Angie, I was typing as you posted. I hope it doesn't look like I am lashing out at your good advice. I'm just so tired to coming up short on a stupid gear raincoat. I'm not trying to look cool or edgy; I just want to layer and stay dry and let my skin breathe.

So sorry you are feeling frustrated! For what it's worth, I think the raincoat looks good and you should keep it. I believe that a little compromise is sometimes in order when it comes to shopping. Sometimes the perfect item that we have in our head is just not available.

Rae, ultimately you have to go with what makes you happy, as you know... Lord knows I do it all the time, against YLF advice. It's frustrating, but it's not worth your tears. You know no one here wants you to be sad!

My suggestion: take a break from the whole thing and come back to it with new eyes in a couple of days. The search for a Holy Grail item can send one over the edge for sure.

And I'm saying that as someone who voted keep.

Rae, don't worry! It's your word that is final. Not ours. You have to wear the coat - not us. I mentioned that in my last comment. If you ask for opinions on something, you will always get an assortment of responses. That's par for the course. You have to filter them and judge for yourself.

I love longer sleeves too, but what struck me was they looked too wide and shapeless which made the coat seem a bit large in an ill-fitting and not intentional way. If you don't give a toss about that and it checks all your boxes otherwise, then of course you should keep it. I guess I misunderstood that you were asking for comments on the coat and not just commiseration on the missing epaulet. You are a post-captain with one piece of brass

And I just saw your last comment, Rae. Thanks for chiming back in. If you feel like slimming the sleeves - try. If you don't, leave it at that.

Now I feel bad. You are right, it was not even a K/R. I have gotten too comfy.
For the record, I have the highest standards for you and Una especially, even higher standards than for my own stuff. don't ask me why. That's why I come across as such a tough critic sometimes. Boo me.:(
Keep the trench. I think it fits all of your criteria.
I'm definitely doing some re- evaluation here. I am sorry if I have ever upset anyone.

Aw, man, I don't want to make YOU guys feel bad! My Sagittarius mouth runs away with me. I still really appreciate the suggestions - my point is that I was not ready for them and didn't steel myself against the possibility of failure. *I* should have been more clear about my questions.

I also should have said again in this post that I'm really looking for gear here. I think I forgot to stress that as I started trying more classically cut coats.

I am really excited about this brand. Really swanky gear. Sounds right up my alley. Thanks for sharing

Rae, if it's gear, this is swanky gear.

My gear can only DREAM of looking so good!

I vote sleep on it. Tomorrow will give you new perspective on where and how you want to wear it, whether a sleeve alteration is worth it, and whether the Yoox price adjustment makes it so unbelievably affordable that it is definitely a "stopgap" coat while you PPP (maybe for a couple of years!) for the elusive "perfect" one.

I believe that for some items, stopgaps ARE in order. Especially needed items. If you recall, my own trench is a "stopgap" coat. Not perfect, but good enough for now. ETA and I'm so glad I have it. Have worn it well enough to bring down the CPW.

I would have removed the epaulette, but what do I know. I LOVE that color. My favorite.

The epaulette turns out to be button-off, so I took off the other one but left its button just in case. Also taped sleeves to approximate moving the sleeve buttons in (the tape on my right popped off at the last second, so that is why they are uneven). I do like this much better than the original sleeve width (2). Tags are still on, just tucked in. Sorry for the stupid expression.

It's a great coat. Opinions are just opinions. Seek your joy, not our approval.

I like the coat. A lot! I think you should keep it.

I would: take the coat to a good tailor (not a bargain one), get an estimate for making another epaulette, and get a price adjustment from Yoox.

Then, I would just take the other epaulette off, and use the money to fix the sleeves to the right length. I don't think you need the epaulette, there is still plenty of structure here or in your overall look and you have a good shoulder line. However I feel a proper sleeve length is critical to retaining the look of quality here. Epaulette: non-essential. Proper fitting sleeves: essential.

(Does digging your hands into pockets count as a rain wet hand solution?)

I love what Ironkurtan said!

"Seek your joy, not our approval." --brilliant as usual, IK!

I LOVE the coat and didn't notice the sleeves being long until others pointed it out. That kind of thing doesn't bother me on a coat. But then, I am very petite and my jacket sleeves are always too long, so I may be biased.

I think it's fine without the epaulet, but is there any material inside the coat you could cannibalize to make another one? A wide hem or inside pocket maybe?

The taped sleeve looks much better. And I think your idea of cannibalizing the middle of the belt to make another epaulet would work well, although no epaulets looks fine too. FWIW, as a scrawny-shouldered person, I once considered adding a single button-on epaulet just to have a way to keep my purse on my shoulder. Hah!

Its a great gear jacket/coat, go with how YOU feel.

The sleeves too long, i would hem the sleeves

I think this coat is a great combination of style and function. It looks good and ticks the boxes. If you can get a price adjustment - even better. My vote is to keep and decide on "renovations" after you have worn it a few times.

I do like the adjusted sleeve that you showed. Perfection is a tall order! I do think just pondering things for a few days often helps.

Rae, I agree 1000% with IK!

I started feeling really stressed and bad yesterday after posting my Leith pants experiment, because clearly almost everyone who looked at the post wanted to see me in those pants, and in an even larger size, when I was merely trying out something lightheartedly with no serious intention of participating in the trend.

I started to feel pressure to do what everyone else wanted, even though the pants did not make me feel fab. I started second guessing myself, and it wasn't until a little while later that I snapped myself out of it and realized I need to be true to myself. It means keeping an open mind, but ultimately going with what I love.

Please don't stress about this. It's a great-looking coat, and I like my sleeves long too (hate it when they're too short, which is far more common!). If you love it, keep it! Simple as that!

Not to hurt anyone's sensitivities, but we should not get too wrapped up on this, and I say this with all the love. Let's keep things into perspective here. I think that when you post pictures on a fashion forum, you are inviting commentary. That commentary is not design to coerce , force or impose anything on anyone. I guess the point as I see it is: a- I post a picture, b- I expect a comment.

I think IK nailed it here. There is a thousand things I own and wear, that I know will never pass YLF muster. I also know that my clothes are too tight for most members here. Then again, and I say this with all the love, I am dressing for me, and I truly love when you guys happen to love my outfit too. Am I going to start sizing up on everything? No. Am I going to forget about my skinnies? No.

I know negative feedback is a little hard to take. A couple weeks ago I posted pictures of my new glasses and we reached a consensus they were not fab enough. It is life: I post a picture, I expect a comment. I am still wearing my glasses, by the way. I did learn lots for the next pair of glasses, so there is a positive to it all.

I think you have to stay true to yourself, no matter what anyone says here. We are seeking opinions, that's all. Seasoned fashion professionals disagree on these things all the time. No big deal. No hurt feelings.

I promise to thread more carefully from now on and not to fast read posts. I think my fault here is that you were not asking for an opinion on fit. My bad Love you gals:)

What IK said!
The epaulet is optional. Keep the one in your misc. drawer for now, but making another isn't necessary or an emergency. - wear without and see how you feel. If sleeve tailoring would help and is do-able, it fits in with your spot-on observation that perfection off the rack is often not possible. The fabric, basic design ,color, pockets and so forth aren't changeable.

I need to apologize to everyone here - you all kindly took the time to comment and help, and I reacted poorly. Please understand it is not because of you but because I am wound very tight right now because of my Life issues. I suddenly felt very outof control and helpless with this coat thing. I actually am glad that the sleeves were mentioned because now i can consider tailoring them.

Darling Rae!

You look wonderful in the coat. You were never rude!

It's clear that you stuck to your enjoyment of the coat despite opposition. That indicates a real keeper. if it twongs your heartstrings, follow your heart!

Also, you could take off the wrist cinches and use those as epaulettes. I hate those things, personally, and ALWAYS take them off!

No apology necessary Rae

Hugs, Rae. I totally get how something like this can just be the last straw! I hope it works out, because it's a lovely coat and way at the high end of gorgeous for "gear!"

Oh, by the way, the belt on my Burberry trench will not stay flat either -- the fabric is not stiff enough -- and it is a bit annoying. I'm trying to figure out what to do about that myself. But I love the coat anyway!