A Coat for Spring

Every fall fashion magazines brim with articles on the hot new trends in winter coats while, images of wooly brown, furry black, and wonderful tweeds fill the blogosphere.  Clearly many women need a winter coat, and having a fantastic new one will update your wardrobe for the long, dreary winter. But what happens when winter turns to spring but the weather hasn’t gotten the message?

The day I took these photos I’d dressed with two goals in mind: Don’t freeze and don’t wear any black. Some days wearing a costume of black, black and more black is like getting together with old friends, reassuring and comfortable.  Other days I want to tear it all out of my closet and never look at it again. It was that kind of day. I was ready for spring, but spring was not in the air. This day was bright, sunny, windy, and, by Los Angeles standards, cold.

My collection of winter coats includes a long black faux fur vintage number, a short brown faux fur coat, a trench coat for the rain and a knee-length plaid coat. For someone who lives in an area that rarely sees temperatures lower than the mid 50′s I have far more warm coats than I need. To add another to my closet seems pretty excessive even to a clothing lover like myself. Still, I’ve toyed with the idea of a warm spring coat for some time.

February, March and April are often the coldest months of the year.  The weather in LA, always mercurial, becomes downright bi-polar in the early spring.  One weekend we’ll see temperatures in the high 80′s, the next, massive rain storms drench the city and bring on a massive chill. Unfortunately by April my warm coats have gone into hibernation in the attic and I long for something that will keep me warm when the temperatures drop.

Then I discovered it. This beautiful wool coat was waiting for me on the sale rack in the back of a local consignment store.  I knew as soon as I put it on that I’d found the elusive spring coat.  It could be worn in the fall or winter too as it’s more of a light olive-green than a cool pastel green. To make it feel more like spring I pared it with a navy knit dress, and a lavender scarf. The brown boots and a brown woolen vintage tote added a warm, neutral note to the outfit. I didn’t feel like the embodiment of spring, but I didn’t feel like I was dressed for the dead of winter either.  Oh, and I was warm, though maybe I could have added some tights.

Credits: My husband Hugo took these shots at the La Brea Tar Pits.

I’m wearing a new-to-me green wool coat from Ampersand, Max Studio navy dress, and vintage purse.  The scarf was a gift and the watch is from Gilt.com.

What do you think of the idea of having a light or bright colored coat for cold spring days? Do you find it excessive or practical?