Sugar Coated

I suppose I created enough buzz about my big ticket purchase--my friends who read my blog were just dying to know on the day they met up with me. Lo and behold, I was wearing the subject coat. They approved. Now it's time for you to decide if I did well.

I still can't believe that I dropped $215 (including tax) on that coat--I haven't spent that much money on any article of clothing, and I can count with one hand the occasions when I've spent that much on any one thing. When I paid for it, I felt a tinge of horror: "What have I done?!?" Like Eli said, it is a weird feeling to be able to spend after being so thrifty for so long (this is a great topic to expound upon at a later time). I was quite nervous to make that leap, and I think I'll remain hesitant to make big purchases. This is a good thing--it's a self-preservation instinct.

In the end, I think this Nave cashmere-blend coat is really worth it. This is sort of an impulse purchase, but it's a highly practical one. I've been looking for some sophisticated sweaters and outerwear, something that's practical but a bit unique. The gathered Peter Pan collar and poet sleeves looked intimidating and impractical (bordering on a little too sweet and cute), but once I tried the coat on, I was hooked. After I took it home, I was hesitant about cutting the tag off. I was concerned that I'd change my mind about the aforementioned detailing and come to think of them as silly, and then I'd come to own something I can only wear on the weekends. Instead, I wore it for the rest of the night at home. Then I wore it for Christmas the next day. Then I thought, "I can wear this every day."

Then the light bulb went off. Yes, I can wear this every day. Isn't that the point of getting something expensive and high-quality? A coat like that should be pretty enough to wear every day and tough enough to withstand wear and tear. That kicked off a week-long experiment of literally wearing it every day, with the exception of a Saturday that was too warm for the coat.

Since I bought the coat on Christmas Eve, I started off wearing it on Christmas Day.

When the gift-opening madness was over, it was back to work. It looks great with the bold striped Gap scarf I got for Christmas.

Here's a close-up of the detailing:

And more work outfits. You might recognize the red shoes:

Here's the outfit for a party for viewing the floats for the legendary Rose Parade. I figured the hair flower is quite appropriate given the occasion. It's a modification of the Christmas outfit, but the boots make the outfits look more sleek.

Skip a day of shuffling through the mall in grungy clothes, and it's back to work on New Year's Eve:

Just thought I'd show a pic without the coat. I love this top, which was picked up from the BCBG outlet during the after-Christmas sales. The pattern reminds me of the wings of monarch butterflies. It wasn't exactly cheap at $30, but it's versatile and seems like it can withstand the spin cycle quite well. The back is slightly scooped and ties at the top, so I wore the tank top under to make it work-appropriate. For New Year's Eve partying, I wore the top on its own.

I've finally put the coat aside for a bit to give other outerwear a chance to see daylight. If they were animate objects with feelings, I'd say they're starting to get jealous. After the rainy weather goes away, the coat will come out of the closet once again, and again, and again.

All in all, it's a good investment. Not only is it cute in a grown-up kind of way, but it's very warm for being so lightweight. On the streets, I saw people shivering in their puffy jackets, yet I enjoyed a carefree walk.