There is a particular kind of Galway morning that exposes a coat for what it really is. The rain is not heavy, but it is horizontal, and it arrives from three directions at once as you turn out of Church Lane towards Shop Street. Most of us have owned the coat that fails that test. It hangs in the hall, technically lovely, quietly useless from October to March.
This is the practical case for Yves Salomon coats. The Paris house built its reputation as a fur atelier across four generations of furriers, and that background shows up in ways that matter on a wet Tuesday: a hood cut to hold its shape in wind, the drape of a down fill, a trim set into a seam rather than tacked on. Below is what we have learned about choosing, sizing and living with these pieces here — parkas and puffers in particular.
Parka or puffer? Start with your commute, not the mirror
A parka gives you length, a technical shell and a generous hood. It is the right answer if you walk, wait, or stand outdoors — school gates, the Saturday market, the walk in from the car park in Salthill. The shell handles rain and wind; the length keeps the tops of your legs dry, which is the difference between damp and miserable.
A puffer — or doudoune, in the French — is a warmth engine. Down traps air, air is the insulation, and gram for gram nothing else comes close. Puffers excel where you move between warm interiors and cold streets. What they do less well, unless the shell is treated, is sustained rain.
The honest middle ground
A waterproof down coat gives you the fill power of a puffer inside a shell that shrugs off drizzle — the Waterproof Fox Trim Down coat in black and its navy sibling are exactly that combination, and they are the ones we point people towards when they say they want to buy one coat and stop thinking about it.
Down fill versus faux fur: what you are actually paying for
- Down fill is about warmth-to-weight. A good down coat feels almost empty in the hand and is warmer than a wool coat twice its weight. It needs loft to work — compress it under a heavy bag strap all winter and you flatten the very thing you paid for.
- Fur or faux fur trim is about the microclimate around your face. A trimmed hood breaks the wind before it reaches your cheeks and stops rain running down your collar — genuinely functional, which is why cold-climate parkas have always had it.
- Faux fur — as on the Faux Fur Hooded Puffer Coat — holds water longer and needs proper drying, but brushes back to life easily and suits anyone who would rather avoid fur entirely.
Sizing: try it over the knitwear you actually own
A coat tried on over a T-shirt in a warm shop is not the coat you will wear in January over a chunky knit and a scarf. Bring, or mentally allow for, the heaviest layer you genuinely wear.
- Shoulders first. The seam should sit at the edge of your shoulder or just beyond. A tight shoulder cannot be lived with.
- Cross your arms forward. If the back pulls, size up. Down needs room to loft, and a puffer squeezed tight across the back loses warmth exactly where you need it.
- Zip it fully and lift the hood. A hood that drags the collar under your chin will never be used in real weather.
- Check the hem against your bag. A cross-body strap riding over an A-line hem is the detail nobody notices until week three.
An A-line shape like the Doudoune Puffer in Herbal Tea or the Lamb Collar A-Line Down Jacket skims rather than clings, which is far more forgiving over knitwear than a straight-cut body. Shorter, boxier pieces — the Short Boxy Cotton Fox Trim Parka or the Collarless Cropped Fur Jacket — want a slimmer layer underneath and a higher waist below. You will find both proportions across the Yves Salomon coats and parkas and the wider Yves Salomon selection.
Waterproofing, and how to keep it working
Water resistance is rarely a property of the fabric alone; it is usually a finish applied to the surface, and finishes wear off at the friction points — shoulders under a bag, cuffs, the front of the hood. The tell is simple: hold the coat under a tap. If water beads and rolls, the finish is alive. If it soaks in and darkens the fabric, the shell is "wetting out" and needs attention, even though it is not leaking yet. Two things restore it:
- Clean it before you re-treat it. Dirt and body oils kill a water-repellent finish, and a grubby shell will not accept a new one.
- Warmth reactivates the finish. Most treatments need gentle heat to set. For anything with down or a fur trim, use a specialist cleaner rather than experimenting at home.
A reversible piece like the Reversible Doudoune Jacket in Grey earns its keep here: two faces, half the wear on each. Our notes on puffer jackets in Irish weather go deeper on shells and fills.
Storage: the six months that decide the next ten years
Down and fur are ruined in storage far more often than in wear:
- Never compress down for the summer. Vacuum bags and packed wardrobes crush the loft permanently. Hang it, with space either side.
- Use a broad-shouldered hanger. Wire hangers leave dents in a down shoulder that never quite come out.
- Cotton, not plastic. A breathable garment bag keeps dust off; plastic traps moisture, and moisture turns a fur or shearling trim brittle.
- Clean it before you put it away, not after. Invisible marks oxidise over a summer and set.
- Cool, dark and dry. An attic is the worst place in the house.
Treated this way a good coat becomes the piece you stop replacing — the logic behind our guide to the investment winter coat.
Wearing them in Galway
A parka is not a compromise garment. Over a slim knit and a trouser it reads as deliberate; over a midi dress and a boot, as considered. The Olive Green Fur Lined Parka and the Brown Fur Collared Hooded Jacket both sit in the warm, muted range that flatters the grey light here far more than pure black does — though a black puffer coat remains the most useful thing in most wardrobes.
Keep the rest simple: a flat boot, a good scarf, and let the coat do the talking. You will find these pieces alongside our designer coats and designer puffer jackets, with the newest deliveries in latest arrivals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Yves Salomon coats warm enough for an Irish winter?
Comfortably so. Irish winters are wet and windy rather than severely cold, so wind resistance and a good hood matter more than extreme fill weight. A down parka is generally more coat than the climate requires — the advantage being that you are never cold, even standing still.
Should I size up in a puffer?
Only if the shoulders or back pull when you cross your arms. Down needs room to loft, so a puffer should never feel compressed — but sizing up for its own sake produces a coat that lets warm air escape at the hem and cuffs.
Can I machine wash a down coat at home?
We would not. Down clumps when wet and needs correct drying to recover its loft, and fur or faux fur trim needs entirely different treatment from the shell. Use a cleaner experienced with down, and always follow the care label.
If you are weighing up yves salomon coats and want to feel the weight of the down and try a hood in person, come and see us at 2-3 Church Lane in Galway. Everything is also available online, with free shipping nationwide and international delivery available.
