Step 1 – The Coat Itself
Coat – Dsquared2
Step 2 – A Scarf that Complements
Coat – Dsquared2, scarf with angled ends – Hermes, gem print scarf – Radical Chic, geometric scarf – Florenz, angled scarf – Radical Chic
Step 3 – A Piece of Jewelry, or Two
Coat – Dsquared2, triangle labradorite earrings – Eilisain Jewelry, bead necklace – Lena Skadegard, ring – Lana Jewelry, watch – Nixon, brooch – St. John, bracelet – Shanker
Step 4 – A Bag
Coat – Dsquared2, nylon briefcase – Piquadro, cube bag – Colle’cte, suede sack bag – Orciani , leather tote – Chloe, clutch bag – Miller and Jeeves, shoulder bag – Knights and Roses
Step 5 – Other Accessories
Coat – Dsquared2, sunglasses – Oliver Peoples, fitness bracelet – Fitbit, nail polish – Essie (color – Spun in Luxe), fedora – Rag and Bone, gloves – Originals by Jack and Jones, belt – Prada
None of these questions are foolproof to keep you from making a buying error – we ALL buy the wrong thing sometimes. But I think there’s value in trying to see your new purchase through a “long-term” filter, and to see what other sorts of items might creep into your wardrobe on the heels of this major investment.
A great post Janice. Smokey blue is a colour that I find very tempting as a possible alternative to adopt instead of navy blue sometime in the future. Love the jewellery and handbags. Would this colour of blue go well with any white or would it look better with a soft white/ cream?
I think this blue is much more interesting than navy (which I actually love) – and I'm amazed at all the options out there. What better way to make a color statement than with a coat! How do those smoky blue accessories look with black & white? To me, that's the next step. The Hermes scarf would suggest it all works together. I'm personally tempted by orange/coral – but want to keep it from looking garish (&/or cheap).
The brooch on a coat thing is scary!! I will only consider pinning through a cloth coat.
An orange handbag has tempted me for YEARS, but I cannot justify the purchase. I do have a lot of Autumn colored clothing, which makes an orange handbag seem like a no-brainer, but I still feel like "what will you really do with an ORANGE handbag?".
I like the color and the jewelry, especially, but the coat's three-quarter length sleeves would nix the purchase for me. I made that mistake once and regretted it.
I was sort of assuming that on a woman of normal proportions, the sleeves would be regular length? I know if I tried this on, the sleeves would probably STILL be too long. But you're right, for someone with long arms, this would be an immediate NO vote…
Yes, in the merchant's description, the coat is described as having 3/4 length sleeves. That would nix the purchase for me as well. Although it's a beautiful color! (And that Hermes scarf is stunning. Would love to have an entire wardrobe based on the colors in that scarf . . . Janice?)
kris
I think those 3/4 length sleeves would also soon look dated. And more than $1000 for a trendy, cotton trench coat???? I love the illustration of the wardrobe-choosing process though.
I would accessorize with lots of ivory, camel and taupe, rather than going for a monochromatic look. The coat color, like blue denim, can stand alone.
I would accessorize with lots of ivory, camel and taupe, rather than going for a monochromatic look. The coat color, like blue denim, can stand alone.
This coat will look prettier with white than with black (it's shown with white on the website and looks great). But then the problem is, how much are you going to wear white versus black in the winter time? And a bigger question: is this coat timeless and practical enough to spend big bucks on it? To me it reads as an accessory piece, not a real workhorse for practical wear winter after winter. I would be worried that the color will fade with cleaning and exposure to light and dirt. I would also be concerned that if my figure changed, a double breasted cut with very large buttons might not be so flattering. And after one winter with freezing wrists, I would be annoyed by the search for extra long gloves in coordinating colors. Your reader may have the budget for big accessory spends and if so it's a great piece. But for me, any item of clothing in which I'm going to invest needs to be practical first and timeless second; I don't know if the cut or color of this coat meet those criteria.
Prussian blue is one of my colours, but can I find anything in this colour? No! Can you help?
Wendy
I have a leather jacket this color, which I find very versatile. But I agree that purchases outside of one's norm elicit others. So fun if you like the new direction, so not if you decide you made a mistake. I am trying to decide right now whether to keep my first pair of skinny jeans. Do I look like a bowling pin? Are they over? Do any of the shoes I own go with them? May return just because I am so indecisive about them, and wonder same thing about coat — indecision is probably best resolved by refraining, even tho this coat is very glamorous.
In case no one noticed, this is a 100% COTTON coat. I don't think it is intended for serious winter wear.
it also looks on the model to be car-coat length. This is def not a winter coat. This is a casual spring coat. It also happens to be gorgeous and the color is beautiful. Wish i was in that rarefied market….
This is the beginning of another chapter for your book. Another useful exercise to help us with our decision making. Personally, I would wonder about how the colour works for my coloring, eyes, skin and hair. For me, a person who looks good in black and white will not be flattered by this colour.
Deb from Vancouver
The details and the colour of that coat are beautiful. I don't wear a dress coat enough to buy something like that but I sure would combine any of those accessories with grey.
I love your new perspective – these process oriented posts. Even though this is not the color for me, going through this evaluation process with any potential piece is a fabulous way to evaluate a new piece in a logical, rational way – unusual for many purchases.
Thank you,
Sue
This is one of my favorite colours and I have trouble finding it. Your thought process is a good one to consider for any major purchase. I found myself nodding over every collage – yes, yes, yes. And then when you mentioned the blue Fitbit – well, I've got one on at this very moment.
Must agree about the Nixon watch. Would hardly call anything w/that name fashionable.
I like the look of the watch and love the color, but the name does give me pause. My son asked for a Nixon watch for his high school graduation gift a decade ago. They were quite popular with skateboarders at the time. I guess they were all young enough not to have any negative vibes associated with the name.
I love the latitude of the new gym rat, Janice; including an old fashioned brooch and a FITBIT in the accessories steps.
The first thing I noticed about the coat is that it buttons opposite from the norm. It would drive me crazy. I like the color, but don't think the style and fiber are very versatile.
Why would it have men's buttoning?
To me it looks very square and unflattering but then I don't wear double breasted anything and I find narrow, fitted sleeves more flattering. I guess if you were tall and thin you could wear this boxy look.
Kate
Love this color! and the options you show to go with the coat. Looking at that blue clutch :)
Hi Janice,
I love your blog, and have pinned so many of your ideas. The smokey blue color is one that really caught my eye especially, because I recently bought a trench coat ( much!!! less expensive than the one you featured) at Loft. I LOVE this little bargain, and the color is great for ME, but not necessarily for my WARDROBE! So, your thought process for this purchase is very informative, even if my investment is much less. I just want it to work with all of my black! Thanks so much for helping to make wardrobe decisions more
clear
I like this process based post! Good ideas for choosing a coat!
Hi Janice, just throwing out an idea : what would you think about making post copying the style of a person you admire? Like analyzing their style and helping us see what really are the basic elements…. I love your blog as it is, this is just a suggestion in the same line as posts you already do!
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