Winter Wear

Anyone who shops for clothing for either sex knows that there are disparities between the women's department and the men's. 

Men's clothing is typically better quality, and oftentimes less expensive.  At least, that's how it seems in my fantasy world.

Sometimes a woman can shop in the menswear section with great success.  Depending on a woman's figure and tastes, the men's department can be a veritable treasure trove:  belts, slacks, jeans, shirts (casual and dress), etc.

Other times, there is very limited success found across the aisle in the manly-man section of the store.

One thing I've always wondered though, and I know I'm not alone with this, is what's up with the winter coats for women?  I'm not talking about the poofy jackets from the 1980s, the kind with nylon outer shells that talked back to you when you swung your arms, and had decent linings in them to keep you toasty on the slopes.

I'm talking about the wool coats for women - the type that you can wear to church, something you can be dressed up in and not look silly wearing.  I have owned and worn many wool coats and I can tell you from first-hand experience, the woman's woolen coat is not a warm garment.

Yes, the outer shell of the coat is made of wool.  The coat typically has two pockets, sometimes sewn into the side seam of the coat, and sometimes added as a separate detail on the front of the coat.  The lining typically consists of this satiny-type fabric that is sewn into the coat, and is the only thing between you and the underside of the outerside of that woolen coat.

After a year or two of wear, the satiny lining is tearing away, sometimes shredded into oblivion, hanging below the hemline where it shouldn't be, and the pockets which contain the same lining, have irreparable holes.

Now I can sew, but I am not talented enough or patient enough to cut a new lining for a coat.  The outer part of the coat is perfectly fine, it's the inner part that gives me fits. 

Because I at least make an attempt to be frugal (if my spouse is reading this, he's rolling his eyes) I try not to *need* a new winter coat every season.  Typically, a winter coat will be useful to me for about 5 years, sometimes more, depending on how often I wear it, what I'm wearing it for, etc.    My most recently purchased coat (aside from the one I'm about to tell you about) is about 8 years old.  A black pea coat style, it was one of my first online purchases and was one of the things I dared purchase without trying it on, first.

I got lucky - this coat was a good buy, and as I wore it primarily for church and other dress-up occasions, it wore well, and was kept looking nice with regular dry cleaning.  Soon, this became my favorite winter garment, and I wore it everywhere. 

This year, I reached my frustration level with this coat.  The pocket had ripped out (thanks, cheap satiny lining) and in an attempt to repair it, and having little knowledge about sewing new pockets, I winged it and ended up with a useless pocket.  Whatever I did, it wasn't right - and the pocket is virtually useless unless you have a hand the size of Barbie's.  I just rolled my eyes, sighed heavily, and left my mistake as it was. I still had one useable pocket, after all.  Until a few weeks ago.

I took the coat off the hanger, turned it inside out, discovered the lining was ripped - and I mean gaping rips - in many places.  Where the inner seams meet the sleeve, the center seam of the lining which runs down the back of the jacket, the hemline was in threads.  Hm. Well, the outer part still looks good and the coat seems to have held its shape well, so maybe I can fix this lining.  Downstairs to the sewing machine I went.  The machine hummed merrily along, stitching that ripped lining back together. 

Within minutes of wearing it, and reaching over to find my sunglasses in the front seat of the car, I could hear the seams ripping again.

Well dang.  Rip. Rip Rip.  These not-so-subtle sounds were telling me I'd wasted my time on a lining that was past its life-span.

I headed off to a local department store, curious to see what end-of-season sales might yield.

I found a nice selection in the women's department, and there were many styles of woolen coats to be had and in a variety of colors from medium-gray and black to fuschia and chartruese.  Too bad there weren't a variety of sizes.  Coats from every woman's department (that is, Juniors, Misses, and Womens - I won't even get into what exactly those labels mean) had been shifted to the rack, and I was unable to find something in my size that would allow me to raise my arms let alone move my arms into a position for driving.

Apparently, a woman is supposed to just wear her coat and stand like a fashion model, thank you.  Don't ever have to wipe your nose or move your arm over the back seat of the car to smack the kid (I'm JOKING, people) or, heaven forbid, have to lift anything.  Your coat won't allow it.

Oh, and there's that cheap lining again. 

I was rather enjoying the detailing on some of this season's coats, too.  Now, I'm a big girl - and honestly, the last thing I need is any detailing on the ass-end of my coat.  I need no help in the caboose area unless there's a way to make it look smaller.  A faux belt, hanging below hip level, with lower backside fake pockets will do nothing for me, thank you.   Neither do I need a belt on a coat that has a double row of 6 buttons and four sets of front pockets - two for the chest, to for you to put your hands in, since you won't be able to move them in order to put on gloves anyhow.  Even if you weighed 80 lbs dripping wet, that particular coat would look like hell.

Failed mission.

As I was leaving the store, my eye was caught by a display of menswear.  Mannequins were wearing plain black coats.  Hm. They were wool. They were decent quality.  At least, they were no worse than what was offered on the other side of the store.  I didn't care much for the zipper style, but lo and behold - the classically styled pea coat, though in black rather than traditional navy blue, was still available. 

I plucked one off the hanger and put it on. 

I was able to move my arms in any direction I chose.

The sleeves were long enough. In fact, they were a hairsbreadth too long - but, that was a novelty I thought I could live with, never really having experienced too-long sleeves in the women's department.

Not only were the side-seam pockets functional, the lining felt durable.  Oh! And speaking of pockets! This coat had an inner pocket, as a man's suit coat might typically have.  Wow! Sometimes, I don't want to carry a purse but have no safe pocket to keep an identification in.  Problem solved.

Ooooh. And the LINING.  It's polyester, sure, but it's quilted. And, the coat fit even though I was wearing a sweater when I tried it on.  Quilted polyester - more than one layer in that lining, too. 

I took a critical look in the mirror.  A rather boxy-looking cut, but nothing outlandish - could almost pass for a trimmed down version of the shoulder-padded, 1940s style woolen coats many of us wore in the 1980s.    No bizarre trim on the heinie side of things.  Black is always slimming.  Aside from the coat buttoning on the wrong side, this looked like it might be it for me. 

Oh, and it was also half-price, which was added incentive.

I wore the coat for a few days.  I glammed it up a bit with a decorative brooch on the collar - seasonal Christmas bling.  I modeled it for my spouse and asked, "Does this look all right?"  He paused momentarily and said, "Yeah, why?"  I shrugged and said, "No reason."  I didn't let on I'd bought a new coat, and I didn't tell him it came from "his" department, and if my perfume didn't permeate it, he could even borrow it in a pinch if he wanted to.

My only question remains, though: Why is it that the men's outerwear always gets the best linings?  Do manufacturers and designers seriously think that women don't get cold out-of-doors?  Do they seriously think that women have no need for a little bit of warmth in their winter garments?  Get real, people. I live in Michigan. I shovel snow, and it gets damned cold out.  I need a coat with a lining, thank you, that consists of more than a flimsy piece of fabric that isn't generously cut to begin with.  It would also be nice to have a coat that is stylish with a warm lining.

It may be a while before anyone can reasonably answer that question.  Until then, I'll be keeping warm in my nice, new (man) coat.