New York City has been fittingly branded as a style sea of black, especially in the winter. Most call it chic. I call it boooooriiiiiiing! Reversing back to last winter, I’d grown so bored by my own black and grey winter coats that I made myself a promise. A promise to purchase a colorful winter coat to spice up my closet.
As it always happens, I spotted a gorgeous, swoon-worthy contestant at my home away from home: Kate Spade. It was so feminine with a ruffle detail at the color and a standout in a beautiful purple tweed. But as history has taught me, I feared pulling out the price tag. Shock as usual: $745 full price. You’d think I’d have learned by now!
I thought a coat so beautiful would never last, so went on my merry way and tried to find a more wallet-friendly replacement. Two months later, nada. And I was still in Grad School at that time, getting ready to graduate, so my style stalking skills were at an all-time, pathetic low. So, imagine my surprise. Right after the New Year, I popped into the flagship store in Soho and headed straight for the sale rack. And what did I spy with my little green eyes? MY COAT!!! Just one left, a size too big (which wasn’t earth shattering) and marked down significantly with another 25% off. For those non-believers, I actually photographed the price tag:
Apologies that it’s a little blurry. But you can see that it had been marked down twice to $373. Add the additional end-of-season 25% off and that knocked it down to $279. Add in tax for a hair over $300 and there you have my coat. Now, I typically don’t like to spend more than about $200 on a coat, but I just sensed this was worth it.
Worth it? My dear, yes. Let me count the ways. I am not exaggerating when I say that I receive at least one compliment from a perfect stranger every time I wear it. Every single time. On the street, the subway, in restaurants, you name it. Men have tried to get my phone number in it and little girls have pointed it out to their mothers. The best: adorable old ladies have struck up conversations with me asking if it was vintage and recalling their first post-World War II coats. So precious.
But, best of all: the coat became the very inspiration for this blog. I’ve seen so many bloggers using hot pink or orange as their signature color. Don’t get me wrong – I love both colors, but in a sea of pink and orange, I chose to stand out in purple. Who knew that black wouldn’t be the color to stand out against – as it is in the streets of Manhattan? Color me shocked!
In closing, a few beautiful images of my Technicolor dream coat by the amazing Dave Blake:
XOXO,
Jen
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