I hope everyone has had a fantastic holiday season! It was not my intention to miss so many social media posts during December but unfortunately myself, as well as the rest of my family came down with plague which I am still slowly recovering from and probably will be for awhile longer which is why my presence has been sporadic. Those who know me personally know that when I get ill, it’s usually for a lengthy amount of time and not just a passing cold.

I have a whole folder full of half finished Christmas posts and content that I’ll have to wait to share with you as I never got to edit or take the pictures to accompany them and had to post some backup standard winter content I was saving for January instead. I was excitedly waiting since I started this blog to share all my holiday secrets, decorating tips, and shopping guides but I couldn’t get everything finished in time. Again, I am very sorry that I didn’t get to share seasonal well wishes as smoothly as I planned but hopefully I’ll begin to feel like myself and as I do, we will return to our regularly scheduled content on this blog. I didn’t forget, I was just abandoned by my immune system!

Now, I thought we could discuss coats since we’re still in the middle of winter—at least if you’re in the northern hemisphere with me—and they’re all I’ve been thinking about since I spiked a fever. Honestly, I have never wanted coats more in my life than I have this winter flu season so let’s talk about the most fashionable coat essentials to have in your closet to keep you chic in the cold!

Pretty in plaid

Plaid is such a staple of fall and winter that it’s very rare to not see it on the runway somewhere! One of the easiest ways to incorporate this trend into your own closet is to wear it as a coat which can make more of a statement than simply wearing a plaid scarf! It also allows you to dress up that solid knit sweater that you feel lacks the color and style of spring and summer fashion!

Personally, I like plaid because I think it’s fun to match to all the different colors in the weave. For example, when I’m wearing the coat in the second picture, I match to the cerulean blue stripes throughout the fabric. Obviously, I could match to the black or brown but where’s the fun in that? Plaid allows you to pull hues you might not ordinarily think of wearing for the holidays while still remaining on brand for the season! Get crazy, go wild! Plaid is a classic fall/winter coat choice whether you go for a trench or button ups like I’ve pictured above.

Keep in mind that plaid is also a good transitional season print. The first picture shows a blazer jacket which is much lighter weight than a warm winter coat but it’s perfect for those brisk autumn days that aren’t quite frigid but just starting to become cool. Plaid is unisex and can be worn by anyone, not just ladies!

Hand over the Houndstooth

Houndtooth is perhaps one of the biggest fall/winter staples that there is and my god, is it iconic! If you shop vintage fashion, you have seen it everywhere and with good reason! Popular throughout the 80’s and heavily in the 90’s, Houndstooth gets a revival every time the seasons turn colder and the most stylish of us look for something chic to keep warm. Whether you wear it as a coat, sweater, waist coat, vest, hat, or anything else, you’re sure to turn heads if you walk out of the house wearing this.

If you haven’t heard of Houndstooth or are looking for some creative inspiration on how to style it, I suggest you check out Karl Lagerfeld’s last show for Chanel (Fall/Winter 2019 ready to wear collection) presented in Paris during Paris Fashion Week. Not only is it a testament to Karl’s skill as a designer but it is full of interesting ways to wear Houndtooth as well as other black and white prints! It is one of my favorite runway shows and the one I reference most when it comes to monochromatic fashion. This show sums up the genius that we lost when we lost Karl but his work lives on.

Though “classic” Houndtooth has larger squares like the second picture and is most commonly black and white. The first picture shows how the trend can be worn in more neutral and understated way for anyone who thinks the big patches are a bit much. Note that there are other different variations of Houndstooth featuring different color combinations and that Houndstooth has also been a spring fabric when pastel colors are used such as white and lilac or black and mint green.

Trending trench coat

The trench coat is one of the most classic coats that there is no matter your style, shape, or gender. Versatile and full of endless fashion possibilities, I strongly believe that everyone should have at least one at their disposal at any given time. My father is a big fan of classic movies—his favorite being Casablanca—and while he was watching Humphrey Bogart act, I was watching his glorious trench coat billow in the wind. Listen, don’t judge me.

Particularly flattering on hourglass waists, the trench coat is a fabulous way to show off your figure while still remaining warm. Often times we sacrifice our style for the sake of practical warmth and with the right trench coat, you don’t have too! Think of the sleek trench coat as the polar opposite of those awful puffer coats that make you look like the Michelin man—I know that puffer coats have also been trending in recent years so I shouldn’t come for them but you know that I speak truth! They may be warm but at what cost, you know?

Whether you wear them in neutrals, leather, or something colorful and unconventional like the pink suede trench coat in the second picture, they remain one of the most high fashion coats a person could wear and you’ll never change my mind! Great for spring and fall when the weather doesn’t know what it’s doing, you can easily grab a thicker wool one for those long winter nights!

Lean into leather

No matter the season, leather is always on trend somehow and no one will ever frown on you for wearing a leather jacket! Leather jackets are such a staple that they come in countless different colors and styles, the most classic being neutral colors but in particular, black. If you’re thinking to yourself that you’ve already seen a thousand leather jackets in your lifetime and none really stand out to you anymore, take a close look at the two I’ve chosen above!

Western fashion has never been higher up on the trends and it’s a creative way to incorporate leather into your look while staying warm! The fringes and metal detailing add a little something that most classic leather jackets lack. I also think Western fashion is particularly fun to wear over the winter and fall when most people are pulling out their plaids and sweaters. Imagine wearing a plaid turtleneck beneath your black fringe jacket and tell me that’s not a look!

Another fun way to add warmth while also incorporating more color is fur trim which can be seen in the second picture of my vintage Gianni Versace leather jacket which features thick lilac faux fur trim around the neck to save you the hassle of trying to find a scarf last minute! Fur trim can add so much to a jacket and I think it looks particularly good against leather because of the contrast between smooth and texture.

Feeling the fur

Fur always comes into fashion as soon as the temperature drops and luckily we’ve gotten creative in our textile capabilities so that we are able to embrace faux fur rather than real fur! My stance on fur is firm and the idea that we can save furry lives by recreating their pelts with harmless means is definitely an achievement in fashion to celebrate given how wide spread the fur trend spreads from coats to shoes.

The first coat I’ve pictured is one that I call Chewbacca coat. A gift from my well meaning father, I’ll admit that I didn’t know what to make of it when I received it but you know what? It’s grown on me! Not only is it a good neutral color that transcends fall/winter seasonal palettes but I am someone who will always choose a unique piece and I have never seen different textures of faux fur combined into one coat so creatively. Honestly, it’s art—hairy, hairy art. We love the Chewbacca coat and it’s a great visual to show you the different types of fur textures you can shop yourself or hell, combine them all! Either way, it’s a unique spin on the faux fur trend!

The second picture is of a vintage faux fur leopard print coat that I thrifted from a Goodwill outside of Atlanta when I was 13 or 14 years young. I still don’t know why I bought a fur coat in a place that never gets cold but I did and here she is all these years later! I named this coat, Rafiki because I couldn’t remember all the names from the Lion King correctly and I thought Rafiki was one of the lions. By the time your girl figured out he was actually the stoner monkey who saw the dead, it was too late—the coat already knew it’s name so Rafiki it is.

Apparently in addition to the fur trend, there is also another aesthetic taking the internet by storm now called the “mob wife” which includes faux fur cheetah and leopard print coats much like the second picture. I think this is hilarious because of my Italian heritage and the fact that according to what I’ve seen, I’ve been dressing like a mob wife my whole life without ever even realizing it. If you want me to look into that aesthetic, let me know. I bet I already have all the clothes!

I have more coats that I could probably easily make a part two to this post next winter but for now, I hope these coats inspired you to reach for something classic this cold season or helped you figure out some timeless styles to shop for. Remember that just because a style is classic doesn’t always mean boring or outdated like our fringed western friend showed us! Stay warm and stay stylish! Happy New Year!

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