8 Quality Coats I've Found While Thrifting!
Having a shopping problem is excusable when you're the queen of finding amazing deals. I've never been one to spend a lot of money on a single item, but there are cases where I really have to give myself a round of applause because of how LITTLE I spent on something that would have been worth the splurge. Pictures never quite do justice when it comes to clothing, and considering I didn't put together a real look for each of these coats, y'all are really going to have to use your imagination. I originally intended to have this post live by the last official day of Winter, that way it still would have been seasonally acceptable to put together these full cold weather looks, but as always, life happens. Let's just say I'm terrible at handling stress. But today, as of May 7, 2018, I am done! It only took two months -_ - Enjoy!
My girl Liz!
One of my newest pick me ups! I found this pretty little thing at a local thrift shop called Worn Threads. It's definitely more of an oversized blazer than a coat, but I couldn't just leave her out. Liz Claiborne is a fairly reasonable brand, so regular priced I'm thinking I would have paid between $40 and $50. But why pay that when you can pay $1.60? Yes, you read that right. Let me explain; I volunteer at Worn Threads from time to time, so on top of the already cheap prices, I get an additional 50% off. But on this particular day, the sweet, older man that was running the register decided he was going to give me even more of a discount. I don't know what the exact percentage was, but I ended up paying $8 for four coats/blazers and a pair of jeans. I think that was when I truly reached my peak of being a bargain shopper.
"Cashmere... Cashmere"
I think I was probably the most surprised when I came across this coat. Perfect condition and 100% cashmere. Not 90%, not 95%, but one hundred freaking percent. I've searched up some prices for cashmere coats and the cheapest I've seen is $70 and the most expensive at around $5,000. Honestly it all depends on how boujee the brand is. But Ms. Cashmere here was one of four coats that I got at Worn Threads so I only paid $1.60 for her. She's probably one of two coats (the other being my girl Liz) featured in this post that I would actually wear with the outfit that I had on in my mirror pictures.
Ralphie
The Ralph Lauren Corporation is huge, and I'm not just talking about it's worth. Not only do they have multiple apparel brands besides the original, and I'm sure the most widely known, Polo Ralph Lauren, but they also have fragrances, accessories, and home decor. They've even branched out into the food industry and have opened up a handful of restaurants in Chicago, New York, London, and Paris. Lauren Ralph Lauren is one of those sub brands I was talking about, and it includes apparel and accessories for men and women, except at a cheaper price point. So regularly priced, my coat probably would have been around $200. The cost of a Polo Ralph Lauren women's coat in a similar style would at least be $300. Many people get the notion that cheaper is lesser quality, which isn't completely false, but in the case of my coat, which is 93% wool and 7% cashmere, it still has the look and feel of a high quality coat.
Oh, and l almost forgot to mention it was another one of my Worn Threads coats, so I got it for $1.60.
Meet My Fav
I'm honestly not sure if this blazer is truly my favorite or if I'm feeling that way because this is the only one I've actually worn. Don't get me wrong, I love everything about it; the color, the fit ... and even the extremely old-fashioned button. I just think I'd need to see them all with a full look in order to make such a bold statement. I'm pretty positive that this one came from Goodwill, so the max I paid for it was like five bucks. It's 75% wool and 25% nylon so for the most part it has that heavyweight wooly feel, but not quite enough for me to consider it a true coat.
If you want more details on this entire look, you can check it out here!
She's Loving the Crew
If I didn't try on anything during this particular Goodwill trip, I definitely would have missed out on this one. It was in between clothes on the go-back rack near the fitting room, and it caught my eye as I walking walking out of my room. How damn lucky am I for this coat to have ended up being a perfect fit, and only $5? I really had to give myself a round of applause for this one. J. Crew peacoats run around $150 to $200, so most definitely out of my range regularly-priced. I feel like I have to start checking the go-back racks when I shop now, even if I don't try on anything because I may end up missing out on bringing home the love of my life.
Do y'all check the go-back racks when you shop??
The One that Started it all
The very first coat I bought at Goodwill ($5). And I wasn't even looking for it. I was actually out with a group of girls shopping for an on-campus fashion show that our organization was putting together. I had intended to use this coat in my look if I'm not mistaken, but the president of our committee thought that the color would be too loud for the segment I was styling for. Lowkey salty, but it was fine, cause I still took it home with me. There are a few different looks that I have in mind to pair it with; maybe some really distressed jeans, mules, and a graphic tee or crop. I wouldn't have the belt tied if I did this look, but if it's really cold I could do my black leather thigh high boots and a t-shirt dress, and I would possibly tie the belt. I guess it would all depend on how much I wanted people to see what was underneath.
Looking Like I'm from the Upper East Side
The last of the four coats that I bought from Worn Threads. The A-line silhouette and clean lines on the coat gives it such a luxurious look. Like I'm not kidding, this is something Serena van der Woodsen would wear with a beret, cashmere turtleneck, and some knee high boots. Once it gets cold that is probably exactly how I'm going to wear it. It's not a coat that I can see being worn with jeans at all. Being that person that is pretty darn good at dressing up and dressing down garments, I'm telling you, if you can't dress this one up you're going to look a hot mess; just like me in my mirror picture. From what I've seen online as far as retail value for a 100% wool coat, this one probably would have been between $150 and $200.
A "Kashmiracle"
Looks like cashmere, feels like cashmere, but is it really cashmere? They say if something walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it has to be a duck, but I'm not sure how well that can be applied to fabrics. We've got faux leather and faux fur so I would think faux cashmere is a thing as well. Either way, they didn't lie, because it does feel almost exactly like the cashmere trench that I got from Worn Threads. It's the only coat that I've bought that needs a little TLC, however; the lining is becoming detached from the coat and it has a lot of little spots on it. They almost look like rust, but that's not even possible so I have absolutely no clue what it is. For $5, I figured it wouldn't be a huge deal to pay someone to fix the lining, but that was before I bought the cashmere one. I do like the fact that this one has buttons, so I'll probably still keep it. I just won't be in a huge rush to get it fixed.
So, how would y'all like it if did more posts like these? You know, just talking about some of the favorites that I have in my closet. I look like a bum more days that not, so it's hard for me do my style blog posts as regularly as I would like. I'm always looking for ways that will make it easier for me to be a little more consistent; for example, getting a tripod which helped me tremendously since I didn't always have someone to take pictures of me. Incorporating a separate blog dedicated to all things fashion instead of strictly what I'm wearing, if all goes as planned, should help me out a lot since I have a bunch of things I can talk about. I'll be doing DIYs and talking about some of the major events in fashion such as the fashion weeks and Met Gala. Since the Met is happening today, y'all can expect to see that post soon!
