Where Can I Find a Camel Robe Coat That Doesn’t Look Like a Bathrobe?

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Dear Racked,

Where can I find a camel coat like the one Francesca has in [the Netflix series] Master of None? I know hers is from & Other Stories, but it doesn’t exist anymore and I can’t find anything that isn’t Max Mara or isn’t over $300. The belt and collar are crucial, because I don’t need another chic bathrobe. —Kristen, 27, New York City

Dear Kristen,

First off, I am with you on all counts. I want to wear basically everything Francesa wore throughout that whole season, and I think of a nice camel coat as a fall and winter necessity. I also don’t actually own one (but I want one!) and wouldn’t spend more than $300 to change that, so I was pretty psyched to go on the hunt for you.

You’re right that & Other Stories no longer makes this exact coat, but, with blessedly good timing, the H&M-owned brand just dropped two very similar versions: the Loose Alpaca-Blend Coat, $245, which features two waist pockets, a high back slit, a crisp collar, and a tie at the waist; and the Wool Trench Coat, which is also $245 and has snap buttons, back and chest vents, and a lapel-less (but still crisp) collar.

While the alpaca blend is likely the winner — I mean, it’s almost the exact same coat — there are a few others you may want to consider, just in case you want to go a different route (or just to feel extra-good that you’re making the right move).

J.Crew makes a wool Tie-Waist Topcoat that has the belt threaded through the coat instead of over it, which helps tone down the bathrobe look, on sale right now for $302.40 (marked down from $378). (It also comes in a bright jewel-toned purple-pink, for anyone who likes the tie-waist but isn’t married to the camel idea.) Mango — which, by the way, has a ton of good coats this season — has two that fit the bill: the lighter beige Lapels Wool Coat, $229.99, and the Belted Wool Coat, also $229.99, which, in my opinion, is the better of the the two with wide lapels and deep pockets.

If you’d rather skip the fast fashion brands and go for something fewer people will have, there are lesser-known lines with options that fit your price range, too. Australian brand The Fifth Label has a lovely wool tie-waist camel coat for a steal at $117. (I hope the shawl collar doesn’t cross the bathrobe line for you, because I really like this one!) Brooklyn boutique Article& has a darker felted camel coat called the Brixton Trench for $189, which has a more military feel.

And last but not least, Genuine People, a contemporary line based in San Francisco and Shanghai, has three: the Oversized Belted Wool Coat for $260, the Heavy Oversized Wool Coat for $295, and the Wrap Wool Coat, which is almost an exact match to Francesca’s but unfortunately rings in over budget at $479. If you want a (pretty good) excuse to break the rules, the brand is having a friends and family sale right now that will get you 30 percent off, making this coat $335.30. (So you’d only be breaking the rules by roughly 30 bucks, which is pretty much equivalent to skipping takeout next time the mood strikes.)

After making it all the way through this post, you might be over the camel robe coat thing entirely. If so, you’re in luck: We just made a guide on where to buy a really good winter coat that covers a lot more bases. —Cory Baldwin, shopping editor

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