The mauve statement coat can be a source of ‘don’t spill food’, ‘don’t let the dog jump on me’ and ‘cant sit on the floor’ related anxiety. My life is more rustic than glamourous. A black coat is what I wear on an everyday basis. My check list :
1. A blanket wrap coat with some structure
2. Double layered wool.
3. High quality heavy weight fabric.
4. Should keep me warm without making me look sloppy.
5. The length should stop right at my knee ( works for my body proportions ).
6. Should not look like a bath robe but be roomy.
7. Should not be trendy or look expensive.
…. I hit the jackpot on this one. Its kept me warm in peak Seattle winter, San Francisco’s stormy winds, ski trips to the snow mountains, …
Black coat : Phoebe Philo for Celine. Consigned.
Black denim : R13 100% cotton
Black t-shirt : Cuyana
Black loafers : Saint Laurent
Winter is the one season where I see the need for jewellry. Black and gray clothing makes a great blank canvas. Dainty jewellry stands out and adds the spark & joy. I actively rotate through the contents in my jewellry box to add that one special element. One piece of jewellry per outfit is enough for me. To me, its the perfect balance between not being boring and austere simplicity. I wear earrings or a necklace or a bracelet. Never together. This turquoise cuff belongs to my friend Maanasa. We share/swap/borrow/steal from each other. I intend to wear it too many times before I return it. It peeks through the coat adding some saliency to the noir backdrop.
Turquoise cuff : Vintage, Zuni Native-American tribal jewellry, borrowed from Maanasa.
Painting : Street art from Jaipur, India. I like how they embellished the black garments.
Style Notes :
THE THEORY OF TWO WINTER COATS
The primary coat should be a neutral easy to pair one and the warmest garment that can be owned. The second for the days when you are sick of winter and need some cheering up. It can be less practical, be in a non neutral color, have bold details, …. I gave myself permission to invest in both. Why just two ? Dry cleaning is essentially rinsing your clothes in a toxic soup and I wont do it. I don’t what those chemicals on my body. Hand washing is a pain. Two is enough. One more coat to wash at the end of the season is not worth the pleasure I would get from the third. Law of diminishing returns applies.
Style Tip :
BUYING A WINTER COAT
I advocate buying a coat from high end luxury makers consigned. Its easier to find 100% natural fabrics with mohair, angora, cashgora, virgin wool, alpaca, … content at affordable prices upon some patience. The aim is to get the best design, construction and quality for the money spent. Not to buy something brand new for the given amount of money.
Non negotiable details : Pockets. Full sleeves that don’t let in the cold air. Big lapels/collar that I can lift up to cover the neck when needed.
For black garments, quality of the material is what matters the most. It can look shiny when its not supposed to. Black can looks ashy and age terribly. A color like bright pink can hold out on its own even in cheap polyester. But black is a different story. The simplest garments need to be in exquisite quality.
Silhouette : I like the roomy kind. It should be able to fit me into it after I layer a thick sweater. I like the ones with some structure and an A-line silhouette.
Fit : You cant bike if your coat fits you just right. You should be able to stretch your arms out. You need to bend forward for extended period of time. Clothes wear our faster on you if you bike. You sweat more. They need to be washed often. There is more stress on the seams. I size up to reduce the wear and tear.
I think of buying a coat as a ‘7 year contract with the garment’. Find quality accordingly. Spend accordingly. Invest in a garment brush. Store it properly. Make it last.
Loved your style!!!
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Thank you.
Thank you for mentioning having enough room for biking- I hadn’t thought of that! As I move towards less waste, I’d like to include more biking into my routine and don’t want to have to purchase special clothes for that.
Also, would you be willing to elaborate on your experience with The Real Real? I read a comment by Ariana where she mentioned that she wouldn’t purchase anything that wasn’t deemed ‘excellent’ from them. I’ve been too chicken to purchase, but I recently found a silk dress by Tory Burch on their site that I’d passed on at a brick and mortar consignment store last year and have regretted it ever since. The Real Real says they allow returns. Have you done that? Thanks again, for a great post!
I definitely dont own any special clothes for biking. But I have been biking to work for 8 years now and it did influence the silhouettes i like :
I need my denim to have some stretch in them. 100% cotton in slim fit is not make for activity. I bought mine, realized it, washed it a few times to soften it and now wear it.
Shirt dresses in a relaxed fit are easy.
Shift dresses wrinkle at the waist when I bike.
Boyfriend shirts are bike friendly. I used to wear fitted shirts before and I was always loosing buttons. The seams on the shoulders show wear first.
When I try on clothing, I squat, bend over and do some stretches in them to see if they are comfortable.
Anything fitted will just pull the entire time.
My rule : size up and use a belt if it looks off proportion.
I have had good experience with RealReal. They allow returns and they provide a label for it. I usually accumulate stuff on my wish list, bulk order, keep the ones I need and return the rest. The ones marked excellent are ofcourse pristine. The ones marked good and very good are like your usual second hand clothing. I am fine with it. But you have to inspect the clothing thoroughly. You can not take their word for it.
I have a silk shirt from Equipment from them that if I put against sunlight, it literally looks like its threads have clumped. But to the naked eye, it looks fine. It was marked ‘good’. You have to do a quality check yourself once it comes home.
For big investment purchases, I take them to my tailor and have him inspect it for his opinion. I shop here because its still one tenth of what I would have paid retail. Its Zara prices for much better construction and quality.
I have shopped on the real real and have never recieved anything that looked like it had been worn more than once. I’m sitting here wondering, who are all these people consigning $300 clothes that look like they have been walked around the block one time then put in storage? I put something on and in 1 second there is a stain. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE seriously???
Anyway, just to add another data point, any small flaw has been described by the real real and the clothes were very very close to brand new.
I bought my repettos there and had to try 3 sizes before finding the right one. But I never returned any. I screenshoted the professional photos from their site and sold the items on eBay for more than I originally paid by 10-20 dollars. It was easier than returning.
lol! Same!
My theory : we the folk are taught to buy cheap clothing and expensive handbags. But once in a while splurge on special occasion clothing, which doesn’t happen often enough. And thanks to the declutter movement, here they are !
Just a theory.
You are probably right. I wonder how much of it that’s getting kondo-ed will get re-aquired (brand new again) once they need to go to another special occasion or find their “true style” (that aligns with current trends and aesthetics) and think it’s time to invest in classics (which, are still determined by current trends)
“When I try on clothing, I squat, bend over and do some stretches in them to see if they are comfortable.” Honestly, why hasn’t anyone taught me this already? I feel so dumb! I’ve bought jeans and neglected to at least sit down in them, only to find they were too tight for sitting once I got home. I mean, can you SEE the lightbulb going on over my head? Because I’m thinking you can.
Thank you so much for sharing your biking/clothing experience. You just cut my learning curve by at least half. And also for describing your RealReal (bulk ordering for the win- great idea) history. I’m going to give it a go.
Zadie Smith’s quote is amazing. Hope I can have such a good relationship with myself when I’m older.
Also, love placing of the photo with bracelet next to the street art. Both are beautiful and placing them in such manner reinforces their beauty.
You should try an outfit of the day post. It has a “here I am, and I don’t care if you think I am perfect. I love my clothes” element to it. It’s liberating ! I don’t hide my face or body when people in my everyday life look at me. Nor am I apologetic to my friends for not having the perfect body. So why not ! It’s actually liberating. I wish all woman can experience this. Yes, I have been reading her back to back. And she is getting to me.
Thank you ! You place these things because you have a vision. And when a reader understand it, it’s a well done interface. Thank you again for reinforcing my thought.
Well, that’s actually an interesting idea. The thing I fear the most is that people who surround me and the worst version – my university professors – would find my style blog one day. I still haven’t solved my guilt-shame relationship with clothes because the belief that to care “too much” (how fuzzily defined, right) about how you look equals being superficial and dumb, is too strong in me. I don’t want people to think of me as such.
But now it seems to me I’m only fighting with myself because there is no evidence of the above mentioned people really thinking so. And I always prefered the sites where their author is not afraid of going public with his/her face and stuff; they are more personal.
Yeah, feeling more liberated is what I definitely wouldn’t mind right now.
I posted a comment but it disappeared. Posting again, feel free to delete if the previous suddenly shows up.
Well, that’s actually an interesting idea. The thing I fear the most is that people who surround me and the worst version – my university professors – would find my style blog one day. I still haven’t solved my guilt-shame relationship with clothes because the belief that to care “too much” (how fuzzily defined, right) about how you look equals being superficial and dumb, is too strong in me. I don’t want people to think of me as such.
But now it seems to me I’m only fighting with myself because there is no evidence of the above mentioned people really thinking so. And I always prefered the sites where their author is not afraid of going public with his/her face and stuff; they are more personal.
Yeah, feeling more liberated is what I definitely wouldn’t mind right now.
Oh I know the feeling. I was teaching till last August. And did not want my students reading about the insides of my closet.
I meant to discuss the understated accessories, too. Ines de la Fressange talks a little about this in her book, Parisian Chic: A Style Guide. The understated jewelry method is so very flattering.
I always wear gold hoop earrings (day/night/shower) and never take them off. Over Christmas we went to the ballet and I wanted to wear my pearl necklace. I took out my earrings and it was like the pearls just stood out so much more- I couldn’t believe the effect!
For me, even though it is simple in theory, wearing only one accessory requires forethought on my part. I have my wedding band and often like to wear a watch (so I can look at the time more discreetly than pulling out my cell phone), so anything else and I begin to feel gaudy.
I like the idea of using jewelry to add an interesting piece of variety, especially with a capsule wardrobe, much like a shoe can dress up or down an outfit.
This rule is more for myself. Lot of folk can make layered jewelry look fine ! But I like the one rose theory : when given one, you spend the time really admiring the petals and the finer details. In a bunch, the idea gives pleasure but the finer details don’t get noticed. It’s my core idea of minimalism.
I like how metals look on black. Been using the winter to really play with accessories.
Jewelry is one thing I would like to collect and actively rotate. But too bad with all the conflict metals and blood diamonds. I seem to live in a time where there is no guilt free material pleasure. Except vegetables maybe ?
I love pearls. I have a pair of Tahitian pearl earrings and a solitary pearl necklace from Mikimoto. I don’t like bangles because they’re annoying, lol, but I do love wearing rings. All my rings are cheap silver and moissanite. I cannot handle jewelry layering because I am a petite woman. Over accessorizing is a big no no.
Btw, what is the name of the cute hombre posing with you? So dashing looking.
His name is Hombre. He is a 15 year old German Shepard.
Oh, probably not! (joke- sorta)
I was feeling good about myself for choosing to pick up my dog’s doo-doo in a compostable bag. Then I watched a YouTube video on Bokashi composting pet waste where the scientist said there is a complex corn polymer in those bags that can get into our wastewater system and cannot get filtered out. *Sigh* It can feel like at every turn there is SOMETHING. This is why my motto is “better is better,” because that’s what I have to keep reminding myself on this thoughtful journey; to think in terms of better not perfect.
I totally agree with you on the single rose theory and approach and would think that most minimalist do. I swear I could go on and on but I will try to sign off now so that I’m not completely dominating your comment section. It’s just so nice to have a place to discuss all of this.
Also, like apparel, there are plenty of antique jewelry shops, estate sales, etc. to buy second hand pieces.
Do you wash your winter coats? I have never heard of washing a winter coat!!! All my winter coats, I bought at the thrift store when I was 13-15 and still have now… And I have NEVER washed them. I have never heard anyone mention reading a winter coat in my life!!! Did me and everyone I know miss some important memo???
What is getting them dirty? In the winter, I’m wearing a baselayer, shirt and sweater. Sweat doesn’t factor. I just spot clean but I rarely do that unless I spill something in them while eating in the car. Even sitting down on the dirt and leaves doesn’t seem like a big deal – just brush it off. Dirt isn’t unsanitary or stinky.
I have a lot of coats (maybe 4? 6 including lighter fall coats) but I haven’t bought one in in at least 7 years. They are easy to repair. The only issues I have had are with the lining ripping at seams, which is easily sewn up and easy to ignore until sewn up, and buttons coming off which are easily replaced if you are not obsessed with matching and don’t mind signs of use.
One word answer : Dogs.
I brush my clothes everyday or there is no way I even look presentable. I am covered in dog and cat fur twice a day. The colors I wear show.
Travel, biking, walks, living on the mountain, … Etc get my clothes dirty.
Also, the materials apparently rot faster if dust and body oils sit on the fibers. Insect eggs need to be removed before they get stored. …. Various reasons. I wash them at the end of the season and store them away. Everyone in my family gets theirs dry cleaned at the end of the season. I won’t do it.
I admire your discipline in owning & maintaining 2 coats. The turquoise bracelet is an unexpected touch–something I would typically associate with summer but it works beautifully against the darker tones. For purely aesthetic reasons I envy coat weather, but in reality I cannot even stand cold AC.
Because I’m utterly uncultured I googled this Zadie Smith person, and when I saw she had cheekbones that could cut glass I hated her a little bit. ;P
It’s more of finally owning them. Bought one per year in the last two. Prior to that, I was layering under a cotton pea coat which made me quite miserable.
The bracelet is going to be with me for limited time. I got it two weeks ago when I left India. Novelty factor maybe – can’t seem to take it off.
She has been enjoying the prodigal rockstar status for a while. I like her sentences but not her books sadly.
Hi Archana 🙂 Just recently read all of your blogposts and comments silently, until now.
I have bought a coat in November because i needed one. I have lost some weight in the past years and no coat would fit me properly. It’s black, A line shape, big buttons covered with fabric, it’s from an Italian label (Lardini) which primarily does suits/blazers for men. I got it with a little bit of discount but it was new. I love it because it’s feminine without having too much frills. It’s the perfect balance.
Two years ago I bought one blue coat (Patrizia Pepe) and it has a totally different style, it has a hood, it’s a heavy duty wool, it has frog fastening (? – just translated that with word reference…I didn’t know how to say that. I hope you can understand).
And then…I have more coats because I have this really bad habit to buy nice stuff to wear to nice events and when I go out and not that nice stuff (cute but not high quality) to wear when I go to Uni/take public transport/stay out all day etc etc (I have 4/5 coats for these occasions). Sometimes I use these coats to go out too.
It is so excessive, I know. I would really love to stop that but I can’t. I am not really comfortable with going on the train with my nicer coats. Help!
I will continue to wear everything because I like them, don’t want to throw them away but i don’t want to repeatedly do this in the future (my mom would totally disapprove this. Just to let you know, when I was little she used to make us girls change our swimsuits before going into the water because we used to have nicer swimsuits and not so nice/older swimsuits).
I love both your coats, they are totally my style and I would love to have just two coats…the perfect amount. This black one is my favourite.
Valeria.
Our needs are different. We have shot winters and longer fall/spring. I have two leather jackets and one regular jacket. Just that I don’t need more than two winter coats. Everything is in good quality and lasts. I use it all. I am not going to purge any of it. This is the right amount for me.
I wonder if I should wear my good clothes when I walk the dog, etc. I totally understand what you mean. For now, decided to go for it. I will know in time if it’s a bad idea.
I love your loafers! (And envy you for wearing them sock less im february: for us in Germany its still a long way till we can do that!)
By a 7 year contract with a coat you mean that that’s the time they should last? Or its a minimum till you are ‘allowed’ to buy another if you are not content with its style? My coats do last really a lot. I have one for heavier winter, a lighter one and something in between (a hand me down mauve long peacoat from my grandma). I would like to buy a better down jacket, but every winter I postpone it for so long that its suddenly not so cold anymore and I decide to think about it in the next winter.
About biking everyday: I thought I could wear everything I own biking, and indeed everything was comfortable enough and not so close to the body so that nothing gets sweat stains BUT I learned the bad way that my silk (even when not so thin) or cotton gauze dresses weren’t resistent enough to handle the pressure of the seat. Its not that they have ripped or so, but they got thinner were I sit and have saddle marks now 😦 Did you have that problem?
California weather !!! But every day has been different. We have had days when people are out in sandals in the day time. I have my leather jacket out for such days.
The 7 year contract is not about the coat falling apart. But a deal with myself to not sell it away when tired, not to buy another and to make it my primary coat. I know I will take the trouble of washing and maintaining it if I know that it needs to look this way for a while.
Saddle marks – yes ! Thinning – not yet. But now that you said it, I will watch out.
The cuff is amazing- turquoise and silver go perfect with black as well as with white. I love native art very much,it has always a meaning (or it seems to have) and this specific street art it is really an inspiration. I love the way how different things could influence the style
I have never washed my coats -wool,camel hair or cashmere- except the down ones,I am to afraid to do so. How do you wash it?
I have a couple of coats in rotation ( winters here could be long and cold or mild ones,you never know and I’m always hoping for the latter :-). This winter was exceptionally cold and I regret not buying a new down coat,but I’ve postponed it,too for the next year). My coats are,as I said before,in camel colour,black and navy and I usually “save” the best one for going out or only for sunny days with no rain or snow ( this one is the “iconic” Max Mara,a longer one, so actually not so practical to drive or run erands at all)
The last Zadie Smith’s book I’ve read was London NW-she writes beautifully but I find it very sad and depressing (although true)
This quote is great
Dottoressa
I like Zadie Smiths sentiments but not the stories as the whole. Perhaps I am not longer able to appreciate fiction as a genre ? But I have a page full of quotes from her that I intend to use in my everyday life.
I am really surprise that no one washes their coats. I used to get mine dry cleaned till 2 years ago. Ariana from Paris-to-go.com wrote about how she washes hers with olive oil soap and lays it flat to dry. I turn the coat inside out, gently swish it in soap water in a bath tub and lay flat to dry. Am actually scared if I should not be doing this and if I am ruining my clothing. Will investigate. Most of my family members go to the dry cleaners at the end of the season before they store their cold weather clothing away. Coats, sweaters, scarves, etc. I hand wash mine because I am trying to cut down my dependance on fossil fuels.
Maanasa wears her turquoise cuff with her summer whites. She has this beautiful APC dress with eyelet details which is a perfect match for the blue. It looks great on her ! I am glad that I get to share it 🙂
Hi Archana. I’ve been reading your blog for a little while and enjoy your style, inside and out, and your voice. I was also thinking that it can’t be all that cold for you if you’re going without socks. I love how beautifully that cuff fits your slender wrist.
My preferences for my main winter coat are similar to yours, but I like mine to actually be inexpensive as well as look it. Because winter is long here, and I’m always leaving the coat in a pile at a party, or at my seat while I move around a train, or in some corner of a restaurant or all over the place, so I can’t be stressing about keeping track of it, and I need to think of it as not being a target. That said, I’ve had my current no-name one for over ten years now, and the fabric has started to wear down. There should be a couple more years left in it, though.
I would love to see that post on the construction of your Stella dress!
Oh it’s nothing like winters up North. January was cold but we are already in transition weather now. California is moderate weather except for the two months of peak winter.
Thank you ! I borrowed that cuff and intend to make the most of it while I have it. I quite like it and think it’s a wonderful find on her part.
Oh I understand about what you write about the winter coat. I am currently up in the ski country and stuck in a snow storm. If I lived up here, I would be wearing a parka of some sort. Too much snow and too much cold. I worry about what would happen to my coat since its soaking wet every time I step out. I also have pets at home. I would worry less if I didn’t spend this much on my coat. The dog always jumps on it and I am always brushing his hair off my coat. If the winter was any longer, I am sure I would ruin mine sooner. On the days I wear a backpack, I worry about the chafing at the shoulders. We will see how long this lasts …
I need to sit with that tailor for the post on Stella dress. He mentioned a lot of things when we tried to get it replicated. I nodded and now forget. I will try to get him to write down the details next time I visit.
And thank you for writing to me 😊
So beautiful!
I considered some consignment options before I bought a navy wool pea coat coat at Uniqlo (from the Ines de la Fressange collection) in December last year. Mainly because I didn’t see anything that moved me and the Uniqlo option was still the most economical, considering I may wear the coat for maybe just 2 weeks every few years. I tried to borrow a coat for my trip but couldn’t borrow one that had room for me to layer.
I find it indulgent that I live in the tropics and I own 2 coats too! The peacoat, and a beige APC trench from 3 years ago that I bought secondhand. The problem is that although I only wear these coats when I travel, it is difficult to find a coat that fits me (i am tall and have broad shoulders). So I bought them with some reluctance.
But I do feel that with these coats I could basically go anywhere, and they made me realise the importance of choosing very classic designs that don’t date and work on all ages.
Folks in Arizona get by with a hoodie for winter. I used to need more because I bike and I go home at 2 am from work. Its terribly cold at the time. California is much colder and the place where we live is ten degrees colder than the rest because of the elevation. This coat sort of fell into my lap at a great price. Vestiare Collective lets you send a bid that is 70% the listed price. I tried a price and got accepted. I went for it. No regrets so far. I travel and its been coming handy.
I have a certain lazyness about going to the stores. I just cant do it. Hence try to find everything online. Its also the reason I dont own trousers. Everyone here raves about Uniqlo. I still havent tried anything from there as yet.
I want to wear this coat for a long as possible. I tried to go for the simplest cut and a size that I know I will fit into even if I put on some weight in the future. Lets see how it goes.
Since your Russia trip, we have been looking into it. Russia or Japan are on our list.
Love the Zadie Smith quote.