A minor coat debacle (update: coat triumph)

It finally happened: I lost the receipt for something I bought before I made up my mind to keep it. And it's expensive. 

I bought this wool cocoon coat at Madewell a few weeks ago for $230. I've been looking for a roomy wool jacket or coat. Everyone who's seen it on me has loved it (boyfriend & shopping buddy) though the photos leave me less convinced.

I definitely need something in this vein, but I'm not sure this is the one. I love the look, but the thing is, this coat is warm, maybe too warm. It's incredibly thick wool melton. San Francisco is raw and chilly at night, colder than the temperature would make you think (40s or 50s). But even for nighttime, this coat is warmer than the wool coats I've worn here... and during the day (50s or 60s), it's definitely overkill. And it's heavy, so I can't fold it and pack it in my backpack like my lighter jackets. For context, I lived here for 8 years before I bought a wool coat of any sort. But once I had one, I was very happy to have it.

I thought this would be useful for Christmas travel but it's so warm on the East coast that I could get by with existing options.

Madewell doesn't have a way to look up my receipt, from my first inquiry, but I might be able to return it for credit or something. 

Alternately... I've been looking for a coat for a long time, so maybe I should just be happy that I found a really great one (but my dream was something jacket-length). The price is reasonable, all things considered, but I wasn't sure I wanted to spend money on something that might not see much use.

UPDATE:

I kept the coat. It's been quite chilly this week, and I was very happy to wear it out to a bar last night. The walk home would have been pretty cold without it. Even the daytime was chilly enough that I was glad to have the coat today. Thanks for all your positive votes!

As it happens, Madewell does have some ability to look up transactions. I returned a shirt from the same purchase today with no problem. A few days ago a salesgirl said they couldn't look it up, but I was in a rush so I figured I'd wait until some time I had time to talk to them. Today I had more time and a more knowledgable salesgirl who explained that they'd switched to a new system this month so it was a roll of the dice as to whether something from a month ago would show up. So, the coat was returnable, but I'm very glad I kept it!

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WIW: futuristic sweater and holy grail shoes

I'm so excited about today's outfit.

First, the sweater. It's a birthday gift from Everlane's E1 capsule collection, which is their first venture outside of (awesome) basics. I fell in love with this heavy merino turtleneck because it's bold and futuristic and sleeveless sweaters are practically my uniform this year. I'm sure it would look better on a tall person, but I don't mind the extra length.

Second, the jeans. R13 jeans that I found at a second-hand store months ago (new with damage - a small hole in one leg). They've become my go-to jeans. I thought I was done with skinnies, but they're perfect.

And third, the boots! These are the Atelje sneaker boots I asked about in another post. I love the Rick Owens vibe. I can tell they're going to be my default travel shoes because they cover a lot of different occasions and they are hella/wicked comfortable (choose SF/Boston terminology as desired).

And most excitingly, the boots are big enough to fit my custom orthotics. I've tried many many options over the past four years and so far only my Converse could accommodate the orthotics properly (other shoes don't leave room for my high instep). I don't have to wear them daily, but they make my feet so happy and I'm glad I have options now!

Everlane gave me a year-end credit as a thank you for shopping there a lot, and I'm thinking of splurging on these wool fingerless gloves (also from the fancy capsule collection). I never buy expensive accessories, but with the credit, they'd only cost me $15. Should I get them as a special gift to myself, or save the credit for something I would buy anyway?

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Thoughts on boots trends & choices

I sort of want more flat ankle boots for winter. Black, as usual. I'm thinking through what (if any...) holes I have in my shoe collection and whether I want to follow any trends or do my own untrendy thing.

I own two refined ankle boots and two RATE boots (photos below):

  • Allsaints pointed-toe boots, mid ankle, workhorses
  • slightly glitter-y booties, low ankle, rarely worn
  • a variant on classic Dr Martens, mid ankle (they look more like boots and less like sneakers in person)
  • laced combat boots from Madewell, high ankle; former workhorses that I've shifted away from
Possible additions that have caught my eye (Finds below) -- I could buy one or maybe two of these.
  • Frye engineer 8r boots (an insightful birthday present from my boyfriend, to be ordered - I haven't tried them on yet)
  • Theyskens Theory boots (wanted since they were new, and currently cheap on ebay - the Find is a different color but I'd buy them in black)
  • Atelje sneaker boots (bought, but can't decide if the size is right)
One trend this year seems to be taller, fitted ankle boots like Angie has been wearing with cropped jeans, either zipped or chelsea. Another (not new this year) is low booties with skinny jeans rolled above them. Of course, I don't always follow trends, but I worry that the clunky Frye boots or the Theyskens boots with intentional giant flowerpot effect are past their peak trendiness, though I could certainly 'own' the look.

In terms of how they'd fit into my wardrobe, I can picture the Frye boots with relaxed skinnies (my current favorite silhouette). The Theyskens boots would go with true skinnies or tights and skirts; these seem less versatile and less useful. The Atelje sneaker boots are a bit harder -- boyfriend jeans or relaxed skinnies rolled at the ankle, or maybe my R13 jeans or cropped cigarette jeans like Angie's (I found a pair at Zara that I might buy, despite having too many jeans already). I worry that they'd be too sporty for me, but there's something about them that I love, a bit of a Rick Owens vibe.

Should I look for something sleek and mid-calf instead of these? Other trend ideas? I could do a slight heel, by the way, but not much higher than the Frye boots.

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