The Super-Warm, Suit-Friendly Coat That's Only $130
SHOP $129.90, uniqlo.com
Welcome to The Esquire Endorsement. Heavily researched. Thoroughly vetted. These picks are the best way to spend your hard-earned cash.
There are times when you have to sacrifice style for more functional concerns like staying warm and dry—that's something we actually used to believe. Not so. Especially not today, when even genuinely classic-looking pieces can hide a whole lot of technical know-how under the hood. Case in point: Uniqlo U's BlockTech duffel coat.
The vibe is cozy and wintry, balancing just enough casualness and sophistication to play well on the weekend and at the office. But beneath the surface (well, in this case, on the interior of the fabric) is a whole layer of protection from the wet and the wind. All that, and it's only $130. Need more convincing? Here's why you should have it in your winter rotation.
It's at an inflection point.
The duffel coat has been around for ages, but it swings in and out of popularity. At the moment, it's not exactly at a high point. But it's definitely trending upwards, and that's why right now is exactly the right time to invest in one. Think of that guy you know who bought a bomber a year or two before everyone else did. That man was on to something! And you can be like him. Just this time around, it's a duffel coat.
SHOP $129.90, uniqlo.com
It really is a classic.
About the duffel coat in general: It's nearly two centuries old, though it really took off throughout Europe in the mid-to-late 1800s before eventually making the leap across the pond. It's a particular style, what with the big hood and the toggle closure. But those functional elements—you can open and close the front with frozen or gloved hands, and hide your head from the rain, too—are also what give the duffel coat its charm. It doesn't look like every other piece of outerwear out there, but it's still got some real history to it. You can stand out a bit, and be confident that there's a good reason for doing so.
It's a weather-beating steal.
I did mention that this thing costs $130, right? That's $50 off the original price, which was still a very-reasonable one. And for that sum, you get not only a coat that's primed for popularity and backed by history, but one with some solid tech, too. Uniqlo's BlockTech program is a wide-reaching one devoted to shielding you from the wind, rain, and snow, but in this particular iteration it translates to a thin, breathable interior membrane that'll keep you warm and dry no matter the conditions. Which means you can wear your duffel coat all the damn time. My advice: Do exactly that.
SHOP $129.90, uniqlo.com
Prop styling by Miako Katoh
Photography by Timothy Mulcare
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