It's a Sign

I have been looking for a winter coat. At the moment, all I have in the way of winter coats are the red down jacket I got on my Antarctic cruise, and a raincoat that is not really a winter coat, but that is perfect for most winter weather in our subtropical clime. It’s a size or so too big on me, however (and so is the Antarctic jacket) with all the weight I’ve lost, and not really suitable for the few really cold days we get, not to mention for winter traveling.

I looked at a few stores when I was at the mall yesterday, but didn’t see anything I liked. I saw a lot of double-breasted coats, but I find them too much trouble and frequently don’t button them correctly. I saw a lot of orange coats, too. I like orange, but when I buy a coat I prefer to get something classic that I can wear for years, since I’m not going to get my money’s worth in a single winter.

As luck would have it, an L.L Bean outerwear catalog arrived for me in the mail, and there on page 27 was exactly what I wanted: a single-breasted three-quarter length polo coat, shown in loden, a color that doesn’t go out of style (or in it, either) easily. True, the coat is a little plain, but could easily be dressed up with a scarf.

In fact, I had a scarf that would have been perfect with it, seeing as how I had bought it years ago for the last loden coat I owned, although that one was mid-calf length and cut like a Russian cavalry officer’s coat, with black trim on the cuffs and collar. I finally had to abandon it when the lining faded to an ugly grayish gold. Apparently I gave away the scarf shortly thereafter, because it was nowhere to be found.

What was to be found was a scarf I had forgotten, a turquoise, gray, black and white print viscose scarf I had bought in Paris two years ago to go with my old blue raincoat. I held it up to the page and tried to decide if it would go with loden, or maybe the navy? I didn’t want navy. After all, I could always buy another scarf, although, alas, not in Paris. 

I gave up trying to decide and turned around and tossed the scarf on the sofa behind me, to be put away later. The sofa is a dark green, more hunter than loden, but equally dark. Against the sofa, the scarf looked gorgeous.

So that settles it. I’m about to become the proud new owner of a three-quarter length, loden polo coat.