfits and fall and winter wedding outfits.
Which coat travels best on work trips?
For a winter trip, take the Clara wool trench coat in navy, $910. It is 87% long fiber wool and 13% nylon at 420 grams, with a full Bemberg lining, hand finished interior seams, a black faux fur collar and a tie belt. In the photograph it is double breasted with a storm flap, a shoulder tab and buttoned cuff tabs. It measures 50 inches and falls below the knee. The Clara is cut to sit over a tailored blazer, and the sleeve clears a blazer cuff by 1/2 inch.
For a milder city, the Linea belted midi coat in ivory, $770, is the coat for the carry on. It is a textured technical polyester chosen so it does not crush, with a full Bemberg lining, 3 buttons, a notch lapel and a belt with a black square buckle. It measures 48 inches to mid calf.
Two more light coats fit a work trip in spring or fall. The Rea jacquard trench coat in beige, $770, is a woven jacquard at 340 grams, with the pattern woven at the loom and not printed, storm flaps, a snap front and a self tie belt, cut straight to the knee at 40 inches. The Isidora long textured coat in mocha, $680, is 55% polyester, 35% cotton and 10% elastane with a woven jacquard texture, double breasted with peak lapels and no belt, and it is the longest of our coats at 51 inches. Our business travel capsule for women shows what to pack under them, and the light coats collection has the full group.
What coat length goes over what you wear?
Every Luna length is measured from the back of the neck to the hem on a size 2, and our model is 5 foot 9. Measure yourself from the back of the neck to the hem of the dress you wear most, then pick the coat that ends at or below it.
- Over trousers and a blazer, any length works, and the Nicole at 46 inches, $825, is the most useful.
- Over a knee length dress, choose the Lucy at 40 inches, $910, the Paula at 42 inches, $770, or the Selina red coat at 43 inches, $825.
- Over a midi dress, choose the black Nicole at 45 inches, $825, the Linea at 48 inches, $770, or the Clara at 50 inches, $910.
- Over a short dress or a jumpsuit, choose the Iris at 36 inches, $770, which ends 3 to 4 inches above the knee.
- Over a floor length gown, choose the Selina wool cape, $770, worn open.
Our guide on which coat length suits your height goes further into hems and proportion.
Which coat color works hardest in your 40s?
For the daily coat, choose black, navy or the gray of a herringbone. All 3 go over every suit color you already own. Your second coat is where color earns its place.
Red is the classic choice for the statement coat. The red Lucy at $910 is 100% wool. The Selina wool coat with red faux fur collar, $825, is 70% wool and 30% polyester, double breasted and cut straight to the knee, with a removable red faux fur collar and a self tie belt. Our story on how to wear a red coat without feeling loud covers what goes under it.
For evening light, the Emma light coat in teal floral jacquard, $880, and the Emma light coat in silver floral jacquard, $880, are a jacquard with metallic threads, 90% polyester and 10% metalized fibers, on a black base, and both end at the knee at 42 inches. The short Iris also comes in beige, $770, and in brown jacquard, $770. For the thinking behind each shade, read what your coat color says before you speak.
How do you size a coat to go over a blazer?
Size the coat for the heaviest thing you will wear under it. In your 40s that is usually a blazer. The Lucy page says it plainly: check against your heaviest layered piece before choosing a size. The Clara, the Lucy, the Linea and the Iris are all cut so the sleeve clears a blazer cuff by 1/2 inch.
When you are between sizes on the Lucy, the Clara or the Linea, the smaller size gives a closer line and the larger size gives more room to layer. On the Nicole, the page advises the smaller size. Check your measurements on the Luna sizing guide, and if the coat arrives and the blazer test fails, you have 30 days to return it with no questions asked.
In what order should a woman in her 40s buy coats?
Buy the daily wool coat first. It is the one you will wear 5 days a week from November to March. For most women in their 40s that is the gray or black Nicole at $825.
Buy the second coat for the calendar you actually have. If the year holds weddings, galas and a milestone birthday, choose the Lucy at $910. If it holds more flights than dinners, choose the Clara at $910. A third coat, if you want one, is a light coat for spring and fall, such as the Linea, the Rea or the Iris at $770 each.
If you are buying your first good coat, our guide to the winter coat for women in their 30s starts at step one. If you are planning ahead, the elegant winter coat for women over 50 and over 60 shows how the same coats carry on. For the birthday itself, read what to wear for your 40th birthday and see milestone birthday outfits.
How do you trust a $910 coat from a smaller house?
Judge it by what the page tells you. Every Luna coat page lists the fiber percentage, the weight in grams, the lining, the construction and the length measured on a size 2. A coat at this price that only says "wool blend" with no numbers is asking you to take its word for it.
Luna Fashion House was founded in 1990, and every piece is made in our atelier. US orders ship free from California in 2 to 5 days, and returns are open for 30 days with no questions asked. If you have a question before you order, write to connect@lunafashionhouse.com or call +1 949-601-2846, and a person will answer. Our guide on how to buy a coat online, 8 checks before you order walks through each test, and how to care for a wool coat covers the dry cleaning every Luna coat needs.
Which Luna coats do which job?
- The 100% long fiber wool coats for cold days are the 2 Nicoles at $825, the 2 Lucys at $910 and the Selina cape at $770.
- The wool and nylon coat for winter travel is the Clara at $910, with 87% wool.
- The wool blend statement coat is the Selina red coat at $825, with 70% wool.
- The coats for travel, evening and light layers are the Linea, the Rea, the Iris and the Paula at $770, the Isidora at $680 and the Emma at $880.
You can see every one of them in winter coats and the wider outerwear collection.
