European Women Rely on This Elegant Coat Trend to Look Polished in Winter—18 of the Best for Every Budget

Scarf coats are the physical—and fashionable—embodiment of a warm hug on those cold and bleak winter days.

The hybrid design first hit the fashion scene circa 2021 when Toteme released its iconic multifunctional Embroidered Scarf Coat, which swiftly became the outerwear of fashion insiders. The design was, and still is, simply genius. So, it’s unsurprising the Toteme scarf jacket is making a comeback this year. If you’re anything like me and loathe the chill whipping around your neck and seeping into your bones, but find a bulky coat too cumbersome, the scarf coat is your solution.

The two-in-one scarf coat combines a jacket, typically short in length, with a fixed scarf to sweep around your neck to keep any draughts at bay. It’s a stylish and fuss-free design that saves you from losing your scarf to a gust of wind, which has certainly happened to me before, and I doubt I’m the only one.

The design is practical and versatile whilst also managing to make a statement, so you know it’ll work hard in your wardrobe. You can pair a scarf coat with jeans, whether barrel-leg, wide-leg or even a skinny fit; or style it with leather trousers, a slip skirt or a mini and knee-high boots, for any occasion. Look to Who What Wear UK’s deputy editor Maxine Eggenberger, pictured below, for more style tips.

I’ve heard confused whispers around whether you wear a jacket over a scarf coat. Whilst the answer depends on the individual, how much you feel the cold and the fabric of your scarf coat, this new staple is intended to be worn on its own over your thinner layers instead of hidden under another coat or jacket.

The scarf coat is a far cry from a one-hit wonder: the outerwear trend has returned for three consecutive years and in different iterations, adapted by many luxury and high-street brands. We now have cape versions, trench-coat variations, scarf blazers and longline scarf coats, and you can also find some with detachable scarves.

We’ve sifted through the vast array of scarf coats on the market right now to bring you the most reliable, warming and expensive-looking styles to suit all budgets so everyone can have a little taste of Toteme in their wardrobe without having to spend a lot.