1/7/10 All Wrapped Up In You

Check this out! It is my most lovely and newly acquired winter coat!
Isn't it bea-uuuuuu-ti-ful? Mom and I spent 7 hours (!) in the mall yesterday searching for this baby (well, minus the hour and 23 minutes that we spent watching the new Chipmunks movie), and while yes, 7 hours does seem a little obsessive over one coat, it was totally worth it in the end because the picture does not even do it justice.

I was in desperate need of a new winter coat. Desperate. I did the math earlier on the last time I bought a new winter coat, and it turns out that I've been wearing the new coat's predecessor (my black leather one) for the last 15 years. Yes. 15 years. My grandmother got it for me for Christmas one year when I was in high school. And while I say huzzah to any article of clothing that can keep up with my abuse for a decade and a half, I have to admit that it was really beginning to show some wear and tear. (By "beginning", I mean that it was literally falling apart at the seams...homeless people had better looking coats than I did).

This time around, I went with wool. I love leather, but let's face it, anything below 50 degrees and the wind is just going to blow right through it. And wind is not my friend, nosireebob. (When I first started talking about needing a new one, it was suggested by people who know my intense dislike of cold that maybe the new coat should be a little more adept at laying the smack down on the elements than the leather one was). Hence the wool. And they were right. I'm happy to report though that no gale force wind is making it through this bad boy. I'm totally insulated. Plus, this coat is longer, so my thighs don't freeze either. I am freezer protected from neck to knees!

After trying on every coat in every store in the entire mall, we ended up getting this one from Dillard's (and on sale too! Score!). I heart it. I heart it's detachable belt and it's well-made lining and it's hidden pockets. And it looks so awesome that while I was prancing around in front of the three-way mirror confirming the fit, another shopper asked me to show her what rack I found it on because she wanted one exactly like it. (Personally, I think Dillard's lady should have split the commission with me on that one, but never mind that now).

So now I have my new coat. And just in time too, because I was totally able to put it to use today, and I must say that it not only braved the elements beautifully, but it looked dashing and sophisticated while doing it.

Now if only the rest of me could manage that too...