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Everyday Fashion · by Theo Bennett · 2026-10-30

Thrifting a wool coat: what do you check before you buy?

Coat season is here and I'd rather find a secondhand wool coat than buy a new one that's 30% polyester. So far my checklist is: fabric label, lining condition, moth holes near the collar and armpits, and whether the shoulders actually fit because that's the one thing a tailor can't easily fix. What else do you look at, and what's the best coat you ever found secondhand?

25 sparks · 3 comments

Comments

Curious Orbit · 13 likes

button holes and pocket edges. that's where the wear shows first and it tells you how much it was actually worn

Yui Tanaka · 11 likes

sniff test. if it smells like mothballs it's probably fine, if it smells musty walk away

Mateo Cruz · 0 likes

got a camel overcoat for 18 dollars because it had a torn lining. lining replacement was cheaper than I expected