Coats and such…

Did January feel about 478 days long to anybody else? We can have wicked weather where I live – a fresh snow every weekend, and temps down in the low single digits overnight (that’s way minus zero, my Celsius friends…) Coats are a major clothing category, and if you’re always cold anyway like I am and spend an hour a day in the car commuting, that means hats, gloves and scarves, too. More accessories-opportunities? Bring it ON…

Some coats are stars in their own right. Such is this cape I bought on my recent trip to Budapest. It’s wool, and handmade in Hungary. It caught my eye immediately in the Central Market building (which you can read about in an upcoming post) and I knew it was going to be an investment piece. I had gotten an inexpensive cape earlier in the year, and found I was wearing it often, over tunics, bulky sweaters or jackets, or tops that are impossible to get under anything else – example below.

Was the cape cheap? No. Would I have regretted not buying it? Yes! Above, I’m wearing it over a dress and cardigan, opaque tights and tall stretch boots – and I’m warm as toast on a cold, blustery day. The hat was purchased on the same trip, in Passau in Bavaria. The hat boutique was run by a creative couple, and I popped in looking for a warm, red hat. I tried on a couple of others, but when I tried this one, both the couple and my friend accompanying me were unanimous – and home it came. BTW, my friend got one there too – in her signature purple…

Then there are specific reasons for wearing a specific coat. For example, below is a tunic I love wearing with leggings – note the angled front bottom hem, which I find flattering. I have a water-repellent, fleece-lined jacket which I would normally wear over a single layer like this one – but look at the bottom edge – the tunic is showing out the bottom. Is this the end of the world? No – but I don’t like it….

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To the rescue – a black wool coat just a few inches longer. No buttons or zipper, just wraps with a belt – but voila! The longer hem of this or any other tunic or long cardigan disappears, and my ruffled feathers are smoothed. I added my favorite scarf, which coordinates with the tunic, and a grey hat that all ties together. Matchy-matchy? I call it coordinated…

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How about a coat that HAS to work with the outfit underneath? This red knit coat should have been bought a size larger, but it was too late by the time I realized it. It works better open than closed, shall we say? As I love wearing red, it works well with complimentary pieces underneath – and who can resist those BLING buttons on the sleeves?!?!? I wore it over a red plaid dress and tied an infinity scarf with silver threads – and the silver gloves are just extra!

Lastly is the long and roomy coat that encompasses all….this one is a vintage J. G. Hook that is probably 20 or 30 years old. It belonged to a very dear family friend (who was my 2nd mother when I was a teenager), and I was allowed to pick from her clothes after her death. It has a touch of cashmere, and every time I wear it, I feel like I’m getting a big hug from her. A scarf I was given years ago by one of my dearest friends looks like it was made to be worn with it, so they are permanent partners. The hat is a lambskin one purchased in Budapest, often seen with the red cape and tall black boots when I want to imitate an imperial cavalry officer….bwahah!

In my younger years, I had one winter coat, and eventually one “casual” coat and one “dress” coat – that usually meant one puffer jacket (so short my butt froze) and one long wool one. I felt like a genius the day I purposely wore a blazer into a Burlington Coat Factory (back when they actually sold coats) so I could find a long wool coat to comfortably fit over my suit jackets. Of course, I still have coat! I’ll show you later…I’m privileged to have been able to accumulate so many coats, and to have room to store them in a very small house.

In the meantime, enjoy all the wool, boots, and knitwear while you can – I consider it one of the pleasures of winter. And if you’ve got to live through it, you may as well find ways to enjoy it, right? Happy February, friends.