Fact: the majority of coats are produced for the Pre-Fall and Fall/Winter seasons. 

Fact: “Pre” begins to deliver in May, and Fall starts to drop in late August. 

Fact: if you wait until the weather actually starts to cool, you’ll likely see some other (smarter) woman wearing your first choice. 

So why am I telling you all this? 

 

God, even I’m starting to forget. I am telling you because it’s important you know I’m not some crazy fashion fanatic writing this. I am not the kind of person who gets so caught up in what’s happening on the runway that I forget most women don’t have the occasion to wear a blue patent leather trench (in August or otherwise). I wouldn’t campaign for women to start investing in Eighties daywear: it’s fun but out shortly after it’s in. No, I am a normal (if not overly careful) shopper who buys based on need and who always takes the strategic approach. I want for you to trust that when I say you should shop for your coats in the middle of summer, it’s not because it’s trendy. It’s because it will enable you to get what you want—with the least amount of hassle. Now, let’s examine the facts.

I have been enamored with fashion from the time I studied abroad in London in my junior year of college. I didn’t grow up with it (though my mom was stylish) so it was novel, but more than that I was caught up in the fantasy of fashion; how you could use it to be whomever you wanted to be, even if just for an evening. By the time I graduated, I had ditched my law school plans to move to Manhattan and pursue a career as a fashion assistant. I loved seeing the runway pieces up close, I loved watching supreme talents bring concepts to life via clothes, I loved contributing—even if in small ways (calling all sock editors!), I loved putting together my own pages, I loved learning how to tell a story. However rewarding a career in fashion has been—and continues to be—I don’t get an incredible amount of personal satisfaction from it. By which I mean: I don’t bounce down the street each morning based on what I’m wearing.