Coat Check.
In the Northeast, your coat is your personal brand. It’s what people see when you step out of the Uber, walk into the restaurant, or stand at the coat check pretending you’re not freezing. For months of the year, outerwear isn’t a layer - it’s the look.
Most people style for the inside. We style for the entrance.
Because the entrance is where the story starts: the sidewalk, the lobby, the doorway, the quick hug hello, the first glance. Your coat decides whether the outfit reads intentional before anyone has even seen what’s underneath.
And yes, sometimes the coat is the only thing you need to get right - so casting matters.
The Prologue
I grew up in Michigan, where a coat isn’t an accessory - it’s survival. My dad approached outerwear like a highly prized art collection - no two alike and many that were discovered hidden amongst thrift store racks. One of his most prized pieces is a full length camel cashmere coat from Saks Fifth Avenue in pristine condition (bought for a fraction of its original cost). It taught me something early: winter doesn’t mean you stop having taste. If anything, winter is when taste gets louder because you’re wearing it on the outside.
It was also one of my earliest lessons to not sleep on the thrift stores.
Let’s retire the idea that you’re “supposed” to have one sensible winter coat. (I mean, really, where’s the fun in that?)
If you live somewhere cold, you don’t need one coat. You need options. Not because you’re trying to be excessive, because you’re trying to be specific.
A coat collection isn’t clutter when it’s curated. It’s a toolkit. It’s mood. It’s function. It’s the difference between walking into a room feeling like yourself… or feeling like you grabbed the nearest thing on the way out.
The Cast
These aren’t must-haves. They’re roles you can step into.
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Longline wool or cashmere. Clean shoulder. Tailored shape. The kind of piece that makes you stand taller the second you put it on.
This coat says: I’m in charge. Quietly.
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A wrap style with movement. Soft structure. A belt that actually matters. Something that looks good mid-stride, not just standing still.
This coat says: Warm, intentional, a little cinematic.
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Texture, pattern, vintage, something with a point of view. The one that makes people ask where you found it.
This coat says: I have taste. I don’t need to explain it.
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A puffer that still looks expensive. A shearling-lined situation. Something built for real weather—but still styled.
This coat says: Casual, not careless.
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This is where leather trenches, sculptural shapes, and yes—fur—live. Pieces that don’t just finish an outfit… they change the plot.
This coat says: I came to be remembered.
The Antihero
Fur is the antihero of winter style. Polarizing. Iconic. Not simple.
And to be clear: I’m not anti–faux fur. I own faux. For a lot of people, it’s the right choice because of budget, values, lifestyle, or simply preference.
My stance is narrower than that: I’m anti-disposable. I’m not interested in buying something that looks good for one season and then sheds, pills, or falls apart. If I’m adding fur (real or faux) to my lineup, it needs to be intentional: well-made, cared for, and kept. And those faux pieces I do own? 10 years old (and counting.)
If you’re real fur-curious but conflicted, vintage is the most common middle ground: it already exists, and keeping it in circulation is fundamentally different than buying something made to be worn twice.
This isn’t a moral purity contest. It’s just a question of what you’re willing to own - and keep.
Behind the Scenes
I, personally, think about outerwear the way some people think about signature scents: they change the energy before anything else does. Often before stepping out, I will try on two or three different coats to make sure the look is delivering what I’m planning to serve that evening.
A cognac leather trench thrifted in Philly - straight out of the 70s, very character-driven. It makes even a plain outfit feel like it has a backstory.
An oversized black leather jacket that adds effortless cool to literally anything. It’s the fastest way I know to make basics look intentional.
A cream teddy coat that’s exceptionally warm, but still feels luxe - my favorite way to make even leggings and Nikes feel elevated.
Roll the Credits
A collection doesn’t mean “more.” It means specific. Pieces earn their place when they do something no other piece can do:
They change the silhouette.
They change the mood.
They make the outfit feel finished.
They make you stand taller.
Face it—for many of us, winter is long. Your outerwear doesn’t have to be boring. Dress for the entrance. Because for half the year, your top layer is the first impression.
And if you’re going to be remembered for something, it might as well be the silhouette you walked in with and the one you walked out in.