Yup, It’s Officially Winter

If you had told me yesterday that I’d be traveling to Boston today in order to get to Phoenix tomorrow, I would have laughed. Well… Storm Jonas had his own agenda, and after all the Phoenix-bound NYC flights were cancelled, I find myself writing this post from the quiet car of an Acela, instead of my apartment.

Storm Jonas dumped 20-something inches of snow across Manhattan over the weekend, which effectively shut everything down on Saturday night. (Except yoga class at Equinox, which was inexplicably packed.)

I guess our tropical winter had to end sometime, so I’ve finally busted out the big guns — the camel hair coat and fur pom pom hat that have been lurking in the back of my closet for the past four months. (These photos were obviously taken BEFORE the city was covered in snow.)

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Camel Coat: Akris Punto | Fur Pom-Pom Hat: c/o Hippy Spirit | Scarf: Gift from India | Brown Sweater: The Row (Barneys Warehouse Sale, 2014) | Pleather Pants: Club Monaco | Bag: Stella McCartney | Shoes: Adidas

The new outerwear was the result of my annual “I need to get a coat before they all sell out” meltdown. Like clockwork, I start scouting coats every August or September when they first hit shelves. I’m paranoid that all the good coats sell out before the temperatures even hit 70 — although you can get a fabulous Akris Punto coat here for more than 5% off, who what do I know?

Come to think of it, I write about coats a lot. Like this one. You may also remember last year’s coat shopping excursion here. And my friend Andrea’s amazing coat purchase — in JULY — here.

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This coat is a blend of wool and camelhair. It’s officially a robe style coat — complete with belt — but I always ditch the sash (or tie it behind my back to cinch the waistline) because one side always winds up dragging on the ground. I opted to use the metal snap button to close this instead. I love how the exaggerated lapels give a lounge lizard-esque 1970s vibe, while the skirted silhouette is mega-ladylike.

I’m also debuting a new hat comes courtesy of an independent brand I love called Hippy Spirit.

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Hat: c/o Hippy Spirit

First, can we talk about the pom-pom, which is made out of real fur? (Vegans, please avert your eyes.) These slouchy styles are unassuming and cozy, but the fur adds a glam, upscale touch that makes it feel special and on-trend. (The fur also snaps off so you can wash the hat, which is genius.) The hats can be ordered with personalized touches, like leather patches. (Mine has a tiny red and crystal heart pin, which I wear facing the back as a sort of “third eye” talisman. You can see it in the bottom photograph.)

As I discussed here, fur has been EVERYWHERE this season (like THIS yummy Coach coat), and I think hats are the most accessible way to incorporate it into your wardrobe. (If you’re more into a Cossack look, here’s another way to wear fur on your head.)

You can get this hat (with a skull patch) here. I also LOVE this striped Hippy Spirit hat and these chunky cableknit versions. And if you want to check them out in person, check out the boutique availability near you here.

Hippy Spirit has a spiritual quest at its core(read more here), which aligned nicely with the Ganesha scarf. (This was a gift from one of my husband’s cousins in Bangalore, but here’s a cool purple one from Etsy.)

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The rest of the outfit includes my cold-weather stand-by’s you’ve seen on the blog. I wore the faux leather pants in a rain storm here. (I hope the vegan pants make up for the fur on the hat, my animal-loving friends!) I wore the brown sweater for a weekend in Rochester here. And I last wore the Adidas shell-toes in Boston here.

You tell me — have you busted out any newly acquired winter gear? I’d love to hear about it!

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