As your Personal Image Consultant, I thought you would find the thought process I went through in shopping for a winter coat interesting. It might surprise you.
Personal Image Consultant for Winter Coats
I recently bought one winter coat and ordered another online. One is casual that I can wear to the gym and beyond such as jeans and a sweater. The other coat is a more formal dress coat. Remember last year I bought a very warm mohair coat in a soft, warm pink. It is very warm, however, it would only be worn during those times when it’s well below freezing, probably not an everyday coat.
The Barn Jacket coat I love because it’s unusual. It’s reversible, and that makes me like it even more. I have see the “reversible” option seep back into stores in many ways, and I love it. One side is a stone corduroy, and the other side is s light blue-light pink-beige plaid. Here is a photo of a similar coat.
Back to my quest for the perfect wool coat. I ended up ordering a couple of coats online from Bloomingdales. As a Personal Image Consultant, I knew I wanted to replace the beautiful camel wrap coat I had purchased about five years ago and basically wore it out. It was a higher price point for me, and it didn’t last forever, but that is okay. I have learned more expensive clothes do not always last longer, but you have the pleasure of enjoying them while you have them.
Buying online…I look first at the materials in a coat. I want to buy the highest amount of pure fibers that I can. For winter, that means wool, cashmere, and silk. Here is where you have to do some thinking. Is this coat for really cold weather, or is it a fall coat that will add some warmth and style? If it’s the latter, then you don’t need 100 percent wool. But make sure has more than 50 percent, and I would learn more about 70 – 80 percent wool. The coat I’ve ordered is 100 percent wool since I have fall coats such as leather mottos, a lined trench coat, and a bright plaid coat.
Then start reading reviews. I rely on them, and I love it when a mother writes in and says she bought the coat for her daughter, and she loved it.
Look at the measurements of the coat, and decide what you want. It’s a mistake to not look at this because the wrong length of the coat can make it the wrong choice right away, even. if the coat checks all the other boxes! For me, length is often the No. 1 reason I send an item back unless it’s a dress that needs hemming.
Overall, don’t let price determine your shopping decision 100 percent. When buying a classic item you will wear for years, plan on spending as much as you can afford. That way you will get the best quality and enjoy what you wear.
I strongly advise against buying a coat on sale and then planning on major alterations. This is never a good idea. Alterations are expensive, and you still might not get the results and look you want.
Here is one of the coats I am considering…by Hobbs of London.
If you need help in building your wardrobe from a Personal Image Consultant or need a color analysis so the purchases you make are the best for you, please reach out. I’d love to work with you!
Keep it sassy, Indy.
Beth Divine, MA, AICI-CIC
Personal Image Consultant
