Purchasing a new winter coat is like purchasing a new summer swimsuit for me–it only happens once every few years, so I want it to count. I’m paranoid that I’m going to end up with a boring basic coat in the same way that I let myself end up with a boring basic black bikini last June. So even though it’s only September, I’ve already been coat shopping for a couple of months. I want to fall in love with a style while it’s still be available in my size.
My earliness strategy hasn’t paid off so far. For one thing, I’ve been ready to buy a coat before the stores have been ready to sell them, so the pickings have been super slim. Second, I haven’t fallen in love with anything available in my size at the department stores. This is why I thought of Lee Lee’s Valise. It’s a small boutique in Brooklyn, which means it offers designs I won’t see anywhere else, and its sizes begin at 10.
Lee Lee’s Valise offers two winter coat options–one long, one short, and both 100% cashmere. They aren’t on the website as of this writing, but when I called the store a few weeks ago, they agreed to give me a sneak peek. Since Diana St. Louis of Bijte is also Brooklyn-based, she came with me.
Here’s the adorable short coat option, which costs a little over $400. I like it on me, but I love it on Diana. We’re both wearing size large.
Diana called the long option, which costs over $800, a “Grace Jones coat”.
If you are tall, then this would be an amazing investment. How I wish I could carry it off!
My search continues. Perhaps Saint Bustier is next!
