Women's Wool Winter Coats: Warmth by Temperature, Wool Weight and Which Luna Coat to Choose

Most winter coats sold to women are not warm because the cloth is too light. A coat that looks substantial on a hanger can be woven at 280 to 340 grams per square meter, and by the second January it has lost its shape and its warmth. This guide explains how to read a wool coat the way our atelier does, by cloth weight, fiber content, lining and closure, and then matches each Luna winter coat to the temperatures and occasions it was built for. Every coat below is made in small runs in Pozarevac, Serbia, ships from California, and can be returned within 30 days. The full range is in the winter coats collection.

Shop the pieces in this story: Winter Coats. Complete size runs are listed first.

What actually makes a wool coat warm

Four things decide how warm a coat is, and none of them is the brand name. The first is cloth weight, measured in grams per square meter. A long-fiber wool at 460 to 480 grams holds still air against the body and keeps its structure through years of wear. The second is fiber content. Pure long-fiber wool insulates best, and a blend of 70 to 87 percent wool with nylon or polyester adds abrasion resistance and shape retention at a small cost in warmth. The third is the lining. A full Bemberg lining lets the coat slide over a blazer or a knit without static and adds a layer of trapped air. The fourth is the closure. A double-breasted front blocks wind best, and a wrap front with a belt seals the waist and gives the most forgiving fit over different outfits.

Luna publishes the cloth weight and fiber content for each coat on its product page. That is the number to compare, before price and before color.

Warmth by temperature range

These ranges are the guidance we give clients who ask what to wear for a specific city. They assume a knit or a blazer underneath and normal city walking, not standing outdoors for an hour.

If you live north of Chicago or Boston and walk more than fifteen minutes to the office, choose from the first row. If most of your winter is a car, a lobby and a restaurant, the second and third rows are enough and give you more choice of silhouette.

The Nicole wool wrap coat: the daily winter coat

The Black Wool Wrap Coat, Nicole is the coat we recommend first to a woman who wants one winter coat for work, travel and dinner. It is cut from long-fiber wool at 480 grams per square meter, with horsehair canvas reinforcing the lapel, double-stitched shoulders, two welt pockets and a full Bemberg lining. It closes with a self-fabric belt at the natural waist and has no buttons, which is the traditional wrap construction and the reason it fits cleanly over a suit one day and a dress the next. The black uses a deep-saturation dye that holds its color through hundreds of wearings, which matters on a black coat more than on any other color. It is $825 and in stock in sizes 2, 4, 6, 8.

The Gray Herringbone Wool Wrap Coat, Nicole is the same coat in a herringbone weave. Herringbone is a tonal neutral that reads softer than solid black in daylight and warmer than charcoal, and the textured weave photographs with more depth than a flat gray. Many clients who own the black buy the herringbone within two seasons and rotate them between formal and daytime weeks. It is $825 and in stock in sizes 4, 6, 8.

Both Nicole coats are built to be re-lined at about year four, which costs roughly 15 percent of the coat's price and extends its life by another five years or so. That is the practical difference between a coat at 480 grams and one at 300.

The Selina cape and the Selina coat: the formal arrivals

The Black Wool Cape, Selina is the piece to choose when the coat has to work over a gown. It is the same 480 gram long-fiber wool as the Nicole, cut as an architectural cape with concealed arm openings, a single back seam and a full Bemberg lining. A cape moves with a full-length evening dress instead of crushing it at the hip, and it reads as sculpture in photographs at a gala or a winter wedding. It is $770 and in stock in sizes 4, 8, 12. Because the cape has no sleeves, it is an evening piece rather than a commuting coat, and most clients own it alongside a Nicole or a Lucy.

The Red Wool Coat with Faux-Fur Collar, Selina is the sleeved alternative. It is a mid-length tailored coat in 70 percent wool and 30 percent polyester, double-breasted, with a self-tie belt at the natural waist, tonal buttons and a removable faux-fur collar in red. With the collar on it is an evening coat for arrivals. With the collar off it is a structured red coat for the office. Luna does not use animal fur. It is $825 and in stock in sizes 6, 8, 10.

Lucy, Clara and Paula: statement, structure and evening texture

The Black Wool Coat with Fur Collar, Lucy and the Red Wool Coat with Fur Collar, Lucy are the evening statement coats of the range, in long-fiber wool at 460 grams per square meter with a fixed fur collar. The black is the most fully stocked coat in the collection, in sizes 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and the red is in sizes 6, 8, 10. Both are $910. Choose the Lucy for theater, formal dinners and senior occasions, and choose the Selina coat if you want the collar to come off for daytime.

The Navy Wool Trench Coat, Clara is the architectural daytime coat. It is 87 percent long-fiber wool and 13 percent nylon at 420 grams per square meter, cut as a trench with a double-breasted front. The nylon gives it shape retention through travel and the trench construction blocks wind better than a wrap. It is $910 and in stock in sizes 6, 8, 10.

The Black Textured Coat with Faux Fur Collar and Cuffs, Paula is the non-wool evening option. It is a textured viscose with woven dimension, a hidden placket and faux fur at the collar and cuffs, in sizes 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 at $770. It is lighter than the wool coats and suited to evening arrivals and milder cities. The Ivory Belted Midi Coat, Linea is the ivory alternative for winter weddings in cities where a heavy coat would be too much, in sizes 6, 8, 10, 12 at $770.

Compare every Luna winter coat

Sizes listed are those in stock on the day this guide was published. Each coat is made in a small run, so a sold-out size is usually not restocked in the same season.

Sizing a coat to wear over a blazer

Luna coats are cut true to size for wear over a blazer or a knit. Measure your bust at the fullest point, add four to six inches of layering ease, and compare that number with the size chart on the product page. The shoulder seam should sit at the outer edge of your natural shoulder with no pulling across the chest when the coat is closed over a jacket. If you fall between sizes and you will wear the coat over suiting most days, take the larger size. The Luna sizing guide has the full measurement method, and returns are accepted within 30 days.

Care that keeps a wool coat for ten winters

Every coat in this guide is dry clean only. Clean it once at the end of the season rather than after every wear, because solvent wears the fiber more than a winter of use does. Brush the cloth with a soft garment brush after wearing, hang it on a wide wooden hanger, and give it a day of rest between wears so the wool can recover its loft. Spot clean small marks with cold water. Store it in a breathable garment bag over the summer, never in plastic.

Frequently asked questions

How warm is a 480 gram wool coat?

A fully lined long-fiber wool coat at 480 grams per square meter, such as the Nicole wrap coat or the Selina cape, is comfortable for city commuting and evening arrivals from roughly 20 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit when worn over a knit or a blazer. Below 20 degrees, or in sustained wind, add a scarf and a heavier layer underneath. Most contemporary wool coats are made at 280 to 340 grams per square meter, which is why they feel thin by January.

Is a wrap coat warm enough for winter?

Yes, if the cloth is heavy enough. The Nicole wrap coat closes with a self-fabric belt at the natural waist and has no buttons, so it seals the body closely when tied. Its 480 gram wool and full Bemberg lining do the insulating. A wrap coat is less wind-proof than a double-breasted coat in strong wind, so for exposed commutes the double-breasted Selina coat or the Clara trench is the safer choice.

What is the difference between the Nicole coat in black and in herringbone gray?

The cloth weight, lining, belt and construction are the same. Black is the more formal of the two and works for evening arrivals and boardroom days. Herringbone gray is a textured neutral that reads softer in daylight and photographs with more dimension. Black is in stock in sizes 2, 4, 6 and 8 and herringbone in sizes 4, 6 and 8 at the time of writing.

Which Luna winter coat is best for a black-tie winter wedding or gala?

The Selina wool cape in black is made for formal arrivals because it moves over a floor-length gown without flattening it. If you want sleeves and a statement collar, the Lucy wool coat with fur collar in black or red and the Selina wool coat with red faux-fur collar are the evening options. The Paula textured coat with faux fur collar and cuffs is the non-wool alternative at a lower price.

How should I choose a size in a Luna wool coat?

Luna coats are cut true to size for wear over a blazer or a knit. Measure your bust at the fullest point, add four to six inches of layering ease, and compare the result to the size chart on the product page. If you are between sizes and will wear the coat over suiting, take the larger size. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

How do I care for a long-fiber wool coat so it lasts?

Dry clean only, once at the end of the season rather than after every wear. Brush the cloth with a soft garment brush, hang it on a wide wooden hanger, and let it rest a day between wears. The Bemberg lining on the Nicole can be replaced at about year four for roughly 15 percent of the coat's price, which extends its life by several more winters.

Continue reading

• Wool coat styles for women: wrap, trench and long
• Is a 100 percent wool coat worth it?
• The most flattering coats by body type
• Dressy winter coats for women
• Light coats for women: what to wear from 50 to 70 degrees

Shop the edit

See every coat in the winter coats collection and the full outerwear collection. For what goes underneath, the evening dresses and business outfits collections are cut to layer under these coats.