Sources:
- Striped t-neck – Gap, via consignment store
- Vest – Ann Taylor Loft, hand me down
- Jean Skirt – Mimi Maternity, gift
- Tights – TJMaxx
- Boots – Dillards
- Pendant – Anthropologie
- Wood and Silver Ring – Souvenir from Munich, Germany
- Down coat below – Tahari, via TJMaxx
- Hat below – C&A, Germany
Endnotes:
Before I move on to the outer layers of this outfit (and outerwear in general), I just have to give a shout-out to one awesome reader – Suzanne – who sent me this wonderful Mimi Maternity jean skirt! Thank you, Suzanne! She kindly offered to pass it on to me when I wrote about wanting to add a maternity jean skirt (preferably a pencil skirt) to my maternity wardrobe. This one fits perfectly and has a bit of stretch to it, which I love because it makes cycling in it really easy. (And, as many of you know, ‘bike-friendliness‘ is always high on my wardrobe criteria list). Thank you, for such a random act of kindness!
As for what I wore over this outfit? My trusty Tahari downcoat. I have a few ‘dressier’ peacoats and wool coats (see below) but where I currently live, temperatures drop routinely well below freezing. For the majority of winter, temperatures hover around 10-20 F and sometimes it’s even colder than that. (As it is today – currently 1F!) Wool coats and peacoats just don’t cut it in that kind of cold. I acquired this Tahari down coat last winter via TJMaxx and it’s quickly become my favorite winter coat. I wore it all last winter while spending a lot of time on foot in Munich and I’ve been wearing it this winter as I predominantly walk and bike to campus. Even on the coldest of days, this coat keeps me warm and comfortable. If you’ve been hit by the same snow storms and cold weather gusts as we have been in the Midwest, this kind of coat is your ticket to warmth and frostbite avoidance!
I especially love the fluffy hood, which I wear pulled over my hat when it’s really cold outside. I also love the ruching detail around the edges, which gives this otherwise plain black coat some interest and style.
As mentioned, I also own a few wool coats, which I wear on days when the temperatures stay above 30F. I have one classic black wool coat that I puchased during my first year abroad in Salzburg, Austria and which has weathered many a winters since I bought it in 2002. I have had to sew and patch the lining on the inside but this coat has otherwise retained its shape, color, and fit. I bought it at a higher-end department store (Hämmerle, for those Austrian readers out there) and it was well worth the investment. As quality outerwear usually is, right?
My other coats are a brown polkadot peacoat by ‘Green with Envy’ via TJMaxx and a blue-violet wool coat from J.Crew, recently inherited from my mom.
A classic knee-lenghth wool coat is a fail-safe investment piece as it will never go out of style and will work with the most elegant of outfits. If you already own one such coat, I would suggest opting for a fun bolder color with your second coat. While this blue-violet is less conventional, the fact that it comes in classic cut and in one solid color makes it suprisingly easy to ‘match’ with almost anything. As for the polkadot coat – I feared that buying a patterend coat would limit my use of it but with the colors being predominantly neutrals (brown background with tan and violet polkadots), I have found it surprisingly easy to pair with alomost anything.
And for slightly warmer temperatures (pretty much anything between summer and winter), I stand by a tried and true classic: the traditional trenchcoat. Just as E. had to swoon over her dark denim trench coat, I have to give a shout-out to this item because I find it infinetily chic and timeless. My trenchcoat is actually my grandmother’s trench coat from Romania, ca. 1973. She wore it for many years and eventually had it altered to shorten the length. I found it in her closet while visiting Romania a year and a half ago and happily claimed it. As E. mentioned, the beauty of the trench is that it fits over all your layers nicely and then cinches at the waist to flatter your silhouette. This one also comes with these gorgeous carved buttons and the faint air of a coat well traveled.
I know it’s a piece I will wear for a long time and will hopefully pass on to my child or grandchild.
Those are my picks of outerwear that meets my criteria of functional, practical, and elegant. What are you wearing this week to stay warm out there?
~ S.
