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Last Updated on December 6, 2021 by Steal the Style
It would be a lie if we were to tell you that it is easy to work with seasons and orient your fashion choices for them – every season has its own challenges. For instance, spring makes it hard to choose if you will wear a dress or a pair of pants, the summer has you wondering if you will even wear pants at all or just stick with skirts and shorts, and fall has you wondering about what clothes to stock up on. For the winter, it is selecting the best coat.
Women’s coats are in abundance everywhere, and it is easy to select the wrong one for your body type. Choosing the right coat is therefore a tricky affair – but once you find the right one, your struggles will be gone for the next couple of months. Regardless of the season you are currently in, you need to choose something that is as flattering to your body as possible and makes you look good.
Therefore, it is essential to keep your body type in mind when you are selecting this fashion item. You do not need to make mistakes that many seem to make when selecting the right outfit; you just need to know a few guidelines and keep them in mind. Here are some of them.
Quality is essential
You might not think much about labels, but you need to read them – carefully. You may also not know it, but so many clothes are made from acrylics – even poor quality acrylic, and you will not know because the price point looks high and you assume it is amazing quality.
For instance, you might see a coat advertised as ‘wool’, yet the wool content in the fabric is actually less than 10%, with the rest of the coat comprised of spandex, polyester or nylon.
When looking at the labels, always remember that many synthetic fabrics – especially polyester – will not keep you warm during the winter snow storms that might happen, in addition to giving your feet a strange smell. It is better to spend your hard-earned money on something that is really warm and will guarantee you many years of service, rather than going the route of just buying something because it looks warm yet you are unsure of everything else.
In addition, be patient when shopping for winter coats. It is a better idea to begin your shopping early, so that you do not end up desperate and you have higher chances of finding something worthwhile.
Preparing for disappointment
Shopping for a perfect winter coat is significantly harder than you might think. When you look for it for the first time, chances are it might not fit you, and that will hurt immensely especially when you wanted that coat so much. However, you should not give up – keep on trying, and you might find something that will work perfectly for you.
Even if you will face disappointments though, you need to ensure that warmth is a priority in both the material and coat structure.
On that note, remember to:
Be patient
We understand the struggle of selecting clothes. It is never an easy process, and just because you thought something looked good on someone, does not mean it will look good on you. This is where patience comes in: you need to set plenty of time aside to look through.
The worst thing that can happen is you choosing coats in a hurry because you want to cover up for an emergency situation. That is because you will likely not get the best quality you are looking for, or end up with a coat you regret because it is too big or too small. You need to see every coat selection for you to select the right one, which means the process will take time
Always leave room for creating layers
Winter weather can be unpredictable – you wake up in the morning and find it is snowing, then later on a snow storm happens and then it calms down afterwards. That makes it essential to have layers – not just the coat itself. In addition, you want to avoid looking like a stuffed potato when you have layers, so make sure to keep this in mind.
A common issue with many coats is the room they give for the arms, which is essentially non-existent – yet the torso has a lot of room. That means you cannot wear additional clothing like sweaters or a jacket underneath, so your arms are left freezing when the weather becomes too extreme to handle. In addition, it leaves you feeling incredibly uncomfortable, because your arms feel like they are too squeezed in – and that is the last thing you want in the winter weather.
Know what works for you
It is very helpful to know your body type and its unique aspects, so that you choose the best coat for it. For instance, a petite woman cannot start wearing long coats that are really big, because they will make the body look like a pile of coats stuffed together instead of a human.
Keep all the aspects of the coat in mind – the hem length, the collar, whether it is double or single-breasted, whether it has a tie-waist or button-up system, and so on. This will help you eliminate those that do not flatter your body.
It must have pockets (this is non-negotiable)
If you are choosing a coat without pockets, that is the same as heading to Happy Hour without a shot of beer. You already have enough of the cold biting through the coat itself; you do not need to leave your hands freezing outside.
Make sure to choose a coat that has deep pockets – your hands will need it from all the blistering winds and temperature conditions that are going on outside.
Final thoughts
Choosing a winter coat is not the easiest task ever – but it is vital if you want to ensure a safe passage through the winter months. Make sure to choose it carefully, and it will serve you for many years to come.