So, I realized that my life has quickly become rather good, as my main source of stress this holiday season was how to spend my Christmas money. Normally I have no problem spending money on clothes, but, as I had decided I wanted to replace my shapeless winter coat with something that fit my aesthetic better (or, at least just a little), I felt the need to choose well. After numerous painstaking hours spent away from what is shaping up to be the geekiest book I've read this side of Tolkien (REAMDE by Neal Stephenson), I narrowed down my choices to three coats. One was an eBay listing, which I never ascertained to be true Alexander McQueen, Burton McQueen, or McQ. With such a gamble, and the possibility of steep duties, this one was out of the running first. Which left me with more of a moral dilemma. Because one of the two coats vying for first place was from Canadian designer Natasha Thomas and her Montreal-based label, by THOMAS. You may have seen her gorgeous grey double-lapeled coat grace the front of NJAL and some other blogs, as it (and the collection as a whole) demands maximum attention. In fact, I've been meaning to post that grey coat for ages - it simply got buried in my mountain of bookmarks. At any rate, the coat that I was drawn to was a more subdued (and slightly cheaper) black wool trench/pea coat hybrid (see left). I could easily see myself wearing this piece for all three colder seasons. And, of course, it's right up my alley with it's designed-in-Canada-ness, made-in-Canada-ness, and shipped-from-Canada-ness.
However, and I'm almost embarrassed to say, in the end I was lured away by cheap Vivienne Westwood in a quiet tartan (see right). I've always had this fascination for plaid, but have learnt that I'm too shy to wear it in it's natural bright red form. However, in browns and purples (as the net-a-porter description claims it is), and in Westwood fashion, I'm sold.
Of course, mere hours after I handed over my Christmas money to purchase an extremely non-practical (i.e. only appropriate for Spring weather) coat, not only was the Westwood coat reduced by an additional 20% (meaning it's $80 less than I paid, and almost $500 less than the original price), but I also received a lovely email from Natasha Thomas informing me that I could purchase the by THOMAS coat at 30% off in the online shop with the sale code WINTERSALES. Sigh. Someone, please purchase the by THOMAS coat in my stead. And apologize to Natasha for me. I cannot resist affordable Westwood, especially when it allows me to end my misery and return to the world...of Warcraft.
Of course, mere hours after I handed over my Christmas money to purchase an extremely non-practical (i.e. only appropriate for Spring weather) coat, not only was the Westwood coat reduced by an additional 20% (meaning it's $80 less than I paid, and almost $500 less than the original price), but I also received a lovely email from Natasha Thomas informing me that I could purchase the by THOMAS coat at 30% off in the online shop with the sale code WINTERSALES. Sigh. Someone, please purchase the by THOMAS coat in my stead. And apologize to Natasha for me. I cannot resist affordable Westwood, especially when it allows me to end my misery and return to the world...of Warcraft.
