DORÉ

In New York City, it’s officially freezing. As I sit here writing to you, I am at my desk, wrapped in a scarf, with a steaming cup of tea in my hand, just trying to recover from the last time I had to go outside (and dreading the next time that I’ll have to). When the winter holidays end, my feelings about the cold weather immediately shift from “it’s charming” to “it’s inconvenient and I’m ready for spring.”

Along with losing my will to leave the house in the winter (I really don’t like being cold!), it’s the time of year for me when getting dressed comes the closest to autopilot. I’m pretty much always in jeans, my warmest turtleneck sweaters, a good pair of boots. If I’m going to do anything interesting fashion-wise, it’s happening in my outermost layer. I’m talking, of course, about the coat.

I have to say, for a girl with a pretty small wardrobe, I really do have a lot of coats. And I don’t regret any of them. Coats make life easier! I subscribe to the philosophy that as long as you have the right coat it doesn’t really matter what you wear underneath it. A good coat equals automatic outfit-polish, you know what I mean? I’ve been building my collection for a couple of years now, and everyone has their own formula, but if you would like to subscribe to my coats-only fashion philosophy, I do have some suggestions of boxes to check…

The puffer coat: This is your easy cool-girl coat, wear it on the weekend, wear it to dress down something fancy, wear it when it’s too cold to move.

The faux coat: So many designers are experimenting with faux fur and shearling right now, young and old brands included. It’s nice to see designers taking a step in this direction.

The cape or evening jacket: This one is a bit of a freebie, but I love having a lighter, more interesting jacket option for going out at night.

The elegant lady coat: Wear it when you need to look like, well… an elegant lady. Or wear it over sweatpants, you do you!

The heavy trench: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you can’t go wrong with a classic trench. If you’re cold (like me) try an updated version in a heavier weight.

What kinds of coats are you guys wearing this winter? To my fellow cold-weather warriors, stay warm out there!

Coat, 3.1 Phillip Lim; Sweater, COS; Pants, Ganni

Coat, Nanushka; Sweater, Ganni; Pants, Rachel Comey

Coat, Joseph; Sweater, COS; Pants, Joseph

Coat, Mansur Gavriel; Boots, Palladium 

Coat, Apparis; Sweater, Joseph; Pants, COS; Boots, Proenza Schouler

Coat, The Kooples; Sweater, COS ; Skirt, 3.1 Phillip Lim; Boots, Palladium