needle on a coatrack
December 31, 2016 12:08 AM Subscribe
I saw this coat while out and about, and I liked it a lot, but I was too shy to ask the woman wearing it where she bought it. Can you help me figure it out, if that's even possible? In real life, it was a bit more mustard and less brown than the photo suggests. Thanks in advance, sleuths of fashion!
I can't tell from the picture - is it a modern or a vintage coat? The collar does not look typically fifties, but that kind of coat in camel with a fur collar was incredibly common in the fifties/sixties - so common, in fact, that you can get a fairly decent one (if you're a size 16 or smaller) on eBay for under $50, sometimes a lot under $50.
Is there a good vintage store near you? If so, why not go and try on some coats? (Don't buy unless you see one you really like.) The cuts (there are various) of these tend to be different from modern coats.
If you poke around on eBay for "vintage fur collar coat", you can find lots, some in cashmere, some with fur cuffs, etc. The trick is to measure the chest of a swing coat or other large-fitting coat that fits you well and then compare. IME, fifties/sixties heavy coats like this tend to have some flexibility of fit, so they are especially good for buying on eBay. But the key part is to measure first - when I look at coats on eBay, I look for coats with a chest measurement of no less than 4" greater than a well-fitting shirt's chest measurement, and coats that are six or eight inches bigger than shirts also work unless the fit is supposed to be tailored/tight.
I have seen such coats in up to about a modern size 20, although once you're past a modern 14 or 16, the price gets jacked up as with all plus size vintage.
posted by Frowner at 5:55 AM on December 31, 2016
Is there a good vintage store near you? If so, why not go and try on some coats? (Don't buy unless you see one you really like.) The cuts (there are various) of these tend to be different from modern coats.
If you poke around on eBay for "vintage fur collar coat", you can find lots, some in cashmere, some with fur cuffs, etc. The trick is to measure the chest of a swing coat or other large-fitting coat that fits you well and then compare. IME, fifties/sixties heavy coats like this tend to have some flexibility of fit, so they are especially good for buying on eBay. But the key part is to measure first - when I look at coats on eBay, I look for coats with a chest measurement of no less than 4" greater than a well-fitting shirt's chest measurement, and coats that are six or eight inches bigger than shirts also work unless the fit is supposed to be tailored/tight.
I have seen such coats in up to about a modern size 20, although once you're past a modern 14 or 16, the price gets jacked up as with all plus size vintage.
posted by Frowner at 5:55 AM on December 31, 2016
I own this coat. Mine's more than 10 years old--I got it secondhand from a relative but it came from at Nordstrom or Von Maur (it's in fur storage at the moment or I'd check the label). Mine's cashmere with a fox fur collar.
Frowner's search terms and strategy are spot on, but I'd also try the consignment shops that draw from the richer parts of your town or if there's a fur storage place, they'll often handle sales of client's no-longer-wanted pieces. It's a pretty classic upscale women's overcoat style--you'll find similar ones at Bloomingdale's, Nieman Marcus or possibly still at Nordstrom every year.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:44 AM on December 31, 2016
Frowner's search terms and strategy are spot on, but I'd also try the consignment shops that draw from the richer parts of your town or if there's a fur storage place, they'll often handle sales of client's no-longer-wanted pieces. It's a pretty classic upscale women's overcoat style--you'll find similar ones at Bloomingdale's, Nieman Marcus or possibly still at Nordstrom every year.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:44 AM on December 31, 2016
If you're on a budget, Zara had similar coats about a year ago (check eBay) and vintage fur collars are about $50-100 at the 1950s thrift shop.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:39 AM on December 31, 2016
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:39 AM on December 31, 2016
This is the cheapest option I could find, though it isn't an exact duplicate.
I second the other comments checking ebay or thrift stores/second hand stores. Goodwill stores might even have something.
Etsy also has a lot of vintage coats, so that might be another option to try.
I did see some really nice (ie: expensive!!) options at Bloomingdales and Nordstrom, but they aren't exact matches and it then becomes the issue of real fur, faux fur, etc.
posted by Kobayashi Maru at 2:15 PM on January 7, 2017
I second the other comments checking ebay or thrift stores/second hand stores. Goodwill stores might even have something.
Etsy also has a lot of vintage coats, so that might be another option to try.
I did see some really nice (ie: expensive!!) options at Bloomingdales and Nordstrom, but they aren't exact matches and it then becomes the issue of real fur, faux fur, etc.
posted by Kobayashi Maru at 2:15 PM on January 7, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dayintoday at 5:35 AM on December 31, 2016 [1 favorite]