Winter Coat Suggestion?

[Axelman 17]

Hoping I could get some help with a winter coat. Have plenty of experience with streetwear type coats, but this is my first winter in the work world where I am a novice by comparison.

I will largely wear the coat over business casual clothing (sport jacket, sweater etc) although occasionally with a suit and in the thick of winter in NYC. I wear quite slim fitting suits and am looking for a coat that will also have a slim cut. Looking around the street, I think my preference would be a grey coat.

I find most of the winter coats I see on the street very bland and often fit like boxes. I would definitely be interested in either a pattern or a design that is subtely more interesting than the usual (while still being business appropriate). I was hoping to spend around $500, probably on ebay/STP etc.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Axelman 17]

Anyone have any suggestions? Im just looking for some basic suggestions/tips to get started. Would appreciate any help!

 

[Carbon]

I'm interested in this too. I'd love to see pics of so-called boxy coats next to non-boxy coats.

 

[yfyf]

OTR, the best luck I've had is with Dries van Noten (nice fabric), a little boxy but cut quite narrow which I find just as good. They seem to have a single breasted three button overcoat every year. This year is a dark charcoal herringbone, I saw it at Barneys. Was about 1.2k which is higher than what you wanted to pay, but you might be able to find earlier years' stock if you're very lucky.

There's also Oliver something or other which was about $500 when I bought it in London at the old 1.8 exchange rate. Fabric is ok and so is construction. Peak lapel, narrow and waisted.

I've seen a few Hugo Boss (forget which line) at around $600-750 that I thought looked quite good.

Tips:
1. Bring your typical jacket with you to wear underneath. On the slimmer coats with higher armholes, sometimes you can't comfortably fit your jacket underneath.
2. I find nothing wrong with boxy coats as long as they aren't too wide.
3. Colours: if it's your first coat, charcoal grey will probably make your life easiest. You can get it in a herringbone or tweedy fabric to make it a little more interesting. I find coats in heavier fabrics look better too.

 

[raley]

Quick (dumb) question and mini hijack: When you are buying outerwear for NYC style weather, what all do you need? An overcoat is obviously going to be used to protect against the cold - but what about when it rains? Do you have a separate raincoat that you wear instead of an overcoat on rainy days or will your normal overcoat suffice? Are raincoats designed to fit even over overcoats?

 

[yfyf]

Never heard of a raincoat going over an overcoat. You can get some overcoats in fabrics that are somewhat waterproof (Loro Piana Storm System) but it will cost you and I don't know how it would stand up in a real downpour. May leak around the sesams. Someone else on the forum can probably answer this better than I can.

I came back to this thread because I just remembered, a Barbour coat is a nice alternative to the traditional overcoat and looks cool too, especially in black.

 

[FIHTies]

http://www.fourinhand.com/catalog.asp?dept=1040

 

[Axelman 17]

yfyf, perhaps the company you are referring to is Oliver Spencer? I was in Odin in New York recently and saw a very nice looking OS overcoat. However, it was quite expensive and I was unsure of the quality of the coat.

Anyone have experience with Oliver Spencer, or other suggestions? I was thinking of looking at Steven Alan as well, but again will probably be expensive.

 

[Mentos]

On the raincoat/overcoat distinction, overcoats are only comfortable in weather cooler than 55 degrees. Raincoats are only needed, of course, in weather warmer than 35 degrees. So they usually serve different purposes. In that twenty degree range of overlap, I would generally wear the overcoat, carry an umbrella, and stay the hell indoors. Some would wear the raincoat, but either way you're going to want to stay the hell indoors.

Another way to put it is that an overcoat and a separate raincoat (and you can get good burberry-type raincoats pretty cheap) will be a lot more versatile than a single coat that purports to do it all. Unless it's a Barbour, which apparently walks on water, in addition to repelling it. But that's the country coat aesthetic that many New Yorkers wouldn't feel comfortable in.

 

[emptym]

Originally Posted by raley

...An overcoat is obviously going to be used to protect against the cold - but what about when it rains? Do you have a separate raincoat that you wear instead of an overcoat on rainy days or will your normal overcoat suffice? Are raincoats designed to fit even over overcoats?

I usually wear a rain coat when temperatures are above freezing and an overcoat when they're below freezing. When it's right around freezing, it depends on the chance of precipitation.

To the OP, a rain/trenchcoat w/ a removable liner would get you through NY winters if you wore a sweater and/or jacket underneath.

Or if you'd prefer to buy just an overcoat, on the less cold days you could wear heavy sweaters/jackets/scarves/gloves/hats and carry an umbrella for the rain.

 

[yfyf]

Originally Posted by Axelman 17

yfyf, perhaps the company you are referring to is Oliver Spencer? I was in Odin in New York recently and saw a very nice looking OS overcoat. However, it was quite expensive and I was unsure of the quality of the coat.

Anyone have experience with Oliver Spencer, or other suggestions? I was thinking of looking at Steven Alan as well, but again will probably be expensive.

I got confused, I should have said Holland Esquire. I'm not sure how I got the two confused. I think I tried OS once but it seem to remember they didn't have the jacket in my size.

Holland Esquire, cost me about $500ish retail.

 

[emptym]

Originally Posted by Axelman 17

I find most of the winter coats I see on the street very bland and often fit like boxes. I would definitely be interested in either a pattern or a design that is subtely more interesting than the usual (while still being business appropriate). I was hoping to spend around $500, probably on ebay/STP etc.

My favorite overcoat is a duffle coat from STP. I think it goes great w/ anything from jeans to a suit. It's definitely interesting, looks good w/ a knit cap, and the hood is nice to have when you're waiting for a bus, you've forgotten a hat, or it's very cold/windy. Mine was made by Crystallis (sp?) and marked down from $800 to $100 on STP.

 

[Axelman 17]

Yfyf, that is exactly the kind of jacket I am looking for. The peak lapels, hacking pockets, slim fit give the jacket a nice modern slim aesthetic. Do you know where you can get a HE jacket in NYC? Or conversely a jacket that has a similar profile/cut? Thanks!

 

[yfyf]

Check the Holland Esquire website? They probably have a reseller list with some NYC stockists. I'd load it up but the internet connection here is awful. O, and ignore the emo on their front page.