HELP! Noob needs help with coats!!

[fashionnoob]

hi everyone i've been lurking for a while and really appreciate this site. i'm 25 and recently moved to DC from Florida. i haven't really had to own a coat since i was a teenager so i'm completely out of the loop here on what's fashionable, etc.

i'm assuming i'll need a few different coats up here-one for freezing weather, another for rain, etc. i've seen some beige raincoats that look pretty good and i've read here that "pea coats" are good as well. i don't want to come across as a "dandy" by any means, but i'll need some coats that are at least fashionable and a step above wearing north face jackets and parkas everyday. i'm fairly tall (6' 2") with an athletic build; not sure if that makes a difference.

any advice much appreciated. it's getting cold up here already!!!!!

 

[texas_jack]

Ha! I was in a similar situation 3 years ago when I, at 25, moved to D.C. from central Texas. You'll want a warm overcoat and a rainjacket. If you are like me and wear a suit or sport jacket everyday you can get a nice overcoat from a variety of places. If you like cashmere, Filene's basement on Conn. has cashmere overcoats for about $400. You can find a wool blend one for quite less but I say spring for cashmere because it gets cold up here and cashmere will last forever. As far as a raincoat, I have a standard tan trench coat. Depending on what you want you can get the traditional large cut one to fit over a suit or shop around for a slim fit type jacket. I compromised and found a too small Allegri that fits great with no jacket under.

 

[horton]

if you're looking for something casual and clean (not to cover suits or sports coat) I suggest Schneiders

 

[fashionnoob]

thanks jack that's a huge help! i'll check out filene's this weekend.

do you have any suggestions for a more casual coat/jacket to wear with jeans and t-shirts?

 

[abc123]

Welcome to DC, and yes, the weather was a bit nasty here today. For business, I'd recommend a grey/charcoal topcoat and a traditional tan raincoat. For weekends, you cant go wrong with a peacoat or car coat, so long as its not black (inho).

 

[fashionnoob]

Originally Posted by abc123

Welcome to DC, and yes, the weather was a bit nasty here today. For business, I'd recommend a grey/charcoal topcoat and a traditional tan raincoat. For weekends, you cant go wrong with a peacoat or car coat, so long as its not black (inho).

thanks abc. is a topcoat the same thing as what texas_jack mentioned earlier (cashmere overcoat) ? is j.crew a decent brand for a peacoat?

 

[abc123]

Originally Posted by fashionnoob

thanks abc. is a topcoat the same thing as what texas_jack mentioned earlier (cashmere overcoat) ? is j.crew a decent brand for a peacoat?

Yeah, I'm sure were referring to the same thing. J Crew is fine, but I wouldn't pay full price. Their sales are really good, and if you can wait a little while, you can get it for less than half retail. A lot of people think theyre not the best quality, which is true compared to high end brands, but for the sale price, youre getting good value. I know someone who has one from there, and its two years old, still going strong and looking good. I would put more money towards a nice topcoat and not worry about getting the highest quality casual coat at first.