peacoats: H&M vs. fink (urban outfitters house brand?)

[wmmk]

hey, SF.

I'm looking to get a good peacoat for the winter, which is rapidly approaching/already here in Chicago. I bought an H&M peacoat last week (the one without fussy detailing) but haven't yet worn it/taken the tags off because a) it's black, and I'd prefer navy or gray; b) the fit it a bit boxy with surprising low armholes, especially for H&M; and c) the wool is terribly itchy.

FWIW: it's this L.O.G.G. model:


However, I recently came across this jacket at UO, which looked nice enough. It's available in navy, it looks like it has more waist suppression/a generally slimmer fit, and it doesn't look like it'd be itchy at all. It also has a bit more of a casual air to it, which is good, considering that I'm a high school student.

So, will the Urban Outfitters jacket be remotely warm enough for winter in Chicago when worn over a sweater/thermal henley/warm longsleeve something-or-other with a scarf and gloves?

Thanks much,
wmmk

 

[dano]

Its made from cotton/polyester, so while it wont be itchy, it wont be as warm or thick, and its not a true peacoat.

 

[Warren G.]

Avoid polyester.

 

[evpj2L]

Originally Posted by wmmk

So, will the Urban Outfitters jacket be remotely warm enough for winter in Chicago when worn over a sweater/thermal henley/warm longsleeve something-or-other with a scarf and gloves?

Thanks much,
wmmk

The UO pea coat is 0% wool, which makes me question whether it would be even remotely suitable for winter in Chicago. I too initially picked up one of those L.O.G.G. pea coats, and I was similarly disappointed at how boxy it fit. After checking out virtually EVERY store looking for my "perfect pea coat", I ended up picking up this one:
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do...346&pid=405550

Normally I would never even consider picking up something from Gap, but the fit of the coat was much better than the H&M one when I sized down one (had been wearing a small in the L.O.G.G., and grabbed an extra small in the Gap one). Extra small in the Gap one fit me PERFECTLY in the shoulders, and the overall coat is much less bulky. The fabric, while more thinly lined than the L.O.G.G., also felt a lot less itchy. The icing on the cake was that the pea coat lacked bizarre details (zippers, etc.) and nautical buttons, which I did not want, but tended to be on nearly every other pea coat I checked out. Yeah, it's still from Gap, but the quality of the specific coat seems on par with the h&m one (and possibly slightly better).

Unfortunately, the Gap pea coat seems to be sold out in smaller sizes at the moment (though I've been keeping my eye on the website, and they seem to restock from time to time).

 

[bleachboy]

"soft knit jersey" equals T-shirt material. Not even a coat at all, really.

 

[Clyde099]

Take a look @ the J. Crew pea coat.

 

[Meis]

I'm sure the Jcrew one is nice... but from what he said I'm guessing its both more than he wants to spend and the small will probably still be too big and boxy.
I'd suggest looking for one at Zara. I picked up a coat (toggle though not peacoat) from there right after it opened in september and I got a medium (i normally wear gap xs and h&m small) and it fit pretty slim and w/out any crazy details.

 

[wmmk]

EDIT: sorry, posted without seeing some of the latest replies. So, I guess it's a no-go on the UO coat. Even the gap one seems a tad pricey for me (again, I'm in high school and am trying to save up for my first pair of raw denim) and it's black, which I'm not so keen on. I'll thrift around and look around SF B&S for nice, cheap, slim, navy/charcoal, traditionally (un)detailed peacoats. Out of interest, how much is the Zara peacoat? I live somewhat close to a Zara, but would not make the trek just to find that I can't even afford the coat. Anyhow, if I can't find a good peacoat, what else is in the sub $100 price range that is warm enough for what I was talking about (being worn over a sweater while walking around or to the bus/L), slim-fitting, and stylish but with a relatively minimalist aesthetic? Thanks again, wmmk

 

[Meis]

The Zara coat was a mid-thigh length toggle coat and i think $149... but they constantly change what they carry so they probably have different coats now. I think some of their winter coats go as low as $80-100, if that helps

 

[Clyde099]

I'd like to hear from someone who's been to a Zara recently. Do they have any nice pea coats? Edit: Also, does any one know if they still carry this: http://cgi.ebay.com/MENS-ZARA-VOGUE-...1%7C240%3A1318

 

[erdawe]

wait for sales, and buy something with atleast 70% wool

 

[Tooch4321]

i just picked up this steven alan peacoat on sale at guise | chic on halsted last weekend and i love it...

 

[sho'nuff]

What's the deal with needing to get all wool or mostly wool? Especially in califronia a cotton coat or mix cotton/wool coat suffices and I never liked the feel of wool especially in sweaters. Yick

 

[ctrlaltelite]

chicago = really, really, cold. wool = really, really, warm.

 

[The Louche]

Originally Posted by Clyde099

Take a look @ the J. Crew pea coat.

Originally Posted by wmmk

EDIT: sorry, posted without seeing some of the latest replies. So, I guess it's a no-go on the UO coat. Even the gap one seems a tad pricey for me (again, I'm in high school and am trying to save up for my first pair of raw denim) and it's black, which I'm not so keen on. I'll thrift around and look around SF B&S for nice, cheap, slim, navy/charcoal, traditionally (un)detailed peacoats.

Out of interest, how much is the Zara peacoat? I live somewhat close to a Zara, but would not make the trek just to find that I can't even afford the coat.

Anyhow, if I can't find a good peacoat, what else is in the sub $100 price range that is warm enough for what I was talking about (being worn over a sweater while walking around or to the bus/L), slim-fitting, and stylish but with a relatively minimalist aesthetic?

Thanks again,
wmmk


I second the J. Crew peacoat. I have one and it is a very nice coat and a good value. It compares favorably to many more expensive peacoats I've seen. The quality of the 100% wool shell is pretty good, and the quality of construction even better (not something that can always be said of J. Crew). The J. Crew peacoat is also nice and slim without being "fashiony"; it has a surprising nice silhouette with a good amount of waist, soft but defined shoulders, and high armholes.

Yes, the J. Crew peacoat is more than $100. There are two models - lined and unlined - for $225 and $275 respectively. My suggestion is that you shouldn't be penny wise and pound foolish here. A quality peacoat like the J. Crew model will never go out of style; buying a nicely made warm model now that will last 10 years is much cheaper than buying multiple cheap-os from the likes of OU or H&M and you will have a nicer garment all along to boot. I don't think you'll even find exactly what you are looking for in the $100 range w/o a lucky thrift find. Invest in your sartorial future my man...

EDIT: In fact I'd wager that you can get through the rest of high school, all of college, and even your first winter in the working world with a good peacoat as your only winter coat. The versatility of a good peacoat should make it worth a few extra beans alone. A good warm peacoat and something waterproof should be all that you need for a long while. You'll spend over $500 to get enough H&M/OU/Zara/(insert random "cheap chic" outfit here) peacoats to last you through college. Its like people that buy bespoke suits - they may take a financial hit in the short term, but they end up spending much less in the long term. What is smarter?