Thoughts on long coat?

[fashion_newbie]

Usually, I go through my winters with winter jackets, wool or down-filled. However, I was looking for something a little longer I can wear with my suits. Since it is recruiting season and I am a senior in college, the suit is becoming a standard. I guess it's called a pea-coat though most peacoats I have seen look pretty bland.
Any ideas on what I can get? I want to keep the budget within $200 so stuff like J Crew, BR, etc I suppose. Once I have a job, that budget can go up!

I saw this on eBay, looks a little different. How will it work with a navy or black suit? And any comments in general?

http://i24.ebayimg.com/03/i/08/7c/37/c9_1.JPG
http://i9.ebayimg.com/04/i/08/6d/ae/b0_1.JPG

Thanks!
-fn

 

[londonj]

I like it, what colour is that? Plaid gray? I think a charcoal/navy coat go better with a suit but it might work.

 

[fashion_newbie]

As per the listing, it is a "BROWN/GREENISH TWEED"
Maybe I should ask for some better pictures.
Yea, navy seems like a safer choice. I am not sure I can pull this off with a black suit. Any suggestions?
-fn

 

[Arethusa]

What you linked to is not a peacoat. They are topcoats / 3/4 length overcoats.

Of the stores you listed, I'd go with J Crew and just wait for a sale. Quality is a little better, in my opinion, and I usually find J Crew styling more interesting than BR.

Anyway, the posted coats are fairly conservative and wouldn't have any trouble with going with almost any suit.

 

[londonj]

Charcoal is generally the most versatile colour as it will go with most suits; navy, black, some greys. Filenes basement have some nice all cashmere and quality wool blends at the moment in NY. I picked up a nice 3/4 length Mario valente there for your budget recently.

That coat is nice, I wouldn't be crazy about the dark collar though.. Reminds me a little bit of Benny Blanco from the bronx's coat!

 

[JO3B]

go to h&m!

 

[fashion_newbie]

arethusa - thanks. So will a peacoat or a top coat be the better choice for my needs? I am kinda short (5' 9) so I wonder if a peacoat will make me look even shorther? londonj - thanks. Yes, I am leaning towards a charcoal one too. I am near Chicago. We also have a Filenes here with some decent stuff occasionally. Maybe a trip to the city is in order, I also wanted to check out the H&M anyways. Curious but what kind of suit would this plaid design go with? http://i13.ebayimg.com/04/i/08/7e/3d/77_1.JPG http://i6.ebayimg.com/03/i/08/82/e3/eb_1.JPG Thanks -fn

 

[fashion_newbie]

JO3B - Wierd...I just typed up my message above and saw your post. Great minds think alike?

 

[Arethusa]

If you want something formal, get an overcoat. Peacoats are good, but they're not for suits or formalwear. That said, if you want a peacoat, best value around is probably Sterlingwear sized down a couple sizes. If you want an overcoat on a budget, H&M is probably your best bet if you want something cheap with a modern, slim fit. J Crew, sadly, doesn't really do that. That said. quality is usually the first thing out the window with H&M, but not always. It's defintiely worth a look, at least.

 

[Augusto86]

That's a Banana Republic covert coat from last winter, if I'm not mistaken? They look really nice in person, although if you are quite slim you may have to do a little alteraion.

 

[fashion_newbie]

Arethusa - I am definetly looking for something a little more formal. I cannot really imagine myself in a peacoat, heading out to class. Plus, as I said earlier, since I am short, I think a longer coat makes me look even shorter.
I will try H&M and if nothing fits my fancy, look elsewhere. If $200 is too low of a budget, what do you suggest is a reasonable price for an overcoat? The thing being, I don't see myself wearing this more than 10-12 days a year so I am a little concerned about spending too much on it.

Augusto - Nice! Yes, it is indeed BR fromt he Fall '05 collection. It does look nice and I am not that slim, alterations should not be needed. However, the color does not seem to go well with my black or navy suits.

 

[Arethusa]

You're really not short. Very slightly below average, perhaps, but not short. A properly fitted 3/4 length coat is not going to make you look short, and at the very worst, you could always buy one and have a tailor take an inch of the bottom. A little drastic, but not impossible. $200 is low for an overcoat, but not impossible. Around $200, H&M really is your best shot, but you can also find J Crew and Banana Republic on sale for around that, and if you hunt carefully, higher end brands as well from time to time. If you want to and can spend more, $400 would open up your options considerably, but if you're only going to wear this for a week or two a year, I wouldn't bother. H&M would handle that easily. One thing you really want to keep in mind is fit. If you get a coat that's too large and doesn't fit well, you are going to look short. The length of the coat isn't really the issue nearly as much as the fit. As for color, given that your suits seem to be mostly dark and conservative, a dark charcoal coat would be most versatile. Failing that, just get black.

 

[Chase80]

Nice coat!!!

 

[JaredK7]

I think the color is nice and will match with a lot of different things.

 

[fashion_newbie]

Thanks Arethusa. Yes, going for a charcoal now. Another newb question - what is the different between a top coat and an over coat? I will keep an eye out for a deal, maybe eBay will have something but I don't want to buy it before trying it on. I will keep the fit in mind too.

Thanks Chase and Jared. I do like the color but I can't see it going with a Navy/Black.

-fn