This looks like such fun! I want to play too.
Definite 4 season climate here. This is what I have:
Winter
black wool straight long man style coat with deep back slit
(this was IT for years and starting to get threadbare, but still gets the most wear)
white black and red plaid ski jacket
(from the men's dept at Sportchek; the first to catch my eye, and nothing in the women's dept appealed, or fit over my wide shoulders or bulky ski sweaters). It replaced a black one that was in shreds
dressy:
black tweed with pink flecks. A narrow cut with TV deep lapels and few low buttons, I think this style is called chesterfield or reefer? Heavy.
long black Persian lamb, left behind by a daughter, worn once by me. Last Christmas all my kids were home, and the two vegetarian daughters couldn't wait to go thrifting for vintage furs, go figure! Less controversial here, where many folks hunt to feed the family.
transitional:
Mild winter/cold fall and spring
taupe long trench with removable lining (a must for me)
black and white big houndstooth open front swing coat (MUCH more useful than I expected -- it really makes an outfit, and is warm enough in winter for just walking to the car)
red double breasted princess coat (I love it, I feel like the Duchess of Cambridge. This is what I wore in Vienna, with no regrets in a sea of black)
grey pea jacket (tons of wear, works on milder winter days. I had wanted navy but this works even better)
red white and blue plaid pea jacket (new last year, not much wear yet. It feels loud. Actually it makes me feel like Herb from WKRP in Cincinnati)
Warm fall and spring: (3 weeks or so)
black long trench without removable lining (fell out of love when I realized it wasn't navy as I originally thought)
black and white tweedy boucle shapeless jacket that only works because of my wide shoulders
mixed media jacket with leather front panels
assorted blazers if not raining (ahem: black, black, black, and glen check)
Warm weather ie June and September and summer rain:
taupe hooded short trench
white hooded anorak (utility jacket in a non utility colour, so it's really versatile. Worn to work as well as boating and camping)
grey wool/linen (Viyella?) woven hoodie-- looks kind of Vêtements before they existed
black and navy fleece hoodies with metal zips, mostly worn for boating
navy blazer, the only one I use as outerwear. It complements my summer wardrobe and is cut beautifully
Most of these are since YLF. I had the black coat, the ski jacket, and the taupe trench only (or their predecessors) for years. I've only recently realized, as Suz often points out, that with 8 months of cold weather it's OKAY to have multiple coats!
An older lesson I had to learn: Always think of the coat as part of the total outfit. Back in university days, my sole standards were, is it long enough and warm enough (memory of frostbitten knees). I fell in love with a red, green and yellow plaid coat, and wore it everywhere (mostly campus) over everything (mostly jeans). But one day I wore it over red and brown plaid pants, and it took a male friend, a math major at that, to point out that it was perhaps less than harmonious. It had never occurred to me that you had to look at the whole picture!
Hence my current plethora of black and taupe. Although, as my entire wardrobe has moved to black, grey and red, the print and coloured coats now complement them nicely.
I also notice I have no puffers, and almost no gear that looks like gear. Don't know if that will ever change.
