Since I was a little kid it has been engrained in me that all of my clothes seem to fall into one of two categories: nice ones and “around the house”.
Call me old fashion but this is the way I also approach my winter coats. I make sure at the beginning of each winter that I have one dressy wool coat, and one down filled or quilted jacket that is typically shorter and made with wind and water resistant material for those days with -40 wind chills and heavy snowfalls. I find if I am starting from scratch this is the best plan of attack to make sure all your needs will be covered for the upcoming winter.
Now keeping in mind that these are investment pieces for your wardrobe my immediate concerns are always the same: fit, seaming, length, and color. When I stand in front of a full length mirror it is easy for me to see that my silhouette is more a pear* shape where my waist is smaller than my hips. Because of this I gravitate more towards princess cut or ‘A’ cut long wool coats that will both effectively hide my thunder, and keep me looking classic. Ladies wintertime forces us to layer up enough, make sure you can still see your shape under all that! Now that I know what shape coat I am looking for it’s easier to start looking for contenders.
Winter coats are not usually the most exciting thing in our wardrobes but if purchased in the correct color, cut, and style they can quickly become the most complimented items in your wardrobe. We all remember that little trick I passed down from my last post on winter boats that you should never buy a pair of boots that don’t match at least three outfits? Well I actually take that one step further and have a tendency to purchase my winter boats specifically to match with my most frequently worn coats. That might seem difficult, but if you pick a neutral and stick to it (mine is black, some women prefer brown, taupe, etc.) then you can easily match trim and little details to make a more put together look.
Unfortunately the two coats that I will be featuring I purchased two years ago at Penningtons, so they are no longer available. However they are perfect examples of pieces I legitimately invested in to help develop my personal style and round out my wardrobe.
Now for the fun part! This coat featured above is my favorite and most used winter coat it features a wool shell with a silk lining, and zipper closure. Now this might just look like a nice coat but here are the mechanics behind why it works. The black faux leather trim runs vertically down the front- note that the trim is around the collar and over the zipper but nowhere else.
Faux leather is not are durable as real leather and even though it’s fun and adds texture to an outfit it doesn’t hold up as well as genuine leather. Having faux leather trim around low traffic areas that won’t be rubbing together or catching on anything will keep it looking new for longer. This faux leather also acts as a seamless transition from black trim to black boots, without looking too matchy you’ve invested in a piece that will flow into an existing outfit no problem.... Can we please take a second and think about this? You are always going to look put together because of this, and you didn’t have to think about it ever again?! Girls we have arrived.
The length is above the knee but covers my butt. Length is almost always an issue for me with any clothing because I am 5 foot 4 with short legs. A coat this length is perfect because when I wear knee high boots the bottom of the hem doesn’t cover them and that’s what you want.
I feel that seaming is so severely underrated so here’s my opportunity to let you ladies in on one of the world’s most neglected and most effective details. If you take a look at this jacket you’ll see under the arms there is some gorgeous seaming creating that hourglass look when I am wearing it. Always remember that rounded seaming is going to make you look slimmer! Not bigger. This kind of outward curved seaming is why I get up in the morning. Once you start buying clothes with this in mind then pieces will instantly look more tailored and the fit will be off the charts.
Now let’s talk color. My wardrobe consists mostly of white, light grey, dark grey and black in the winter time, however I know this to be a fact and knowledge is power. Since I love the versatility that comes with black items that seems to be my go-to shade that I base my outfits from. This rich dark green color was a big wild card at the time of purchase, but there is a method to my madness. This is the only forest green item I have in my closet, but because of that there’s nothing I put on that clashes with it. I keep my accessories simple but dynamic and introduce different colors and textures with scarves, headbands, hats, and mittens. Faux fur, faux leather, and big comfy scarves. I can change things up as much as I want too, because there is still that strip of black faux leather anchoring the outfit with the black boots keeping it looking streamlined. I have received more compliments on this coat than any other item in my wardrobe.
*I felt obligated to make a little note that I do not promote the use of fruit as a practical way of describing the shape of anyone’s body. And girls if you do go stand in front of a mirror make sure you’re evaluating your strengths- you have no weaknesses. You are a goddess and clothes are made to fit you- not the other way around. Love yourself and watch the world follow.
Thanks for tuning in! The weather is warming up beauties which means time for some color and fresh faces.
Fredtown Fashionista
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