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worth altering?

shiny

Veteran

Last night we went to the theater. I ended up wearing my sweater dress afterall. Meanwhile, my DD16 wore this cute outfit - which she topped off with my long black wool BR coat:

http://s386.photobucket.com/al.....orm149.jpg

Doesn't she look adorably fab??

She's wearing a sweater dress from Express with tights and wool leg warmers I got her in Iceland (DD14 got arm warmers). You can see she's done her make-up - she's allowed to go all out when we are going out, she skips the make-up for school most days to keep her skin clear. And, if you look closely, you can see the streak of blue she dyed in her hair this weekend. (She had a rainbow of colors but it washed out too fast; this is her third such experiment).

Anyway, seeing this coat on her reminded me of why I've always loved it - it's very heavy wool, very warm. And the lining is so fun!

http://s386.photobucket.com/al.....orm150.jpg

http://s386.photobucket.com/al.....orm151.jpg

However, when I posted this for YLF, everyone thought the length needed altering:

http://s386.photobucket.com/al.....006035.jpg

(Note that this pic was taken about 20 lbs ago; the coat fits a lot looser now - I can easily button it and wear layers underneath!)

My DD is 3-1/2 inches taller than me. She is a pretty pear and I'm the opposite.

So, the dilemma is: do I get it altered? It's still in wonderful condition (I've owned it for probably 10 years). Or do I give it to her?

Of course, she doesn't want me to have it altered.

But, the reality is she won't wear it very often. Maybe 2-3 times a year. If I had it shortened, I would get a lot more wear out of it than she does.

What do you think?

If I took off 3 or 4 inches on the length, would she still be able to borrow it too? It does fall just below her knee.

Here are two more pics - these were taken in '07, post-weight-loss but pre-YLF style transformation (and yes, my DH often dresses like that while I dress like I do.. hee hee; we make quite the pair...refrain from comments

http://s386.photobucket.com/al.....day007.jpg

http://s386.photobucket.com/al.....day008.jpg

General

14 replies

Latest reply was from julijuli

Maya

Veteran

You know, I am not so bothered by the length because it fits you very well. It's not a long sack of a coat. I think it looks very classy. You both look great in it as far as I'm concerned.

Ariadne

Veteran

Your daughter is the epitome of loveliness. The coat looks wonderful on her. I think if you altered the coat she could still borrow it, just not to wear over skirts or dresses. It's a very nice coat and I think it'd be worth altering.

tarzy

Veteran

I feel that the large pockets on the coat make it more "young" looking. Your daughter looks great in it.

You do too - you look good in black - but you have a few other fabulous coats that are a bit more sophisticated on you.

What about gifting the coat to her, and then consoling yourself with a coat on sale from J. Crew.

shiny

Veteran

Tarzy, I have to tell you, following the economic news has me in a state of shock this week....did you see Britain is on the brink of bankruptcy, and Iceland had a riot yesterday?

I did leave myself a budget this year for clothes, and I haven't spent much this entire month. But now I'm scared to spend it. I dunno. DH told me this morning to 1) stop surfing the news so much (I'm freaking myself out! ... but work is in a temporary lull this week) and 2) go shopping this weekend.

Maya - the one good thing about this length is that it is warm! My knees don't get cold, even when wearing skirts.

I will wait to see what everyone else says, but there's no rush to alter it anyway. I could probably hold off until next season. Spring isn't THAT far away now....

Actually, I have another black BR wool coat that is car-coat length. It's a gorgeous coat, made of beautiful wool with a nice lining. But, it's from my heavier days and much too big. I wonder if that one can be altered too? I still have it - I've held on to it just in case I regain the weight.

shiny

Veteran

Oh... and I wouldn't gift it to her. She is really bad about losing clothes, or leaving them at her dad's, or trading or loaning with her friends never to come back.

I think I would be very sad if she did that with this coat. I would more likely keep it as my "own," but suggest she "borrow" it from time to time for occasions outside of school. She already "borrows" quite a few items that way.

Maya

Veteran

I have a long coat too Shiny. Not as long as yours (hits just below the knee), but it definitely looks too long for me. But to your point: it's warm so I don't really care. Petites should not have to sacrifice warmth just because of our stature! I also need it to wear over skirts and dresses.

I'm not sure that I see the big pockets as being young. I didn't even notice them. Your daughter isn't in the age group that BR is really geared towards, but you are, so I think it's perfectly fine. Not that it isn't fine for her (she looks adorable in it), just that I don't think I associate a long black BR coat with youth...pockets or not. It's a very classic coat.

I also don't think your daughter is at an age where she needs anything like this. I think the borrowing arrangement works out fine. She is still changing/growing and her style is just beginning to develop.

Basically...I like everything, including the length, just the way it is.

marianne

Your daughter looks adorable. The coat is very nice and classic but she actually makes it look funky I think it looks great on you and I vote against alteration. I don't think the length is a problem at all and you can definitely get a lot of use of the coat with skirts.

I am also getting more and more anxious about economic situation, and prospects of going back to work don't look so good right now. I haven't been able to take any advantage of the amazing deals everyone is talking about but if I don't find a job I won't need much clothes

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

DD16 looks KILLER.

Shiny, is there a picture of you in the coat today? I cannot imagine this coat fitting you 20 pounds lighter!!!

Anonymous

Shiny, that coat reminded me of this fabulous photo. Did you see it yet?
http://www.thesartorialist.com.....ck2Web.jpg

Yours isn't quite the same shape but it might be inspiring as a shortened look.

shiny

Veteran

Angie, I'm fairly certain the last two pics (the nighttime ones) are at my current weight - they were taken on DD's 15th bday, a little more than a year ago, and I have maintained my weight loss for over a year now.

The first pic of me - in daylight - is from our Toronto trip, which was in fall of 2006. At that point I was well in the midst of weight loss, but hadn't yet reached my goal weight, which is my current weight today. (Very frustrating: I gained the weight in only a matter of 2-3 months, which perplexed both my doctor and me, and - it took me over a year to lose it!!!)

The clothes I wore on that trip I consider "interim" clothes. Many of them I still own, but are tucked away in storage because they are too loose now. I vividly remember them being uncomfortably tight on that trip.

If you look at the Toronto pic you'll see the fullness in my face and particularly my chin(s), and that the coat is tighter across the shoulders, not to mention, I couldn't even button the top button!! It was quite tight in the waist. Below waist, well, I gain there last, and the coat is generous in that part.

In the latter pics (nighttime), which are more representative of my current weight (this past year I've stayed within a 3 lb range), the coat when buttoned is comfortable with room to spare in the waist. It also fits better in the shoulders, but not quite as loosely in the shoulders as it does on DD, who has very narrow, delicate shoulders.

I can certainly take another "today" pic but I'm fairly certain the coat fits me well everywhere - except length. I do think the length looks better on DD than me. However, I also noticed last night that the coat does seem to hit her slightly higher on the waist than it does on me, which gives me pause- where IS it supposed to hit? What do you think?

Yet the arm length feels just about right to me, despite it being a regular. Sometimes petite tops can be just a tad too short in the arms.

Anonymous

Hi Shiny, Your daughter is beautiful and I can see you in her eyes.
I happen to love this style of coat. I think you are very attatched to it and should keep it and alter it to suit yourself and let your daughter wear it if it still fits her after alterations. This is all considering that it isn't an outragous amount of money to alter it. If you give it to her now, I think at her age and with her style still in the developmental stage she may be done with it in a year or two and that would break your heart. Well you could give it to her for a couple of years and then have it altered if you still want to. It looks a bit long in the sleeves in the daytime picture, and it may be even longer in the sleeves now that you have lost more weight. I guess it would really be best to see a recent good picture to see if everyone thinks it needs to be altered for you. I don't see the length as beiing bad on you. I like the length with your boots.
I love your hair in the night pictures!

Nicole

Veteran

I vote to give it to your daughter, if she wants it.

You have lots of lovely coats.

Tanya

Veteran

I agree that your DD looks absolutely gorgeous!

I would keep the coat as is ( the length is great for skirts/dresses) and let your DD borrow it for special occasions.

julijuli

Shiny, your daughter is adorable and looks wonderful in the outfit. I was wondering, I have a too long coat that I am considering altering as well. As both myself and DH are underemployed at the moment, I have to be a little careful on my clothing budget.

Do you have any idea how much altering a coat like this with a lining would cost? I'm thinking about just making it shorter. Before I do anything I would post so you all can give feedback but I'm just curious.