Mixed Media Coverage

If you love fashion, it can be painful when you have to make decisions. The only downside to all of the fabulous options is most of us can’t buy everything we fall in love with. There are things you can shamelessly purchase in quantity when you can’t decide, and the color blocking tend helps in that department, but when it comes to a big ticket item like a coat, restraint is the best idea. If you’re still having a difficult time choosing a coat, and color blocking isn’t giving you relief from decision making, consider a coat that is made of mixed material.

Coats made with combinations of wool, leather, fur, knits, and other textiles are a hot trend for cold weather in 2012. This probably seems like a great idea, and you may be breathing a sigh of relief, but hold on, you’re not completely off the hook. Because there are so many textiles to choose from, you may find yourself with too many options.

Most of the combinations to consider will have at least two different textiles like a fabric and leather, but don’t forget to toss in faux fur, shearing and calf hair. My suggestion for working this trend is to break your likes down to specifics and go from there:

1. Decide if you’re going long or short in length.

2. Figure out what your textile favorites are and choose from those.

3. Decide if you want a casual coat for daily use, or one that you can also wear when you dress up.

A short jacket works best for casual wear and if you frequently wear pants. There are several styles that are great options, like a peacoat with contrasting sleeves, a varsity-inspired jacket with details in leather, a suede tuxedo jacket with leather, or animal print calf hair. For a long coat, a stylish choice that would also be an investment piece is a traditional trench coat with a contrasting textile like leather or fur on the sleeves.

I suggest you go with a classic cut or style if you make a big purchase. This way, even if your coat is pricey, you will at least be able to wear next year. Leather would also be a good investment. Consider a trench, menswear, or car coat style with sleeves or panels made with a textile that is unusual and eye-catching, like shearling or faux fur.