Best in The 6ix: Here’s a guide to the top places to shop for outerwear

Although we wish we could say, winter is around the corner the colder weather is already here. So before it gets any colder, get a winter jacket because you’re going to need it. Don’t wait for bargain shopping days like Boxing Day, Black Friday, and other clearance sales, get one before it’s too late. In another recent story, we cover all the hottest latest outerwear options on the market, but here is WHERE you can find them. Which isn’t always as easy as walking into any local retailer. The hot picks go quickly and can get super hard to find. Lucky for you, we’ve made it easy for you.

Here are the best places to shop for winter coats/jackets and anything outerwear if…you’re on a tight budget:

Truthfully, if you’re looking for a real bargain, and want to make a difference (because every little bit counts), then vintage is the way to go. Otherwise, any of these other options are affordable (under $250) options too.

Vintage shops

Some of our favourites are LooseFade (at Stackt Market), Public Butter, and the new Value Village boutique, just to name a few.

H&M

They don’t have many options, and they’re not the warmest out there, but they definitely have some great-looking options if you’re in a pinch, that does the trick.

Aritzia

The Super Puff collection is great bang for your buck–and also available for both women and men. They have a variety of styles and are goose-down fill so they will definitely keep you warm.

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Zara

From puffers to top coats and more, Zara has some great options in a range of colours, that again, aren’t the warmest and best performing, but definitely some of the most fashionable in the price range.

Point Zero

Not sure if they’re still carried by any retailers but you can definitely pick them up online direct. From suede coats to faux fur-lined options and even some colour-blocked puffers.

Here are the best retailers to shop for winter coats/jackets and anything outerwear:

Not quite sure what brands you’re looking to go with, then any of these retailers is a great place to shop because you can find several brands under one roof.

GotStyle

A staple in the Toronto fashion scene, Melissa Austria’s fashion fave in the Distillery is definitely a local gem worth supporting, that carries an array of brands.

Sporting Life

Despite what the name might give away, they don’t only carry the sporty brands and one of the widest ranges of Nobis styles outside of shopping from the brand directly.

Holt Renfrew

If you’re into designer labels, they definitely are the hub for designers in Canada, with the widest designer selection in Canada. Whether you’re shopping from within their departments, or in-house leased boutiques like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and more.

SportChek

Definitely more on the sporty side carrying mostly performance-based brands, SportChek does carry the most common styles for brands like The North Face, Columbia, Adidas, etc.

Harry Rosen

The go-to stomping ground for men’s shopping, and definitely carries the widest range of options for men specifically. Including some of the more hard-to-find brands like Thom Browne and Tom Ford, as well as several exclusive styles only carried at Harry’s, from time to time. Our go-to location is the Bloor St flagship.

Saks / The Bay

A runner-up for designer options, especially at Saks, but also one of the widest ranges of mid-price point brand options, from Tommy Hilfiger to Calvin Klein and many more.

Winners and outlet stores

If you’re in it to win it and have the time and energy to hunt for your kill, we mean jackets…then these are definitely worth a visit. You will get great value but not always in a full range of sizes, but is always worth the try.

MEC

Carrying the majority of performance, technical and sportier brands, like North Face, Arc’Teryx, Patagonia and more.

Ssense

Despite being online only, in Ontario, they have a great range of brands, and many times great sale prices too.

Here are the best local brands or shops to support when shopping for outwear:

Hilary MacMillan

From faux fur teddy coats (even some in pink) to colourful puffers, top coats and more. Hilary MacMillan has been one of our go-to’s whenever we’re looking for something a little more fashionable.

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Sentaler

The outerwear brand to royalty (famously worn by both the Duchess, Meghan Markle and her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge) sporting their iconically ribbed details. Available in a range of colours and made from the finest textiles, like Suri alpaca.

HiSo

Offering a range of luxury coats for him and her, including top quality and innovative materials and excellent craftsmanship. Their shearling collection is available on their website, but their latest collection is available at The Bay for Women, and Harry Rosen for men.

Wuxly

Animal-free, made with recycled materials and manufactured in Canada.

Here are the best brands to shop at directly for winter coats/jackets and anything outerwear:

Woodpecker

Offering a stunning range of styles in their entire collection, entirely vegan. Some of the most fashionable styles and mesmerizing materials and textures. Woodpecker is definitely worth a closer look at their full collection if you haven’t already.

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Nobis

The perfect combination of pushing the boundaries on design and performance. Their latest collection sports some more stylist silhouettes yet stick to their very clean and minimal aesthetic.

Rudsak

Known for its leathers, the brand offers a range of puffers and more. They definitely don’t sacrifice style and sex appeal for warmth.

Mackage

Mackage offers what we feel is one of the widest ranges of stunning, more fashion-forward, dare we say ‘iconic’ designs and silhouettes. Definitely geared towards the fashion conscious, yet still doing its job, but a little heavier than others.

Moncler

Also up there in terms of offering a hefty range of the most fashionable outerwear options out there, but definitely at a higher price point–but so worth it, if you have the extra coin, as it’s so tastefully done.

Adidas

You won’t find its collaboration with Gucci there, but they do carry a decent range of classic outerwear silhouettes, and recently launched a Cloud Concept store inside CF Toronto Eaton Centre, on the lower level–and worth the visit!

Canada Goose

Without a doubt, one of the most popular, but that also means it’s one of the most common ranges of outerwear jackets out there. But also very reliable and available at almost every major retailer. Looking for one of their most common bombers or parkas? Good luck finding it later on in the season, as they tend to sell out fast.

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The North Face

You can find some good winter jacket options for under $500 CAD from North Face. Their jackets are made with 600-fill recycled down. You can also find their jackets at Sport Chek, Sporting Life, Altitude Sports, and more.

Nike

A classic outerwear option, although known as a performance-driven brand, is still a stylish option, especially their collab brand with Drake, Nocta–although we have yet to see it in stores.

Arc’teryx

A classic performance-based brand, also available at MEC.

Fjallraven

A Swedish brand that is performance-driven but definitely still has a sleek silhouette but tends to run smaller.

Entire Studios

Founded by the duo Dylan Richards and Sebastian Hunt, Entire Studios sells a variety of silhouettes from vests to puffer jackets and long coats. Many of their outerwear pieces are 90% duck down and 10% feather fill. Many of their styles are under $1000 USD.

Dior

Definitely the front runner, of the designer options, in our opinion, Dior has some stunning options both topcoats and puffers that will not disappoint.

Louis Vuitton

Limited options, but from an iconic brand like LV, you don’t need that many options.

Gucci

From puffers to topcoats, and even their recent collab’ collection with Adidas, Gucci has an excellent range of fashionable designs to have you looking incredibly stylish. Definitely the loudest of the designer options.

Balenciaga

Thankfully, they’re now available directly from their Bloor-Yorkville boutique and carry everything from their iconic oversized puffers and coats alike.