# Coat Lengths **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 23, 2019, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294 "2019-12-23T14:18:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/21 "2019-12-27T13:06:41Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > No, I don’t worry about the fashion police. I just hate the fascist fashion police that make it impossible for me to find clothes that I like. And apparently they have decreed that long coats are out. > > Those that made that decree should be pushed out to sea on an ice floe and left to die like the eskimos used to do to those people they deemed useless. > > Not crazy about wool coats. I like big fluffy ones with down inside cloth. Soft cloth, not stiff plasticky vinyl-like polyester. > > I want a coat like the coat I have now, but with a zipper that works, so I don’t have to hold the front closed together with my hands. I had the zipper replaced twice, and I still have to look like a homeless person wearing a blanket. All because I can’t find an acceptable replacement coat. I am in exactly the same position. I finally replaced the zipper in my old Lands End “Commuter coat”, but it’s old, and has less down than it used to. I’d love to replace it with something new. BUT, I want a long coat, not a jacket or a parka. And I want good interior pockets. And I NEED a double zipper, since long coats need to have a way to open at the bottom. And I don’t want the zipper to go all the way down, since then I can’t reach it. I swear, people design clothes without ever wearing anything like it. > [@DPRK](#): > > That’s that North Face Futurelight waterproof, breathable, soft, stretchy fabric I was talking about (with goose down inside). Pricy, but occasionally they go on sale, especially if you plan ahead. That’s a parka. I’m not sure it even covers your bum, let alone your legs. It does look like a nice parka. But it’s still easy to find parkas. It’s warm coats that don’t seem to be made any more. I stand out in the cold to catch a train. I guess not so many people do that these days. I want something that covers a lot of my legs while I wait. Then I want to unzip the bottom so I can comfortably sit in the train on the way into town. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/22 "2019-12-27T13:36:27Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > YES YES YES!!! > > I knew I was right!!! I knew I wasn’t imagining it!!! > > It is next to impossible to find a proper shin length coat these days! I went to Marshall’s. I went to Target. I went to what used to be called Burlington Freaking Coat Factory. I was prepared to pay between two and three hundred dollars. But all they had was so called coats that would leave my ass out to face the freezing winds at the bus stop. > > This is Chicago, people! Not goddamn Beverly Hills! Last year, we had a polar vortex that killed three people and Jussie Smollett’s career! Sixty fucking below in the wind, and I’m supposed to be flashing my admittedly fantastic gams for all to see? Fuck no! I wanna be covered up in a coat burkha! > > Bring back the long ass coats immediately, you fashion shitheads, before I go all dog day afternoon on you. Try the L.L. Bean store out in Oak Brook or up in Skokie. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/23 "2019-12-27T14:04:42Z")
I have a thigh-length L.L. Bean parka purchased from their local store several years ago. This coat is so old that I can’t find it on their website. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/24 "2019-12-27T18:18:13Z")
That extra bit covering your legs doesn’t really make much of a difference in keeping your core temperature up. My Columbia winter coat only has the reflective material around the chest area and it works fine. I like the appearance of long wool coats and I used to wear one, back before people were tshirts and jeans to work. Nowadays it just looks too formal in most situations. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/25 "2019-12-27T21:19:28Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > That extra bit covering your legs doesn’t really make much of a difference in keeping your core temperature up. My Columbia ??? When I was young, my legs kept warm as long as I kept my core warm (back then I could go barefoot on frost). But the flip side of that is that exposed legs make your core cold. Now I cover my legs because my legs get cold. I don’t have good circulation down to the extremities any more, and if I want warm feet, I have to wear socks. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/26 "2019-12-27T21:33:32Z")
Here in China long coats are very common. Both wool overcoats for fashion/elegance style and the more functional michelin-man insulating coats popularly go to the knee or lower. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/27 "2019-12-29T06:06:18Z")
I gargle for [long men’s coats](https://www.google.com/search?q=long+men%27s+coats) and find many hits, often not expensive. I do not NEED such because I avoid exposure to harsh weather now. YMMV and maybe you can’t shelter indoors as much as I. [/heartbreak] Long raincoats can still be a good idea outdoors. I recall seeing many on wet San Francisco days. Hopefully, not too many concealed long firearms. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/28 "2019-12-29T18:36:06Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > I gargle for [long men’s coats](https://www.google.com/search?q=long+men%27s+coats) and find many hits, often not expensive. I do not NEED such because I avoid exposure to harsh weather now. YMMV and maybe you can’t shelter indoors as much as I. [/heartbreak] Long raincoats can still be a good idea outdoors. I recall seeing many on wet San Francisco days. Hopefully, not too many concealed long firearms. I am not a man. And I want a warm long coat. There are, as you point out, lots of long raincoats. Not so many long winter coats. And I really prefer down to wool, and I want pockets. I spent dozens of hours last year looking for a replacement for my old coat, and did not find anything. And I considered coats up to $1000. No typo. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/29 "2019-12-29T19:03:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I am not a man. And I want a warm long coat. There are, as you point out, lots of long raincoats. Not so many long winter coats. And I really prefer down to wool, and I want pockets. > > I spent dozens of hours last year looking for a replacement for my old coat, and did not find anything. And I considered coats up to $1000. No typo. You and I share tastes in coats, I see. And we share the same fight obviously. Keep up the search. Never surrender. A lesser shorter coat will not suffice for us. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/30 "2019-12-30T01:00:43Z")
Check out Goodwill and local thrift stores, particularly stores in neighborhoods with wealthy residents. Think Junior League shop. Last year I saw several long (think maxi) coats, all bearing the ILGWU tag. I’m outside Chicago so we need the warm long coats. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/31 "2019-12-30T01:43:20Z")
I don’t think the length below the waist helps _as much_ as the length above, per square inch of fabric, because it has an opening for the air, but it is better than nothing. My wool overcoat is just as warm or warmer than my waist-length casual winter coat even though the wind still penetrates to my torso a little bit. I’m sure if it were blazer length it would be less warm than my winter coat. (Plus, like I said before, as it is an overcoat it looks good loose and thus when it is really cold I can wear both at once.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/32 "2019-12-30T05:15:17Z")
Well, I’m not looking for a warm skirt with no top. But a long coat is definitely warmer than a short one, especially if you are standing still, as I mostly do when waiting for the train. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/33 "2019-12-30T06:57:46Z")
I have an earlier model of this one and it is super warm. [https://www.brooklynindustries.com/collections/womens-jackets-coat/products/fjord-down-coat-w](https://www.brooklynindustries.com/collections/womens-jackets-coat/products/fjord-down-coat-w) Have you looked at a department store? I just searched “long down coat” at Macy’s and there were a bunch of results for below-the-knee down coats. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/34 "2019-12-30T13:30:37Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I have an earlier model of this one and it is super warm. > [https://www.brooklynindustries.com/collections/womens-jackets-coat/products/fjord-down-coat-w](https://www.brooklynindustries.com/collections/womens-jackets-coat/products/fjord-down-coat-w) > > Have you looked at a department store? I just searched “long down coat” at Macy’s and there were a bunch of results for below-the-knee down coats. I’ve never actually gone to a department store to shop, but I did check out a couple of department stores on-line. The coat you link to is knee length, which is shorter than what I have, but long enough to consider. Unfortunately, it lacks other features my current coat has that I don’t want to give up, like pockets for stuff. I currently have an internal chest-height pocket on the seam, and internal pocket on the other side. Each is large enough for a checkbook and a pen, or a large phone. I also have two loose drop-in internal pockets next to my thighs that are large enough to hold a paperback, or a newspaper, or a kindle, or similar moderately bulky items. Also, I’d be willing to get hand pockets that sip, but I really hate zippers on the hand pockets. They are cold and uncomfortable. Anyway, I couldn’t find anything I liked at Macy’s on-line shop last year. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294/35 "2019-12-30T13:41:31Z")
(It might be relevant that I hate shopping in department stores. I find it very stressful.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coat-lengths/845294.md?page=1)