Brrr...

November 8, 2007 9:45 AM

Help me find a flattering coat.

I lost 20 pounds (yay!) and last year's winter coat is too big. Help me find a new one that fits my criteria:

* warm enough for Boston winters (avg. 20s in the morning in January)
* flattering to a shortish, size-14 hourglass figure
* works for driving, walking, riding the train
* works with pants or knee-length skirts
* appropriate with office clothes, but not too dressy for casualwear (I have a parka for skiing/outdoor exercise, so it doesn't need to cover that base)
* roomy enough in the shoulder to go over a suit jacket
* has pockets that don't look completely deformed if you put gloves in them
* closes up pretty well at the neck -- no open shawl collars or the like -- for warmth. I love nice knitted scarves but always forget to wear them. I also like hoods.
* in a nice punchy color or pattern (green? orange? I'm a redhead) -- no boring black or navy. A brown might work if it has interesting details.
* budget: up to $250

My feeling is that plain cloth coats won't be warm enough, so Thinsulate or other insulation would be a plus.

I'm not sure on the length: Long would be warmest, but is that too bulky for driving? My last coat was a shortish jacket and I hated how it would ride up and expose the small of my back to the cold carseat. Yet I don't want a ton of extra material bunching up under me.

Do I need three coats to satisfy my wishlist? Or will AskMe direct me to the One True Coat?

posted by libraryhead to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (16 answers total)

My knee-length lined wool and cashmere coat meets all of your criteria. It's certainly warm enough. More colorful variations on the theme (mine is black) include this, and this, and this, and this.
posted by amro at 10:08 AM on November 8, 2007

Maybe a classic peacoat that comes with thinsulate and a multitude of colors? Collar flips up nicely to block wind, should be long enough to cover your back, doesn't really go out of style, especially in Boston.
posted by hindmost at 10:10 AM on November 8, 2007

I have very similar criteria (in Maine, redhead, like big pockets, lose/forget my scarves all the time, prefer hoods) and most of my winter coats are vintage peacoats. But they may not be dressy enough for your work, and the search can be a crap shoot.

I'll be interested to see what others recommend because it seems all the new coats this season are babydoll, which is a style that doesn't work well on me.
posted by suki at 10:14 AM on November 8, 2007

Response by poster: How cool is it that you can search for "The Red Coat" at Nordstrom? I love the shape and pattern on this one, but not the color or the price. Vintage would fit my style, but it's so hard to find anything in my size.
posted by libraryhead at 10:24 AM on November 8, 2007

I have a Land's End jacket, with Thinsulate quilted into the lining, and it seems to fit your criteria. I find it a lovely warm coat.
posted by LN at 10:25 AM on November 8, 2007

I love my duffle coat. I love the length becasue it works well with skirts or pants and it's super roomy so I can wear bulky jackets underneath. It has a hood for emergency head covering, great big pockets and is a really nice dense wool. It can look casual or somewhat dressy (but won't really be good for evening wear). Mine's black but I'm sure you can find them in other colors. i got a classic Pendleton wool one and it's lasted me several years with no sign of giving up. Be sure the two sides overlap where they meet at the front closures so that there isn't a gap in chest coverage.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 10:27 AM on November 8, 2007

I know you said "no navy" but I have to second the pea coat. They're timeless for any style from hipster to yuppie, and they look esp. good with medium hair colors (i.e. not black or blonde).
posted by notsnot at 10:44 AM on November 8, 2007

Pea coat, for the win! There's a reason they are classics. Victoria's Secret has these lots, and these two come in red.
posted by misha at 11:07 AM on November 8, 2007

Response by poster: To all the pea coat advocates, I should have mentioned that I am rather -- how shall I say? -- busty. Double-breasted styles are not my best look.
posted by libraryhead at 11:35 AM on November 8, 2007

Another pea coat advocate here.

I'm really busty too (like, can't-find-well-fitting-bras-in-regular stores busty), and I find my pea coat is surprisingly flattering. They define the waist which helps even out the bulkiness in the bust. A pretty scarf fills in the openness at the top nicely, and when it's really cold, you can turn up the collar and tie the scarf to keep it closed. (The lady at the store had to show me that, but it's a good trick.)

When I bought mine a couple years ago, I worried that it wouldn't be warm enough during really cold days, but I wore in in -30C weather walking to to the subway without feeling any more uncomfortable than I would wearing another coat in that kind of weather.

I also find that I don't sweat as much when I'm inside with the coat on (subway, car, malls etc.) as I did with other coats.

I do miss not having a hood (especially on the coldest and windest days), but I wear a toque and between that and the turned up collar and scarf, I'm generally warm enough.
posted by melissa at 11:59 AM on November 8, 2007

I am n-thing the IDEA of a pea coat, but not an actual pea coat. I know you said your budget was $250, but if you want to throw an extra $100 into the mix I would go with the exact same jacket that I have (I am a tall, pear shaped size 14-ish) which I receive compliments on every single time I've worn it in the past two years I've had it. Wool Pique Gramercy Coat. It is the perfect combination of long, elegant, but easy to dress down and oh-so-classic. It's incredibly slimming and I have been tempted to keep it on during dates because I look so damn good in it.
posted by banannafish at 12:34 PM on November 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'll disagree with the pea coat fans. They are great if your are very small on top, but they are not the most flattering for bust women. Plus they nearly always let the wind in just around your neck. I think you should check out some of these: J Crew Boulevard Coat, J Crew Ava Jacket, BR Hounds tooth, LE Walking Coat, JNY hooded, LL red, AK hooded, zip.

I think you want something that is single breasted without too much design or detail. And probably shorter (hip-to slightly below hip) is going to make you appear longer.
posted by sulaine at 12:39 PM on November 8, 2007

I'm in the non-pea-coat camp: you want a "car coat".

It sounds like you and I have similar shapes, and that double-breasted look of a pea coat is usually just not good on curvy hourglass figures, plus those big buttons draw the eye right to the top half for that extra touch of bulk. And this is just my own opinion, but I don't feel a pea coat is as versatile. It's great with casual clothes but doesn't always make a successful transition to suits / officewear -- logically, since they were originally designed for sailors.

A car coat is going to look roughly like this (ignore the sizing, which would be big on you -- I just happened to find that picture first at Land's End). I know that piece is labeled "swing coat," but they're wrong -- a true swing coat has a much more A-line shape, flaring at the bottom like this, and can also be short or long. Whereas, a wool car coat is a lot like a pea coat silhouette and weight, but without the double breast and the big buttons. Also, a car coat will always be a certain length: the hem will fall around the hip/mid-thigh, depending on your height (I'm short so mine hits a bit longer), in order to not tangle up around your legs for driving but preventing back-against-cold-car-seat.

Car coats come in cotton, blends, or wool; the latter will almost always have a lining.

I have a black wool car coat that zips up the front (the zipper made for a cleaner line and no gaps to allow drafty air in). I believe I got it at Dillard's, it wasn't far off this one. Where you're going to run into most trouble, I think, is in the color selection; there just aren't as many nice choices in non-black/navy.
posted by pineapple at 1:10 PM on November 8, 2007

My sister is built like you and her pea coat is warm as heck and good for those 20 below days but pretty terrible for being flattering (she looks like a gorilla in and she's generally quite well put together) and driving the car in (can't move arms). Just another data point. I have a boiled wool Woolrich short jacket which works for me, but I never have to wear suitcoats so it's likely too short for your purposes.
posted by jessamyn at 2:56 PM on November 8, 2007

Hmm...maybe I don't look as good in my pea coat as I thought I did! :)

The car coats look nice. Actually all the coats that everyone has linked look really good. I don't need a new coat right now, but these sure make me want one!
posted by melissa at 6:30 PM on November 8, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm just going to have to head to the department stores and try a bunch on.

I did come across a nice feature on beautiful bright wool coats in Blueprint magazine this month (Nov 07). Way above my price range, but Marimekko "Cara" by Ritva Falla is absolutely stunning. The real find, though, was from a brand I'd never heard of, Tulle. They have an adorable fitted wool coat in *nine* colors for $105.
posted by libraryhead at 12:28 PM on November 10, 2007