My Favorite Coat: Fox-y, Furry and Fancy

     I've come to discover that aside from shoes, you can never have too many coats and jackets.  There are so many different occasions and circumstances in which you might need a certain kind of outerwear. 

     I have quite the assortment these days, but it has its holes.  I'm still looking for a great car coat, an overcoat to wear over a suit, a more casual overcoat (like this moleskin number from Banana Republic) and a toggle coat (this one would be nice.) 

     However, I'm happy to be able to say I have plenty of barn jackets, a blazer (which desperately needs an upgrade), a couple of sports coats, some nylon outdoors jackets, a wonderful Brooks Brothers rain coat, a Gap jean jacket, some Polo zip-up jackets and this lovely thrift store find from Fox Knapp...

 

Just hangin' out.

 

Collar down.



Collar up.  Keeps me from having to bring a scarf.

     Now that I have this coat, I'm very drawn to faux fur collars (just take a look at some of my Pinterest pins.)  I still can't believe in what flawless shape this coat was when I found it.  No stains, no tears, no shedding, nothing.  The stitch holding the rear vent closed was still intact.  Its condition is even more impressive when you consider this coat was probably made in the 1970s (the wide pocket flaps are a tell.) 
     My only complaints about it are: the body is a little boxy (that can probably be removed by a tailor) and the "woven leather" buttons are hard plastic.  Overall, though, I love this piece and look for reasons to wear it.  It's warm, has an attractive herringbone pattern and its "fur" collar makes an elegant statement (with a Victorian English accent, I imagine.) 
     If you'd like to see more of Fox Knapp's outerwear, you can find a lot of it on eBay.

My First Time with Florsheim

     Anyone who knows me or has read/seen this blog knows I have pretty conservative tastes in fashion.  I prefer classic designs that have stood the test of time, like knitted ties, argyle socks, saddle shoes, bucks and penny loafers.  They always look good, which means you won't spend money on something that's going to look awful and dated in 2 years.
     With that in mind, it makes sense that I developed an interest in Florsheim shoes.  I've always had an appreciation for American clothing/shoe brands (although these days it's likely that companies which started out American-owned and -operated back in the 19th and 20th centuries are now owned by foreign companies.  However, I am happy to report that Florsheim is owned by the Weyco Group located in Glendale, Wisconsin.)  For those unfamiliar with Florsheim, it was started by Milton Florsheim of Chicago in 1892.  Florsheim boots were worn by soldiers in the Spanish-American war of 1898 and in both World Wars.  Florsheim still makes classic shoe styles, but it has also partnered with Duckie Brown to add some modern twists to timeless designs. 
     A few days ago, I was poking around my local Nordstrom Rack store in search of whimsical socks.  That proved fruitless, but since I was already there, I decided to see what kind of shoes were available.  I'm glad I did.  I found a pair of Florsheim Lowell tassle loafers at a motivated-to-sell price that I couldn't pass up.  Not wanting to rush to purchase, I tried on both the 11s (hard to get on and instantly binding) and the 11.5s, which wound up being very comfortable.  I'm confident of this because I wore them to walk around the store to look for the size 11s.  Since I got such a great deal on them, I decided to get a pair of cedar shoe trees to deoderize and maintain them (Nordstrom Rack has a great price on cedar shoe trees as well.) 
     I am so glad I got these Lowells.  They're my first pair of Florsheims, my first tassle loafers, a great pair of dress/casual nighttime shoes and they have leather soles.  Anyway, enough blabbing from me - here are the shoes!
    

Lookin' good!

 

 

 

     For those of you who'd like your own pair of Florsheim Lowell tassle loafers: they're available at 6pm.com for 26 percent off retail price.

 

     If you happen to be in the Austin area and would like to see what a Nordstrom Rack store has to discover, click to find out the North store's location and hours here and the South store's location and hours here.