April asked a couple of weeks ago, "How do you know you've found an item that gets to go home with you?" and I giggled at Runcarla's response of, "The heavens open and angels sing!" But IT IS TRUE! It really happens!

I have been thinking of adding a coat to my winter capsule, but haven't been able to pinpoint exactly *which* coat. This unicorn can't be too long, too dressy, or too casual; it has to be extra warm, big enough to layer under, without looking sloppy; it has to be durable, and it can't be a puffer.

I recently stumbled on this beauty, secondhand - a vintage chocolate brown Golden Bear shearling lined leather flight jacket. It is a men's jacket, but it appeals to my adventurer persona, and it fits perfectly. I tried it on - and heard angels!!! (Did anyone hear me squeal with delight when I put it on?! It's *that* good). I certainly won't be able to dress it up (like I would have been able to with a wool coat), but given my uber-casual life, I think this is perfect.

The owner had no knowledge of it's history, but thinks it's been sitting in her dad's closet for at least 30 years. The leather shell and interior shearling is in perfect condition (no nicks, tears, cracking, the elbows aren't stretched out) and shows zero signs of age. The knit waistband and cuffs have small pinholes, and the shearling collar has some worn/bare areas. It certainly looks like it's just been stored somewhere and forgotten about.

I reached out to Golden Bear to see if they could date the jacket and possibly repair it. Based on the garment label and zipper, they believe it's from the late 70's. They referred me to a company in St. Louis who can clean and condition it, replace the knit cuffs, waistband, collar, and zipper. The restoration won't be cheap, but it's still a fraction of the price of a new one. And, being a men's jacket, I can potentially pass it on to my boys when they are older.

I am super excited about "rescuing" this jacket and am ticking days off my calendar waiting for it to come home. I want to feel this level of excitement for every piece that enters my closet this year!

For anyone interested: Golden Bear is a small family owned shop in San Fran that started making leather jackets in 1922 for the local dockworkers. Their jackets are still hand-cut and sewn in a small San Francisco warehouse. They did a cool collaboration with Shinola a few years ago.