Two things:
- We get a lot of questions like “If I can only buy one pair of pants what should they be?” People don't want to buy a lot of stuff. I get it.
- My general philosophy in running this business is “I’d rather sell you one thing that you’re going to wear 150 times than 5 things that aren’t important to your wardrobe.”
I probably OVERthink questions about versatility, utility and the value you get out of tea & oranges purchase because
- I value your business tremendously
- I want you to get your money’s worth out of everything you buy
- I know our products aren’t cheap, so they better be worth it
It’s coat season, and we legitimately get a lot of questions like “what is the ONE coat I should buy?” Most of us don’t have huge coat closets and or the budget to buy multiple coats in a season. We generally want one that we’re going to be able to wear with as many things as possible. When you come into the shop, we’re going to ask you some questions before we attempt to help you.
That said, if I had to pick one coat that I thought would universally suit (almost everyone), it would be Hartford’s Ville coat in navy. Let’s talk about why.
- Color - Navy goes with everything. I belong to the church of wearing navy & black because of the years I spent working closely with Christian Lacroix’s haute couture business - he frequently juxtaposed these colors and it doesn’t get more chic. Once you can open your mind to this, it cracks your wardrobe open to abundant possibility. Navy is also going to pair back to all the other neutrals that will drive your handbag, shoes, belts etc. Brown shoes? It’s great. Red handbag? She’s bold and has style. Bone slingback? Done. Navy is less harsh in pairing other colors than black and it’s more dressy (in general) than brown.
- Style - A wool overcoat is tremendously versatile. It’s going to work over a dress, a suit for work, or jeans and sneakers. The Ville coat is single breasted with a single notch lapel that is an undisputed classic. Throughout this post you’ll see that we style the jacket in various contexts to give you a sense of its versatility. You should be just as comfortable wearing this jacket to a dressy dinner as you would while at the grocery store. It can go all the places
- The Fabric - This is really important to me.
This fabric and this style are returning favorites from Hartford. Also, Hartford is a relatively small brand based in France. They aren’t part of a huge company that is changing factories and sources repeatedly. They get this fabric from the same supplier year after year. The coat is made in the same factory year after year. It is CONSISTENT - and we can’t always say this about the big brands we find at the mall.
We hear it a lot: “The quality of brand X has really gone down” and that sort of thing. That’s because these brands are owned by these behemoth holding companies that and they’re squeezing every penny out of garments that they can because they’re focused on shareholder value - not the integrity of their products. Their source for fabrics changes because a new supplier can offer something cheaper (and it’s cheaper for a reason), and then they moved production to a different factory where they’re paying the workers EVEN LESS than the last one.
I try as much as possible to choose brands that are focused on the integrity of their products first. Hartford is one of those. It’s independently owned, they are known for signature fabrics and their casual, American-inspired style.
This fabric is one of their signatures - it’s a double-faced wool blend. 80% wool, 20% polyamide. I think it’s important to note that the polyamide gives the fabric softness and durability while keeping the price down. This coat is meant to be worn on repeat and look gorgeous while doing it. I know $750 is a lot of money for a coat, but you can pay a lot more for a coat that will not hold up (in style, in quality) as this one does. This fabric is a big reason why.
This coat works and it basically boils down to the fact that it’s versatile AF and that it’s going to hold up beautifully. Do I universally believe every person should own this coat? No, but I think it’s an amazing and perfect option for our core customer. Are you going to get a more personalized approach come into the shop or give us a buzz? Hell yes.
Off Topic:
1) my website peeps tell me that our blog posts are supposed to include an external link. Something about the bots liking it. Trust by Hernan Diaz is one of my favorite books I. HAVE. EVER. READ. Have you read it? If so, what'd you think? If you haven't read it you can pick up a copy from my favorite independent bookshop Little City Books. It blew my mind (it took two weeks after I read it before it blew my mind, but at least it happened) and it impacts how I think about people around me every single day.
2) I love my website peeps. If you are a small business owner and want to give your website an upgrade, please talk to the team at Positive Solutions. It has been a pleasure working with this small company for the past 2 years.
