My Favorite Wool Blanket of All Time

Shop $279, pendleton.com

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Having lived in New York City for over a decade, I’ve earned a Ph.D. in creating the perfect living environment no matter how cramped or dilapidated an apartment is. A luxurious and durable blanket is on the top of my priority list. Every season of the year, you can find me under a mountain of blankets. A great blanket will make or break a home, even if there are mice nesting underneath the oven or the ceiling's about to cave in—a polyester blanket off Amazon just won't cut it. But if you're snuggled up under this heirloom merino blanket from Pendleton, trust me, you won't care what renovations you need done.

Let me paint a rosier picture: Every home is better with one of these blankets. Need to get a gift for your oldest friend's upcoming wedding, your in-law's 60th birthday, or any kind of distinguished occasion that demands a thoughtful present that will last a lifetime? This blanket is better than any air fryer or picture frame.

Pendleton is the standard-bearer of wool blankets, and it's been that way for over 150 years. As a blanket Goldilocks, I don't like when one is too heavy and thick, like the Pendleton camp blankets. Some people love them, but I turn into a furnace too easily. A blanket also can't be too thin and flimsy, because it won't hold up to years of use. After logging hundreds of hours of napping on my couch, I can tell you that the results of my scientific experimentation have brought me to the Heirloom Classic Merino Pendleton. It's the best blanket on earth.

Shop $279, pendleton.com

Pendleton started when its founder, Thomas Lister Kay, began working in wool mills in Pendleton, Oregon, in 1863. Since then, the brand has become broadly synonymous with the west, with a longtime presence at events like the Pendleton Round Up and an association with Native American tribes that formed its core customer base. It still maintains those roots, but the company has spread itself into a wide range of home goods and fashion collaborations. Still, to this day, the western-made wool blankets are the best items in the Pendleton catalog, but designs like this one don't scream western.

The weave on this merino blanket is thick and dense, but the wool comes from white merino sheep, which gives it excellent temperature regulation. This blanket never makes me overheat, but I'm also never shivery. Wouldn't it be great to be reincarnated as a merino sheep? Being born already wrapped in a merino blanket—I can't think of a better way to go through life. The wool is simply perfect, the optimal levels of warmth and breathability. Even my cat is a fan. If I ever can't find him, chances are he's curled up under the blanket disguising himself as a lump in the couch.

One note on the quality of materials: This blanket lists itself as dry-clean only. If that's a negative for you, well ... don't read the Esquire style section, because it's full of dry-clean-only clothing. High-quality materials require higher-quality care than what you can get at a 24-hour laundromat. However, if you have your own washer/dryer, you can clean it on a cold, gentle cycle. If you don't have the space to line-dry it (it's a behemoth when wet), it can handle a no-heat tumble dry. It's also a good idea to have a clean-ingredient laundry soap bar on hand for spot cleanings.

Shop $279, pendleton.com

The wool is so sturdy I think I could wander through a postapocalyptic or post-rapture world covered in only this and probably be pretty well protected from the elements. (Maybe it could survive radioactive fallout, but legally I can't claim that.)

More importantly, it's easy on the eyes. The Heirloom Classic Merino Blanket comes in three colors right now. I have the ivory, a warm and creamy white shade that reminds me of a cloud on a summer day. It matches with my bedding but also looks great on my couch. There’s a soft, silvery gray that's a perfect neutral. The third color is a rich navy that could be the highlight in a more traditionally appointed coastal home. They're all finished with a satin edge that gives this particular blanket a more modern and bicoastal look than what one might expect from the classic Pendleton collection.

That's not even the best part. You can add a monogram or embroidery to your blanket for a personalized touch, and that's what puts it at the top of our best-gifts list. Imagine gifting this elegant yet built-to-last blanket and it has your loved one's initials or last name embroidered in fine cursive. It's a gift that can be appreciated for generations, a genuine heirloom in a world filled with blankets destined for the landfill. This is comfort that you can pass on, even after that apocalypse I mentioned earlier. Or you can be buried with it, which might be my choice. I simply love it too much. Either way, you'll be good to go.

Shop $279, pendleton.com

Photographs by Florence Sullivan