Oxblood red was talked about quite a bit, but I have no idea whether people actually bought the color. Ditto 'military' style, but that probably doesn't appeal to everyone.

I would be more concerned with function (waterproof and warm) than color and style. And, IMO, black or camel are always "fashionable" if not "classic."

BTW, I wouldn't wear jeans on rainy days. (Actually, I wouldn't wear jeans at all, but that's me.) If they get wet, they would likely take a very long time to dry.

I would be concerned with what color goes with your hair and skin tone rather than what color Italians are wearing. Will you only be wearing this coat in Italy or do you want to be in style at home as well?

Hi Liadan! I was in Italy in December of 2011 and then again in March this year (and again in September this year but that won't help you with coats, ha!). Anyway as for winter wear for women - for last year and the start of this one at least - I remember everybody wearing those puffy coats, a lots of them with furry hoods. In fact I would say about 80% of the women were wearing those, if I had to guess. Most of the colors were neutrals, mostly blacks and grays and taupes. (And most of them were paired with jeans.)

For reference, I was in Venice, Verona, Vicenza, Florence twice, and then other points in Tuscany. Hope this helps!

No one in Paris cares what kind of coat you will be wearing. Seriously. Just be warm and comfortable..

A friend just returned from Rome and I asked her about fashion. She said the Women in Paris were more fashionable.
Google street style Rome.

I agree with LunaBella, but the puffy coats are quilted and belted or fitted, above-the-knee to wear with skinny jeans and boots. Some budget-friendly types that you might find in the US are Calvin Klein, Nicole Miller and Tahari.

If you need a below-the-knee coat for your own winters, then something maxi-long and oversized, in black or charcoal, maybe olive drab or dark brown. Kohl's has long, oversized coats that are a steal.

Bodenusa has two gorgeous coats (cardi and jacquard) if you want to make a splash. ChicaNova has a bunch of fun oversized and assymetric swing-styles mixed in with some pretty awful ones, but they're all cheap.

Forgot to mention: just about any coat from Zara

Thank you for the information and advice!

Comfort is always my #1 concern when I travel, but I think there's always a little room for choices within that.

I have a black wool coat, so I'd like to pick up a charcoal or espresso brown all-weather type coat. It is something I'll use a bit here at home, but the winters here in TN are not typically super cold or wet.

All of your responses have been helpful, thank you again!!

"This is going to sound obscenely superficial, and so I apologize in advance."

Your question is not superficial and needs no apology.

As for coats in Italy, it's been a while since I was there in the winter, but I have been there, more recently in the cold spring, and the colors were dark ones.

I personally took along my black, Italian, MaxMara, lightly-quilted, down-style coat. It's quite form-fitting, has a zipper, and as for the length, stops right above the knee. It also has a belt, but which I seldom use. The more form fitting, the less cold air to get in.

The quilted fabric works very well when it's pouring raining as it dries out pretty quickly. Plus, the fabric is lighter than wool. I like to wear a lighter-weight coat if I'm going to be walking around a lot. Plus, when I go inside of a place (like a department store), it's usually very warm and I have to take my coat off and I don't want to lug around a heavy coat. I'm not used to wearing a lot of clothing as I'm from L.A. Smiles.

Happy Travels!

The coat that I bought is similar to the one in the below link although mine is more stylish with cool, zip front pockets, and a few other details and a nice black belt with a dark, tan-colored, square, leather buckle. Plus, my hood is black, trimmed in a dark tan faux fur. The hood is removable as it has buttons.

I bought the coat at the MaxMara outlet store, out in Cabazon (near Palm Springs) back around 2008. The outlet store closed around 2009. I used to go there quite a bit to check out the prices. I got my coat for around $350.

I like the quality of Maxmara coats along with the styling and with the quilted ones, there are styles that are lightweight quilting, but still incredibly warm, but not so puffy that one looks huge or like one is going to the snow. Mine works perfectly well in an everyday type of cold situations in a European city. I don't need to wear the coat here at home, but have it if I travel to a cold place here in the U.S., like San Francisco in the winter.

Some years prior to buying the raincoat, I had bought a gorgeous, MaxMara raincoat at the same outlet store and for around $300. I saw the same raincoat in Paris, at Bon Marche department store, for around $800. The outlet prices were quite good. I'm glad I made the investment.

http://www.polyvore.com/maxmara_quilted_coat/thing?id=40703470

Kenneth Cole also makes some nice coats.

http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Kenneth+Cole+Padded+jacket+with+belt/168045455,default,pd.html

For a couple decades, I had an Eddie Bauer, full-length, goosedown, quilted coat, but got tired of the bulkiness and unstylishness of that particular coat and thus replaced it with my more stylish coat. I gave the Eddie Bauer one away to a group that collects coats to give to those who need coats.

Happy Travels!

You'll see a lot more charcoal in Italy than you will espresso, chocolate or dark brown.

Black, occasionally black and perhaps black. You will never go wrong.

Sad day for Italian fashion fans...the head of the Missoni design house (along with five others) is missing and feared dead off the coast of Venezeula. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8943801

Sad news loungelizardess