The Best Brands for Quilted Jackets — From High Street Heroes to Investment Pieces Worth Every Penny

OUTERWEAR ADVICE • TELLAR FASHION HUB

The quilted jacket is one of those wardrobe staples that sounds unassuming but does an enormous amount of heavy lifting. Done well, it's smart enough for the school run, polished enough for a country weekend, and practical enough to survive everything British autumn throws at it. Done badly? It looks like a deflated duvet. I've owned both kinds, and I promise you the difference almost always comes down to brand and construction — so let me save you the trial and error.

Whether you're after a sleek, city-ready style or a classic wax-and-quilt country hybrid, here's your definitive guide to the brands genuinely worth your money right now.

What Makes a Good Quilted Jacket?

Before diving into brands, it's worth knowing what to look for — because "quilted jacket" covers a huge range of quality levels.

Fill type matters: Down or down-blend fill is warmer, lighter, and more compressible. Synthetic fill is more affordable and performs better when wet — ideal for the UK climate, frankly.
Stitch pattern: Tighter, smaller diamond quilting tends to look more premium and tailored. Larger boxy channels can look cheaper unless the brand has executed them intentionally.
Outer shell: A matte or waxed finish reads as more elevated than a shiny nylon shell. Nylon isn't bad — it's often more water-resistant — but it can look cheap in the wrong colourway.
Fit: Avoid anything that adds bulk across the shoulders or chest. The best quilted jackets are cut slim or fitted through the torso with a slightly longer hem for warmth.

The Best High Street Brands for Quilted Jackets

You don't need to spend a fortune to get a great quilted jacket — but you do need to be selective on the high street, because quality varies enormously.

Barbour — the gold standard on the high street, and honestly the brand I recommend more than any other in this category. Their Beadnell and Cavalry quilted jackets have been style classics for decades, and for good reason. The fit is flattering, the quality is exceptional, and a navy or olive Barbour quilt genuinely never goes out of fashion. If you buy one thing on this list, make it a Barbour.
Fat Face — brilliant for a slightly more relaxed, countryside-casual quilted style. Great value, warm, and reliably well-made. Their longer quilted gilets and hip-length jackets are perennial bestsellers.
White Stuff — consistently excellent quilted options with a slightly more whimsical, feminine edge. Their longer-line styles are particularly flattering and come in beautiful muted tones that look expensive.
Joules — a go-to for classic British country styling. Their Golightly quilted jacket is lightweight, packable, and a brilliant option for those in-between seasons when you need just a layer.
Seasalt Cornwall — quietly brilliant for outerwear. Their quilted styles use recycled fabrics and have a lovely, slightly oversized cut that feels current rather than traditional.
Next — a genuinely underrated option at this price point. Their longline quilted coats in particular offer great structure and warmth for under £80, and their size range is extensive.
M&S — their quilted jackets have improved enormously in recent seasons. The Thermowarmth range offers solid warmth-to-weight ratio, and the styling has become noticeably more polished. A reliable, affordable choice.

Premium Brands Worth the Step Up

If your budget stretches a little further, these brands offer noticeably better construction, fit, and longevity — and honestly, a premium quilted jacket worn for ten years costs less per wear than a cheap one replaced every two.

Gant — their quilted jackets hit a brilliant sweet spot of smart-casual. Clean lines, quality fill, and a fit that works as well with tailored trousers as it does with jeans. The diamond quilting is particularly neat and premium-looking.
Tommy Hilfiger — consistently strong in the quilted category, particularly for a heritage-influenced style that leans more urban than country. Their reversible quilted jackets are clever and versatile.
Reiss — for a sleek, city-appropriate quilted jacket, Reiss is hard to beat. Their styles are more minimal and tailored than country-heritage brands, and they look brilliant over knitwear in the office.
Anthropologie — their curated selection of quilted styles pulls from multiple brands and tends to offer more unusual colourways and prints. Great for something a bit more individual without tipping into full designer territory.

Luxury & Designer Options for a True Investment Piece

Sometimes you just want the real thing — and in quilted outerwear, there are a handful of brands that have genuinely earned their price tags.

Max Mara — their quilted coats and jackets are the epitome of understated luxury. Beautifully cut, impeccably finished, and the kind of thing you'll reach for on every trip for the next fifteen years. I once spent a ludicrous amount on a Max Mara quilted coat and I've never once regretted it.
Calvin Klein — a modern, pared-back take on quilted outerwear that skews more minimalist than heritage. Their longer quilted coats in particular are strikingly elegant and incredibly versatile.

Two Independent Brands You Should Know

Tanta — a small British brand producing beautiful, ethically made quilted gilets and jackets using recycled down. The fit is excellent, the colour palette is lovely, and buying independent feels genuinely good. Worth every penny and refreshingly different from the high street.
Edgware Studio — a UK-based independent specialising in responsibly sourced outerwear with a strong focus on sustainable quilted pieces. Their styles have a considered, slightly avant-garde edge that makes them genuinely distinctive.

How to Style a Quilted Jacket So It Looks Intentional

The biggest mistake I see is treating a quilted jacket as purely functional — chucking it over whatever you're wearing and hoping for the best. Here's how to make it look deliberate:

Layer over chunky knit + straight-leg jeans — the classic and the best. Tuck the knitwear slightly at the front for shape.
Wear it over tailored trousers — a slim quilted jacket over wide-leg trousers and a fine-knit polo is one of the most polished casual looks going right now.
Avoid over-layering underneath — a quilted jacket is not designed to go over a thick hoodie. It'll pull, bulk, and look terrible. Keep underlayers slim.
Invest in the right length for your height — petite frames tend to suit hip-length or cropped quilted styles; taller women can carry off longer, more dramatic lengths beautifully.

Find Your Perfect Fit Across Every Brand — Instantly

One thing that catches people out with quilted jackets is that sizing is wildly inconsistent between brands. A Barbour 12 is cut very differently to a Reiss 12 — and getting an outerwear purchase wrong is an expensive mistake. That's where Tellar.co.uk comes in.

Tellar is the UK's leading free sizing tool — it matches your exact measurements to precise sizes across 1,500+ brands instantly. No more guessing, no more returns.

Measure once — your bust, waist, and hips, or use a size you already know in a brand you trust
Use the Store Size Lookup Tool to find your size in Barbour, Reiss, Gant, Max Mara, and hundreds more
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And for more outerwear inspiration, the Tellar Fashion Hub has everything you need — honest, independent style advice from our stylists, completely free. Browse our Ultimate Guide to Jackets & Best Buys and the Ultimate Clothing Sizing Guide to shop smarter across every category.

Honest. Unbiased. Independent. Always free. That's Tellar.