It was snowing yesterday morning when I woke up. I live in southern Sweden, but even so, it's kind of early for snow. I was
so psyched when I saw it, until the realization that my fall peacoat wasn't going to stand much of a chance against below-freezing temperatures dawned on me. It's officially that time of year when we start to go shopping for layers. Scarves, new pants, boots, mittens, and of course, winter outerwear. I am having a hell of a time figuring out what kind of coat I want, there are way too many options. I figured I'd break this down, so you guys can help me decide. :)
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| Mackage |
Let's start with vests. There's something adorably collegiate about the combination of a chunky knit sweater or a soft layering shirt beneath a
puffy vest such as this understated
Gray Colorblock Plaid Puffy Vest from Trouvé. You can get a vest with a detachable hood, such as
this furry one from the North Face. Even without sleeves, that will keep you super warm.
If keeping warm isn't really an issue where you are, I recommend just going for a
leather jacket. You can't go wrong with this, it's one of those things you'll be able to wear forever. My favorite adaptation of the leather jacket is one with a bit of
shearling, perhaps lining the collar like this
Mackage Moto Jacket. If you want a warm leather jacket, you can get one with an extra lining, but the added bulkiness might detract from the slimming aesthetic of a leather jacket.
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| Trouvé |
Peacoats are great for layering, and if you get a long one that almost goes down to your knees, like
this one from Victoria's Secret, you might be able to survive the winter. But you'll need scarves and sweaters abundant for underneath (not necessarily a problem...). If you want something a little flashier, you can get one with
fur trim,
like this one from ASOS.
Speaking of fur, if you want to look like a true fashionista you can get your hands on a
faux fur coat or best. These are a little too crazy for me, but I'm seeing them more and more often... Check out
this one from Revolve Clothing: it will make you look like you killed Hedwig and turned her into a vest.
If you're going to get a long coat, you might also consider a
trench. They usually tend to be better-suited to rainy autumn weather, but you can layer up underneath and be ready for snow season as well. The best thing about these is that they're
windproof, so if you live in London or Paris... or Seattle, it's a much more realistic option than a full arctic parka.
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| Revolve Clothing |
But if you live in Scandinavia (like me, currently), and the words
winter is coming raise hairs on the back of your neck, then you have to go all-in and buy the most bulky, down-stuffed, lined
parka you can afford... windproof, snowproof, stormproof, lifeproof. I found some relatively affordable options. If you like the rustic look, read
Kinfolk, or call yourself a hipster, check out this rough-looking winter
coat with plaid lining by Obey - ASOS has a cheaper option with
plaid sleeves here. When it comes to
fur-lined hoods, Mango
knows their shit: I can't get enough of
this dark green parka's hood... in fact, this is probably my favorite out of everything I've looked at.
Shearling lining is great too, and
this ASOS jacket with a whole detachable shearling lining is probably the steal of the season. It comes in black and khaki. Mango offers
this "teddy-lined" hooded parka if you're not into fur but want a soft lining to your coat. Not a hood person?
Victoria's Secret has this cute puffy moto coat. It almost makes me like the puffy coat style.
Can't decide which is cutest? Yeah, me neither. I ended up choosing a bunch of options, and then I let my wallet make the decision for me and just went with the cheapest one. Boom.
