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Since JB and I are going to settle in a region where winter is cold and long, I absolutely must change my wardrobe (goodbye hiking look) and have warmer and more city-appropriate pieces. This series of articles will tell how I find my pieces and gradually rebuild my winter capsule wardrobe. Yes, a capsule wardrobe because I prefer to stay minimal. This way, I can afford few clothes but only high-quality pieces.
For winter, I think the first piece to urgently buy is a coat. But which one?
Well, let me tell you my fashion adventure that reads like a clothing detective novel. It all started in Lisbon, in a chic neighborhood where I found myself following two ladies walking in front of me. And then, BAM! A coat that literally hypnotized me. It wasn’t just a coat. No, it was the coat. The one that screams class without making a sound. I started asking myself a thousand questions: what was this magical thing? The cut? The material? This coat remained in my memory for years. When I started looking for a coat, I immediately thought of this one.
The Row
By chance, I saw an Instagram video analyzing the 100% cashmere double-faced coat from The Row. This one had a very similar look to what I had seen in Lisbon.
However, the price made me turn pale: almost 7000 euros!
Why is it so expensive? First, cashmere is a luxury material that comes from Mongolia. Each goat produces only between 150g and 500g of cashmere per year. I don’t know how many kg a cashmere coat weighs, but when you see that a sweater already costs around 300 euros, the coat clearly uses much more material. Moreover, this one is double-faced, meaning two layers of cashmere are woven together, and you don’t need to use a lining (often synthetic). The downside is that the sewing technique for double-faced fabrics is very complex. Even if machines exist now to speed things up, the preferable technique is still hand sewing. So imagine the number of hours needed to sew all of this!!
But I don’t give up and I research to see if there are alternatives, and I even considered buying the fabric and sewing it myself.
The Dupes
When desirable brands like The Row create incredible pieces like these, dupes appear everywhere. And I discover that even H&M is getting into it with a coat in a fabric containing 80% wool and 20% polyester for only 279 pounds. However, I don’t know if it’s hand-sewn and it clearly lacks the hand-made finishes along the edges of the coat.
I see 100% cashmere coats at Icicle for 3000 euros, but the finishes are really sloppy.
I looked at the composition and finishes of other brands like Theory, Joseph,… and nothing appealed to me. Either the composition inevitably contains polyester, or the finishes are sloppy.
The Quest for the Fashion Holy Grail
Then I come across a London streetwear Instagram account and all the ladies with beautiful double-faced coats interviewed wear either The Row or Max Mara. Without exceptions! So I told myself I should probably look towards Max Mara. The coat I like costs around 6000 euros. Ouch!
But I don’t give up. For 3-4 days, I become Inspector Columbo of cashmere. Vinted becomes my hunting ground, composition labels my clues. My objective? A 100% cashmere double-faced Max Mara coat. Why 100% cashmere? Because when you buy few clothes, you can aim for superior quality. Plus, I want that lightness that makes you feel like you’re floating on a cloud. Double-faced? Because these polyester linings are done! I want pure, real, natural. The Plot Twist: I discover Intrend, the magical Max Mara outlet.
My research pays off: a coat sold in the outlet for 1600€, resold for 450€ on Vinted. The brand tag is removed, but the composition label clearly indicates the coat is from Max Mara. Cherry on top: a label indicates it’s hand-sewn. My offer of 300€ sent to the seller? ACCEPTED! 🎉
My 100% cashmere hand-sewn double-faced coat is going to become the first element of my new winter wardrobe. I even showed the photo to JB, who admitted the cut was classy. I’ll take a photo of it when it arrives. Because for now, I’m not yet back in France.
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