Full Length Mink Coats

How to choose a full length mink coat

A full length mink coat is the most complete thing a furrier makes: floor-skimming warmth, a silhouette that flatters every height, and a garment that outlives most of what hangs beside it. Buying one comes down to four decisions, and none of them require an expert vocabulary.

1. Length and cut

Full length means the coat falls between mid-calf and ankle. It is the warmest cut we make and the most formal, though a swing or A-line body makes it surprisingly easy over jeans. If floor-length feels like a lot for daily wear, a mink stroller at three-quarter length or a shorter mink jacket gives the same fur in a lighter commitment. Directional and horizontal constructions change the look again: vertical pelts lengthen the body, horizontal bands add movement and sweep.

2. Colour

Mink comes in more natural colours than any other fur. Ranch is the classic deep brown-black. Mahogany reads espresso indoors and warms to red-brown in daylight. Whiskey is the honeyed golden-brown that has been our most requested shade for three winters. Sapphire is a soft blue-grey, demi-buff a pale champagne, and black mink the most formal of all. Dyed colours open the range further, from ivory to hot pink. Natural colours never fade; dyed shades are the fashion pieces.

Every shade has its own collection: white mink coats, black mink coats, brown mink coats, mahogany mink coats, whiskey mink coats, blue mink coats, sapphire mink coats and red mink coats. Beyond colour, the finish changes the character again: sheared mink wears like velvet, let-out pelts drape long and fluid, and two-tone work turns the coat into the statement.

3. Grade

Not all mink is equal, and the difference is in the pelt rather than the label. Density, evenness and the length of the guard hair decide how a coat feels and how long it lasts. At the top sits Blackglama, the trademarked name for the finest natural black mink in North America. Below that, good ranch mink from a reputable house will serve you for decades. Run your hand against the pile: the better the grade, the faster it springs back.

4. Price, honestly

Full length mink coats on our racks run from about $2,300 to $21,000, and the spread is real rather than theatrical. Under $4,000 buys a well-made coat in a classic natural colour, often a previous season. Between $4,000 and $8,000 is where most of our full length mink coats sit, including the sought-after whiskey and mahogany shades. Above $10,000 you are paying for exceptional pelts, hand-worked construction, or trim in sable, chinchilla or lynx. Everything here is marked with the price it sells for.

Why buy mink from a furrier, not a fashion label

A mink coat is an investment, and it should be bought from people who understand the fur rather than a label that orders it. Our specialists select and match the pelts in house, size and restyle every coat to your figure, and back each purchase with the cleaning, glazing and cold storage that keep mink supple and bright for decades. A fashion label sells you a coat; a furrier stands behind one.

Sizing, alterations and custom work

Every fur we sell is fitted in person. Sleeves are shortened, hems adjusted and bodies taken in or let out in our own New York workroom, usually within a week. If nothing on the rack is right, we cut to measure: choose the pelt, the colour, the length and the lining, and we build the coat. Plus and tall sizes are cut in-house rather than ordered in, which is why our plus size collection runs deeper than most.

Caring for a mink coat

A mink coat wants cold storage in summer and a professional clean once a year, and treated that way it will outlast the person who buys it. We store and clean furs bought anywhere, not only ours. When a coat outlives its shape rather than its fur, we restyle it: a dated full length mink becomes a jacket, a vest, or a coat for the next generation.

See mink coats in New York

Photographs flatten fur. The weight, the shift of colour under light and the way a good pelt moves take about four seconds to understand in person, and there is no substitute. Marc Kaufman Furs has been cutting mink at 212 West 30th Street since 1870 — five generations, one family, one workroom. Browse the full length mink coats above, read our fur coat buying guide, or call +1 (212) 563-3877 and we will have pieces waiting in your size.