Recent guide to outerwear and jackets?
I'm in the PNW and all my outerwear is tech hiking gear like Patagonia or Lululemon. I don't have anything I can wear in a nicer going out at night setting. I found an outerwear guide on the MFA sub, but it's from 7 years ago. With all the Black Friday sales happening, I'm hoping I can get 1-3 pieces, maybe $200 max per item. I'm not really sure what I should get though so that's why I hope a guide will help me figure that out. Tips appreciated. Thanks!
PS I'm 5 ft 6 also quite wide from working out my back too much so I have a bit of trouble fitting into jackets that are narrow. And if I size up, then the jacket becomes too long on me.
10 Replies
Seems to me you would want an wool overcoat. Generally these would fall to at least mid thigh or longer so length wouldn't be an issue. Your best bet at that price range is looking for used options on eBay though. There are some cheap options but they tend to not be as warm as they are made from textile blends.
Other options would be peacoats, car coats or duffel coats. All would be made of wool and would mostly likely be found secondhand at that price range.
Actually I was looking at the Uniqlo Chesterfield coat earlier. Is this any good?https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E459631-000/00?colorDisplayCode=36&sizeDisplayCode=005&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6vaqBhCbARIsACF9M6nBGRBaOc6Vct3LiGU5SRUA8uB1DYjYOPJxlsBQKnoI6n-X37BpdPgaAjDXEALw_wcB
UNIQLO
Wool Cashmere Chesterfield Coat | UNIQLO US
Wool blended with cashmere for a soft, elegant texture. Updated classic design.
I'm sure its fine, the materials are surprisingly decent, and its surprisingly cheap.
I'm sure you could buy a similar nicer coat used for the same (or less).
At that price I'd probably try secondhand
any suggestions for brands to check out?
If shopping used most them will just be vintage coats from various makers who may pre-date the internet. Or not have a brand tag at all beyond the textile used. Best bet is to read the used shopping guide in #fashion-guides and try searching "wool overcoat", ideally they should have a photo of the composition tag on the listing if it has one and look for "100% wool" (or cashmere or camelhair, whatever material it is)
hmm I see, ok thnaks
Ralph Lauren is always a safe bet but for example the coat I have has no brand (or even a composition tag which is honestly a bit sketchy).
Polo Ralph Lauren, RRL, or Purple label, don't bother with "Lauren Ralph Lauren" or "Chaps" as those are cheap diffusion lines
Instead of getting 1-3 things for $200 a piece you could get 1 thing for $500ish, would open up a lot of options. In the Pnw I think 1 heavy overcoat is plenty, unless you're really in the fashion rabbit hole (definitely not me)
preach
Def go on ebay/poshmark/grailed/etc. and just shop around for a while. Anian is another great option, Canadian brand doing recycled wool—the Field Coat is worth a look.