Vintage Look- Vintage Coats = Winter Style

 Winter seems to last forever. At first the chill is a novelty, and exciting because you get to break out the sweaters and tights. But it loses its zest pretty quickly. And then there's the fact that you wear a coat over any cute winter clothes you put on, so the coat is all that lots of people will see. If you are anything like me, I don't take off my coat, hat, or gloves when grocery shopping in winter! So through the years I have gathered a trio of coats to help make winter a little more interesting.

 When spring comes people are no longer interested in coats, but are dreaming of swimsuits and flipflops. That's when I came upon this beauty, and at a big discount! Shopping outside of the season usually pays off, most sellers don't want to keep a bulky item like a coat for another six months until it starts to cool off again. This is a mauve colored 1970's wool Junior Gallery coat with a wine colored velvet collar. It's made very much like a 1940's style, except for the slightly exaggerated shoulders. I am not great at pulling off a beret (or maybe I should just pull off the beret...not sure), but I'm trying. I love the style, and this coat and color of beret make me think of Queenie from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

 But I like it with my old fluffy bucket hat I found at Wal-mart eons ago just as well. The dusty mauve gloves were my Aunt Jessie's and the shoes were an eBay steal because they were a store display and have small scratches.

 Isn't the stitching on the gloves just lovely? I think it pairs well with the stitching on the heels.

 I actually get the most compliments on this fleece coat, which is funny to me, because it was the cheapest. I found this coat at Goodwill. It has an ingenious design in that the tie belt is an elasticized material and so it stretches and wraps the coat tightly enough to keep out the wind. Here it is with a fleece hat I found at Target years ago. It is the warmest thing ever! And I added one of my Great Granny's brooches for a little sparkle.

 What's most amusing is that it has an Asian tag inside and so was made to smaller measurements. The sleeves were much too short for my gangly limbs! So I went to the store and bought some grey fleece (of course there was only light grey) and I made cuffs to extend the sleeves. I think it sticks out like a sore thumb, but people are always surprised and say they thought it was to make it fancier. That really makes me chuckle.

 But you can add a fancy felt facinator (what is it with me and alliteration?!) and some vintage black gloves to change it up a bit.

 This olive damask coat is one that I got when the boys were small. So, it's old but not vintage. I saw it at Wal-mart, yes, Walmart and stopped in my tracks. It was just so elegant that I had to touch all over it. Then I slapped myself firmly and continued on pushing a cart full of three boys and pulling a cart full of groceries. (And you wondered where my wood hauling muscles came from!) I put the very idea from my mind. Buying milk and diapers were my life's priority. So I think it was a little God-wink when I found one single coat left in my size on an early spring sale rack. I splurged the $18 and have worn it ever since.

 I'm trying a beret again, this one with a slightly different shape. It's wool felt and very toasty. Winter hats aren't just for looking nice, they are very much for keeping the brain and ears from frosting over! I happen to have the metabolism of a snake, and so any amount of heat I can conserve is fantastic. Because the colder I am     the     slower          I           m o v e    ...

 Here is a favorite old hat, and I can't even remember where I got it I've had it so long. It perches down over the eyes like a cloche and has a sprightly flower on it. The lined gloves are some my dear mummy got me for Christmas one year. She thought the fake fur cuffs would look wonderful with this coat, and she's generally right. Don't tell her I said so :)

 The olive green heels were from Payless years ago. They go surprising well with many things. Maybe green can be a sort of neutral?

You want to know the best thing about a great winter coat? I have worn them buttoned up to my nose, topped with a hat, winter boots sticking out the bottom, to the gas station in our little community. I had someone tell me I looked "classy". I had to restrain my snorts of glee, because I had just thrown it all over over my pjammies to make a mad dash to get tractor gas for the hubby. So, vintage winter coats- stylish, toasty, and a great cover-up for nightgowns...


*Tell me, Dear Reader, what do you think of the heading to the post? Retarded? Commercial looking? Plain silly? I just discovered Canva and was playing with their free features. It's supposed to make you seem more professional...yeah, fat chance of that.