My new dreamy vintage coat (and where to find one yourself)

Oct 29, 2019 | 3 comments

You’ve already seen it on Instagram and on my Youtube channel a few times as well, and I’m just over the moon for my new coat. I bought it during one of my monthly Linger shopping trips a little while back, and when I was about to take pictures of it for my shop I became more and more into it. So much that I, after it didn’t get sold immediately, decided to keep it for myself. Some of you might remember my navy blue coat, which I’ve had for around 3 years now – I’ve not disposed it or anything, I’ve just downgraded it for practical means like walking the dog in the woods. This is actually something I often do, if I buy a new item for my wardrobe that is replacing and older (maybe worn out) similar item I already have. In any case I find my old blue coat a bit too slouchy after years of wear, the seams have also moved a bit so it closes up weirdly now and it just doesn’t look all that nice anymore. So that’s why it’s perfect for more practical occasions from now on. My new beautiful vintage coat is the perfect replacement for my old coat, and to be honest with you I feel like quite the power woman when I wear it haha! Maybe it’s because of the wide shoulders, I’m not sure. But just look at it… isn’t she a beauty?

I har allerede set den både på Instagram og ovre på min youtube kanal et par gange også, og jeg er simpelthen så forelsket i denne frakke. Jeg købte den på én af mine månedlige Linger shoppingture for noget tid siden, og da jeg skulle tage billeder af den til shoppen blev jeg altså mere og mere glad for den. Så glad at jeg, da den ikke blev solgt lige med det samme, besluttede mig for at beholde den selv. Måske kan nogen af jer huske min blå frakke, som jeg har haft i en 3 år efterhånden – jeg har ikke skillet mig af med den, blot nedgraderet den til mere praktiske formål som gåture med hunden i skoven. Noget jeg faktisk ofte gør, når jeg tilføjer noget nyt til min garderobe, der skal erstatte et ældre, lignende item. Ihvertfald synes jeg min blå frakke er blevet så nusset at se på efterhånden, og desuden har sømmene rykket sig en smule med tiden, så den lukker skævt og den ser bare lidt sjusket ud. Derfor er den perfekt til mere praktiske formål fremover. Min smukke nye vintage frakke er den perfekte erstatning for den, og jeg føler mig ganske enkelt som lidt af en power woman når jeg har den på haha! Måske det skyldes de skarpe skuldre, det ved jeg ikke. Men se den lige… er den ikke bare smuk?

The jewelry is my own brand, the new designs which I’ve just recently launched! Here I’m wearing the Mix & Match stud set and the Earcuff

I’m not 100% sure of which century this coats origins, but I’m guessing we’re somewhere in the 90s. This is mainly due to the details it has – the wide shoulders, the length and the beautiful overlapping pieces of fabric. It actually reminds me of something Kevin’s mum from Home Alone would wear (lol), it’s not at all the same coat she’s wearing in the movie but there’s something about this soft, brushed wool and the exaggerated fit of it that makes it totally Mrs. McCallister. It might be somewhat of a statement piece for some people, because of the length and sharpness of it. In the beginning I wasn’t too sure about the shoulders myself, but the more I use it and style it every day the happier I become wearing it too. And I can always remove the shoulder straps if they bug me, to narrow the look of the shoulders a bit, but right now I’m quite happy about the coat exactly as it is. It’s heavy, super soft and warm and also because of the long length it has it feels kinda like wearing a big snuggly blanket. I’m sure it will keep me warm all through the winter too, if anything with a light down jacket underneath for extra warmth (get more tips on chic winter layering right HERE).

Jeg er ikke 100% skarp på hvilket årti denne frakke er fra, men umiddelbart vil jeg skyde på 90erne. Primært på grund af detaljerne – de skarpe skuldre, længden og de smukke overlap detaljer den har. Den minder mig lidt om Kevin’s mor i “Alene hjemme” (lol), det er slet ikke samme frakke, men alligevel er der noget over den her bløde, børstede uld og de overdimensionerede snit der er total Mrs. McCallister. Den er nok lidt af et statement for nogle, netop fordi den er så lang og skarp i udtrykket. Lige i starten vidste jeg heller ikke helt, om jeg synes skuldrene var lidt for markante. Men jo mere jeg bruger den og styler den til hverdag, jo gladere bliver jeg for den. Og så kan jeg selvfølgelig altid sprætte syningen ved skuldrene op, og fjerne skulderstropperne. Det kan i sig selv få skuldrene til at se lidt mindre markante ud. Men for nu er jeg bare virkelig glad for den som den er. Den er super tung, blød og varm og fordi den er så lang, så føles det lidt som at være iført verdens dejligste tæppe, når jeg er ude og gå i det kolde efterårs vejr. Er sikker på den nok skal holde mig varm gennem vinteren også, med en tynd, kort dunjakke under (få flere tips som disse HER, så du kan holde dig varm hele vinteren).

Now, I’m not about to reveal all of my favourite vintage shops and flea markets just in case I might have some competitors reading this post, who will then get their hands on all the good stuff before me 😉  But if you’re looking for a coat like this yourself it’s all about being patient and open-minded. I’ve written some more tips on that whole thing in my secondhand shopping guide right HERE. When I’m away on city vacations I love checking out the curated shops that have kinda like the same concept as me, where they handpick items in a certain style or from a luxury brand, to make it easier and more convenient for you as a consumer to choose secondhand shopping. But when that’s said, I do also love going on a secondhand hunt in the smaller cities and suburbs. Even those shops or flea markets that might not look like much from the outside. I actually found this very coat in a small, messy thrift store in Kolding (30 mins away from my home in South Denmark), and usually they don’t really have that much clothing, they focus more on furniture, decor and other bits and bobs. But again, this is where being open-minded and patient becomes crucial. You need to spend some time scanning almost all the clothing in a shop like this, if you want luck finding something wonderful and maybe even unique. I actually often find that the smaller cities have more items to choose from (at leat different kinds), because in the bigger cities there are also more people who will find the good stuff before you do, so often all the good things will be gone quicker. A few months back I spoke with a woman during an event at the Youtube space in London, who said something in the direction of it only being in bigger cities you will find seriously good secondhand stuff. Well, I have to say I disagree. At least I’d like to think my new coat would be living proof of the exact opposite of that statement…

Nu vil jeg ikke afsløre alle mine yndlings genbrugsbutikker og loppemarkeder, i tilfælde af mine konkurrenter læser med og opsnuser de gode sager før mig 😉 Men hvis du leder efter en lignende frakke, så gælder det først og fremmest om at have tålmodighed og være åbensindet. Det har jeg bl.a. skrevet lidt mere om i min genbrugsshopping guide lige HER. Når jeg er på storbyferier kan jeg godt lide at tjekke de butikker ud, der lidt kører samme koncept som jeg gør på min egen shop: hvor man har sorteret varerne og indkøbt en bestemt stilart eller luksusvarer, der skal gøre det lidt mere overskueligt for kunden at købe brugt. Men jeg kan altså også rigtig godt lide at tjekke de små, lokale loppemarkeder og genbrugsbutikker i de små forstæder ud. Selv dem, der ikke rigtig ser ud af noget udefra. Faktisk fandt jeg frakken her i en lille rodebutik i Kolding, som normalt ikke bugner af gode sager og generelt ikke har særlig meget udvalg af tøj, men mere alt muligt nips og møbler. Men igen, her handler det om at være lidt tålmodig, og tage sig tid til at scanne hvert eneste stykke tøj i butikken, hvis man vil have held med at finde noget lækkert og unikt. Faktisk oplever jeg ofte at de små byer har flere ting at vælge imellem, fordi der jo er tilsvarende flere mennesker der går på jagt i de her butikker i de store byer, så ofte er de gode ting hurtigere væk der. For et par måneder siden snakkede jeg med en kvinde til et event på Youtube’s kontor i London, som sagde noget i retningen af, at det kun er i storbyerne man finder de gode brugte ting. Well, jeg må bare sige at dér er jeg slet ikke enig. Det synes jeg da ihvertfald min frakke er levende bevis på….

 

3 Comments

  1. GAIL

    Hello Signe, I started my capsule wardrobe a few weeks ago, inspired by you! Thank you.

    This is going to be a very long process for me, but so far it is going well. I have gone from over 300 items of clothes to 178. I know I still have a long way to go. I have had a pause from shopping for a couple of months and have just invested in 2 very neutral but good quality jumpers that will go with absolutely everything else I own,

    My question now is my office Christmas dinner. If I do need to buy something to wear I don’t want to buy something that I will only wear once. I don’t want to wear my normal office clothes.. too boring and looks like I have made no effort at all… or my casual clothes which are too casual and also looks like I have made no effort at all. I similarly don’t want to look too dressed up like I have made too much effort. How do I achieve the in between look without ruining my capsule wardrobe mission/aspiration?

    Your thoughts and help please! GAIL x

    Reply
    • signeh24

      Dear Gail! Thanks for your comment, and good job on getting started with your wardrobe! I’m gonna make some content very soon all about dressing for the festive season, but of course with a timeless/sustainable approach. So hopefully that kind of content will answer your question very soon!

      Signe x

      Reply
  2. GAIL

    Many thanks Signe, I look forward to your post on festive dressing!

    GAIL x

    Reply

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