<p>I think those capes just look like fancified ponchos, I am not a fan.</p>
<p>I had a gorgeous cape when I was in college that belonged to my grandmother. It was very 1920s, long dark blue velvet trimmed with some sort of embroidered ribbon. It disappeared and I felt badly about having lost it. Imagine my surprise when I saw it on my niece recently. I think I must have left it at my parents’ house and at some point my mother gave it away again. It made me happy to see it being loved again and really it’s the sort of thing a college student can pull off better than I would these days.</p>
<p>Last winter I don’t think I ever wore a real coat at all. I have a short lightly padded jacket and a fleece jacket and between those I never bothered with anything else. I have a down coat but I always feel like the Michelin Gal in it, and I don’t wear my good coat that I got in Germany 22 years ago lately either. (I do still love it - it’s navy blue wool with a red satin lining and is cut very full and is midi-length.)</p>
<p>I am quite sure you could get it altered at a very reasonable price. You can ask at formal wear shops and/or costume shops for your local theater if you don’t know any seamstresses. Dry cleaners also sometimes know who does alterations/remakes.</p>
<p>I too love the red coat, but not its price, especially since I only wear warm gear when on travel to cold climates during cooler times of year.</p>
<p>A few years ago I bought a MaxMara belted down parka with fox fur trim on the hood. It has a nice flattering shape and very warm. My husband just surprised me with a MaxMara camel hair belted, hooded, car length coat. Unfortunately no pictures on line. I love it.</p>
<p>I also bought a camel cashmere wrap that buttons along the shoulder, it solves (for me) the irritation of constantly trying to keep a wrap in place. It does give it a bit of a cape effect. I love outerwear.</p>
<p>i am going to leave a picture of that red coat somewhere for my DH to find. He usually gets me a nice coat for the holidays and that one should do very nicely. Really a stunner.</p>
<p>Also love, love, love the red coat!! Now, some of you savvy shoppers…Here’s a challenge for you: Find a similar red coat at about one-third of the original cost! I particularly like this design. Is there another one like it out there? Can you do it? I’ve got faith that several of you can step up!</p>
<p>I don’t think that you’ll have much luck finding a similar coat for 1/3 the cost right now. Most of the outerwear has not even hit the stores yet, so nothing will be on sale for quite a while. I’d rather buy a good quality item discounted than a full price $200 coat, which would be cheaply made. Aside from the color, that red coat is beautiful primarily because of the cut and tailoring, and a good cut comes from quality - there is no way to make that coat cheaply and have it look the same.</p>
<p>sewhappy, I use the same strategy, but I usually email the link to DH as well. The last email yielded me the Zabavushka (sp?) scarf. I was not expecting DH to act upon that one.</p>
<p>Ladies, I just noticed that the red Cinzia Due coat is from Bloomies - there is a 20% off friends and family sale going util the end of today. If you have not shopped Bloomies online and sign up for their emails, they will send you a 10% welcome coupon code that can be combined with othe discounts.</p>
<p>Michelin Gal! Mathmom, that is the perfect description! I think I am going to just keep my current down coat and just break it out during blizzards or sub-zero temps. I will toss fashion to the wind during those conditions. </p>
<p>Last night while watching the Phils get beat, I was surfing online and I found a coat that is nearly identical to the black coat I purchased over 30 years ago (and still wear) at online vintage shop. As I have said before, I don’t have the same clothing budget as some others, but a well made coat, in a classic style, with great fabric is a smart investment. </p>
<p>Mine has lapels, but otherwise it is identical. The fabric in this coat is amazing. It is incredibly warm (I have worn it to football games in bitter cold weather) and soft. I have two other black coats, but neither coat is nearly as warm as this one. Last year, I had the lining replaced, but otherwise the coat looks great. Every year I consider getting rid of it, but then I look at it and decide I will never find anything like it. I was happy to see that the coat online was priced at over $200 (for a coat that is over 30 years old). Talk about investment dressing!</p>
<p>BB: Love your too-big coat. I’m sure it can be re-cut. I imagine the sleeves would have to be reset, so the process will not be simple and it will cost more than your average alteration. But I think it’s worth checking into!</p>
<p>Thanks, mafool! I’m sure a good seamstress can do all sorts of magic - at the right price, of course. The coat was gorgeous without the fur collar ($1500 reduced to $300 or so), but when the SA showed me the collar that she pulled from the back room where it was stored, I HAD to buy it. This is Seattle, so I do not wear it the fur, but on one frosty day the fox came in very handy (PETA zealots were too frozen to even notice the shearling and furs that came out of people’s closets that day).</p>
<p>Alumother, happy belated birthday! I hope you had a good celebration. You looked fabulous (smashing, I guess, is the “in” word?) in your Tory Burch dress. Very classy.</p>
<p>That reminds me, I have some things I need altered- I have a friend who does a lot of sewing- but I don’t know how many projects she has going.</p>
<p>I have a great lambswool duffle coat that is just too big, but I wore it only one season a few years ago before I lost about 50 lbs & I hear we are going to have a cold winter.
( so I guess I better buy another pair of boots!)</p>
<p>Here’s one that’s ridiculously expensive but kind of has the sleek silhouette. I really like it from the back, find the collar a little too big in front though. Good excuse to pass on spending $1,000 for a coat!</p>
<p>Alumother, you are welcome! Isn’t it fun to celebrate 39th birthday every year? ;)</p>
<p>EK, the REI 20% off one item member sale starts tomorrow, I believe. With Patagonia’s prices, every little bit helps. I was told by the younger coworkers that Patagonia is the current “hot” brand, and North Face is “so yesterday”. Patagonia’s quilted pullovers and coats are very, very cozy, warm and lightweight.</p>
<p>Swehappy, turns out, I too do not like funnel neck coats with such oversized collars. I look like a turtle sheepishly poking her head out of the shell if I zip the collar completely. :)</p>
<p>H & I still have ( & wear) our Patagonia jackets from the fall when the whole family got them(different colors) the two others were kids sizes- 4 & 8, so that tells you how long ago it was!</p>
The last email yielded me the Zabavushka (sp?) scarf. I was not expecting DH to act upon that one.</p>