"The most beautiful makeup for a woman is passion, but cosmetics are easier to buy."
—Yves Saint Laurent
Announcements
If you're new to this blog, then read our guides to the basics: Skin (Part I), Skin (Part II), The Supernatural, Color Theory I, Color Theory II, Eyes, and Brushes.
Also, check out the blogsale.
Contents
Favored
Art Tattler
the glamourai
The Non-Blonde
Perfume Shrine
Lisa Eldridge
Garance Doré
Smitten Kitchen
Into The Gloss
Grain de Musc
Lacquerized
Res Pulchrae
Drivel About Frivol The Selfish Seamstress
Killer Colours
Bois de Jasmin Glossed In Translation
Jak and Jil
Toto Kaelo
Worship at the House of Blues
I Smell Therefore I Am
Food Wishes
The Natural Haven
Messy Wands
1000 Fragrances
Moving Image Source
Wondegondigo
The Emperor's Old Clothes
M. Guerlain
Colin's Beauty Pages
Barney's jewelry department
Parfümrien
loodie loodie loodie
The Straight Dope
Sea of Shoes
London Makeup Girl
Sakecat's Scent Project
Asian Models
Ratzilla Cosme
Smart Skincare
Illustrated Obscurity
A.V. Club
Tom & Lorenzo: Mad Style
Eiderdown Press
Beauty and the Bullshit
La Garçonne Flame Warriors Everyday Beauty
Fashion Gone Rogue
Now Smell This
Dempeaux
Fashionista
The Cut
A Fevered Dictation
Nathan Branch
101 Cookbooks
Yes readers, envy me, for Fortune has rewarded me in the search for a good winter coat.
I usually wear it open rather than belted. Ignore the silly pom-pom corsage.
A good winter coat, trousers, shoes to match, and a (single) well-crafted bag are the linchpins of any wardrobe with a mind of its own. Yet despite—or, perversely, perhaps because of—their significance, the search for a sensible, flattering, and warm winter coat is a notoriously daunting one. Yet despite the infuriating impossibility of finding a good winter coat, actually deciding what to look for is a relatively simple and common-sense process.
Tailoring: The cloth should be thick—for both warmth and sturdiness—yet not hard or stiff or heavy. Any edges should be neatly and professionally finished to streamline as well as to prevent unraveling.
Close-ups of the lining, fabric, stitching, and buttons, details that speak to good quality.
Cut: The cut should flatter or conform to the lines of the wearer's body with minimal distraction: no cut-and-dry rule applies rigidly to all aspects of fashion, but it is my experience that coats at least looks better conform to classic, familiar, stereotypical formulae (e.g. trenches, balmacans, swing coats, etc.), and are usually better off as unadorned as possible.
Color: The color should match most, if not all, the clothes in her wardrobe: a dark color is most practical, as light beiges and greys and whites show dirt far too quickly. Black is serviceable, but show lint too well and make most complexions look drawn: dark brown, navy, greys, and olive are good alternatives, as are the classic tweed and herringbone.
Readers will know without me saying so how tricky it is to find a coat that will live up to every one of these standards. Yet none of them can really be compromised if you're looking for a coat that will stand the test of wear and repeated scrutiny over time... which will hopefully be a long time, if you've chosen well. The search involves a lot of time spent poring over your options, a good eye for quality—itself acquired from experience—luck to be in the right place at the right time and before that overeager lady at the Black Friday sale shoves you aside to nab it, and often (though not always: mine was last year's design so I got it for a deep discount) a goodly investment of money. Once found, however, such a coat is well worth the search.
Labels: closet confidential
11/17/2010 [1]
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]. Or
follow on bloglovin'. If
you'd like to contact Dain,
feel free to email me.
I'm also on Pinterest.
The Mnemonic Sense
Most Wanted
The Beauty Primer
Lookbook
Bestsellers
Consumer Diaries
Closet Confidential
On The Label
Beauty Notebook
The Hit List
Color Me In
The Makeup Artist
Wedding Bells
Globe Trotter
Desert Island
perfume notes
beauty notes
fashion notes
culture notes
minimalism
chypre arc
floral arc
fresh arc
masculines arc
gourmands
& orientals arc
Archives
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
August 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
March 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
December 2012
January 2013
February 2013
March 2013
June 2013
July 2013
Images
Photobucket