Toteme Women's

The knits pill, particularly merino and merino-blend pieces. Check the underarm area, the cuffs, and anywhere the fabric rubs against a bag strap or coat lining. On the scarf coat, check along the fold lines of the scarf panel and across the upper back. Light pilling can be removed with a fabric shaver without damaging the garment, but heavy bobbling on a knit usually means the fiber has degraded enough that it will continue. Ask sellers for photos of these specific areas if they are not shown.

It depends on what you pay. At roughly 40 to 50 percent of retail for a good-condition example, it is a fair buy. Above that, you are paying for the name recognition more than the garment. The scarf coat is well-designed but not exceptionally constructed — it is a contemporary ready-to-wear piece, not a coat built to last decades. The structured double-breasted overcoats are a better value proposition on the secondary market because they are less sought-after but comparably made.

Toteme is not heavily counterfeited, but replica scarf coats do circulate. Check the interior label — the font should be clean and the fabric content tag should list specific fiber percentages (Toteme is precise about this). The lining on authentic pieces is usually a fine acetate or viscose with clean, even stitching at the hem. Replica versions tend to use a shinier, cheaper lining and often get the label placement wrong. Toteme also uses consistent hardware on their coats — buttons are matte, resin or horn-effect, and feel substantial. Shiny or lightweight buttons are a warning sign.

The ribbed turtleneck knits and fine-gauge sweaters are the clearest value on the secondary market — they retail for significantly more than they tend to sell for used, condition is easy to assess, and there are no lining or construction complications to worry about. After that, the structured wool overcoats in neutral colors. The scarf coat is fine if priced right, but it requires more careful condition checking than the other categories.