Let's Talk About Outerwear

[Gryffindorian]

It's that time of the year when the daylight hours get shorter, the nights get longer, it's more windy and overcast than it's sunny and warm. Then comes the rain or the snow (depending on where you live in North America or the Northern Hemisphere), for that matter.

Out here in the SF Bay Area, though, I pretty much wear some kind of outerwear all year long--from a fleece hoodie in the spring to a light jacket for those cool summer nights to a wool peacoat on a rainy October day to a heavy-duty leather jacket in the cold winter months.

So what's your favorite outerwear? Do you wear a parka or a sherpa or both? Is there a difference between a hoodie (open-front, quarter-zip, closed-up) and a fleece? Or a hooded fleece (open-front quarter-zip, closed up)? If your fleece was made of cotton, would it still be considered a fleece?

As for me, I usually wear a wool or chamois sweater indoors or as an extra layer of clothing only around the holidays. It gives me an extra warm and cozy feeling when I'm having a special Christmas or New Year's Eve dinner with family and friends. For dry and extremely cold winter months, I mostly wear a wool peacoat to work (although nowadays I don't wear a suit, just business casual). Raincoats are very cumbersome, and I stopped using one for soggy days. For everyday outerwear from December through March, I usually put on a fleece hoodie or a hooded sports shirt (printed with a sports team logo or a commercial item). If it's a non-working day and it's pouring, I just wear a heavy vinyl jacket.

Any thoughts?

 

[WillsBabe]

I've just bought a new winter coat. It's a bit 60's retro and very unusual for me. Unusual in that I haven't had a winter "coat" since I was a kid. I always made to with jackets and more woolly layers. Only this year have I bought an actual coat. I struggle with winter coats. Either they are warm but not waterproof, or they are waterproof and not particularly warm. Also, I try to find one that will do work (where I need to look reasonably smart from time to time) and the weekend when I want to be casual. I got a bargain on this coat. It was reduced from £80 to £64.

 

[Mr. B]

I don't have much use for a collection of coats where I live, but I do use one in the coldest months of the year. The rest of the time I just stick to long sleeved shirts.

The one jacket I make 'regular' use of is this Banana Republic leather jacket.

 

[nevermore]

Ugh, buying coats is always a struggle for me. The shoulders are always too wide, the arms are always too long and as a result it's the one item of clothing where I really need to buy in petite sizes, and they can be either very hard or very expensive to come by. I also refuse to wear belted coats because they make me look even shorter than nature intended. Right now, I have a short blue plaid wool coat that it only slightly too big that I wear the most, and a mid-length black down coat that actually fits ok over a couple of layers. I'm actually going out today to do some winter shopping and am going to look for a new coat, but my hope are not high. It's early in the season though, so maybe someone will actually have something in stock in a 0 or 2 that might work. Otherwise, it's back to taking a flyer online.

 

[JonathonWally]

I did my fall/winter shopping last weekend. Coats and Jackets are something I'm pretty fanatical about. Has to fit good with either only a t-shirt underneath or a bunch of a layers with a hoodie.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

My favorite outerwears are my Yankee jacket and my Yankee sweater.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

My outerwear is a tee shirt and shorts. It was over 90 degrees today.

 

[Kestra]

I love coats and have to remind myself that I have perfectly good ones and don't need to buy anymore. My staple right now is a red trenchcoat type thing. I don't know the term actually. It's longish and I love it, even though it was so inexpensive. I get complimented on it all the time.

My mom also got me a thinner but more fashionable bright red trench that I love, and a goldish north face jacket which is super warm but draws way more attention than I'm comfortable with.

I have had my eye on these two for months now:



I do a lot of looking but not a lot of buying.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Very nice, folks. Kes, those coats look very stylish. My older sisters, however, have less willpower to resist any type of apparel that appeals to them.

The one jacket I make 'regular' use of is this Banana Republic leather jacket.

I like suede jackets, too. As for color preference, I usually go for dark blue, black, brown, or hunter green.

 

[RAMA]

I have two heavy coats, a medium jacket, a black leather jacket, and I just bought this...something a little different, and light.

 

[Mallory]

I'm too old for this thread. All I care about any more is whether or not it will keep me warm and dry.

 

[sidious618]

I rock a brown leather jacket with the cool fall weather unless it is raining and then I wear a black jacket.

 

[M'Sharak]

Out here in the SF Bay Area, though, I pretty much wear some kind of outerwear all year long--from a fleece hoodie in the spring to a light jacket for those cool summer nights to a wool peacoat on a rainy October day to a heavy-duty leather jacket in the cold winter months.

Living in the Bay Area taught me the value of a good leather jacket. I was able to to find a knockoff of an A2 aviator's jacket (think Colonel Hogan's without the patches and insignia and you've got it) for a reasonable price, and it's served me well for years. Now that I'm back in Southern Cal, I don't wear it nearly as much -- a flannel shirt or occasionally a sweatshirt will cover my outerwear needs most of the time.

 

[WillsBabe]

I'm too old for this thread. All I care about any more is whether or not it will keep me warm and dry.

Did you not read my post?

I like the blue one, Kestra. I think you'd look great in that one.

 

[Geckothan]

I'm not big on coats, I'm more of a hoodie person, but I tend to keep the hood down because I don't want to look like a chav.

 

[Maestro]

I had a very nice, bridge-coat-style leather jacket that I wore for years from October 15th to March 25th, but sadly, the Wisconsin winters obliterated it.

I have a nice Columbia ski jacket that is my "casual" winter coat (I've been just using the liner as my winter coat for the past two years), but I decided this year that I needed something dressy for work. So, yesterday, while visiting the inlaws in Chi-town, I hit a Burlington coat factory and came away with a charcoal colored cashmire/wool blended overcoat that comes just to my knees. Perfect. Even the kids noticed my new, stylish, Captain Jack-ish jacket today and were impressed.

 

[Captain Ice]

Out here in the SF Bay Area, though, I pretty much wear some kind of outerwear all year long--from a fleece hoodie in the spring to a light jacket for those cool summer nights to a wool peacoat on a rainy October day to a heavy-duty leather jacket in the cold winter months.

Living in the Bay Area taught me the value of a good leather jacket. I was able to to find a knockoff of an A2 aviator's jacket (think Colonel Hogan's without the patches and insignia and you've got it) for a reasonable price, and it's served me well for years. Now that I'm back in Southern Cal, I don't wear it nearly as much -- a flannel shirt or occasionally a sweatshirt will cover my outerwear needs most of the time.

I've got the same problem. I've got a very nice, very, very warm brown leather bomber jacket that my Dad got me for Christmas one year while he was working for Boeing. At the time, I was living in the mountains and used it a lot. Now, except on the coldest nights, a long sleeve denim shirt or flannel is all I need.

 

[Holdfast]

Ugh, buying coats is always a struggle for me. The shoulders are always too wide, the arms are always too long and as a result it's the one item of clothing where I really need to buy in petite sizes, and they can be either very hard or very expensive to come by.

I think I've said it before, but you have a really fantastic figure for proper overcoats, though I can see why you're having trouble finding ones that suit you in most shops.

But I think closely-tailored overcoats really flatter girls with slim figures, good leg length relative to their torso and narrow waists, and you have all those attributes in spades.

Try looking for ones with set-in sleeves rather than raglan shoulders to build up some structure, and then tailored/figure-hugging cuts with plenty of waist suppression, or even double-breasted military-inspired numbers. Don't worry about sleeve length if it's too long; that's a dead cheap & common alteration to shorten.

They probably need to be cut quite short (above or just grazing below knee) given your height. Though if the top half/waist is tight enough, you could go for full-length. Just not mid-calf, probably, unless the fit is really perfect.

Good luck!

I love overcoats myself, though as a fellow shorty, have to be equally careful about what styles I pick. I've forced myself to stop buying them though. I think I'm up to a half-dozen now and still I want MORE!

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I got a black wool pea coat last year. I've always loved the look of them and grabbed one at a sale.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Same thing for pants I wear the rest of the year: sweat pants, only in Winter, if it drops below 55, I wear two.

Gloves, two coats, one with a hood. I fucking hate the cold. You couldn't pay me to live anywhere it snows, or further north.