I had been on the hunt for a new winter coat ever since the first bite of winter's wind. I am all about being thrifty and finding a good deal, but some things I feel the quality should not be compromised on; that is boots and coats. These are staple items that you put with the rest of your outfits and hence why I have a comprehensive set of boxes to be ticked before I buy!
I had given up on my hunt because none of the coats I had seen checked all of my said boxes. They were either too long, too short, sleeves too long, wrong material/colour, too expensive. I will accept that I am a fussy coat consumer.
Anywho, pottering around Spitalfields market, East London, fruitlessly looking for anything that could make a Christmas present for my loved ones, I stumbled upon a little coat stall. Now usually I do not associate market stall clothing with good quality but on closer inspection of Marvin Browne's coats I could tell something was different. This is exactly what I love about London markets, the wade through the numerous stalls of tat before finding those gems of good quality products that you just wouldn't get on the high street. I noticed the Marvin Browne coats hanging on a very unobtrusive rail and did what I can only describe as "copping a feel" as a I walked by. I had no intention of stopping and observing closer, as I said, I'd given up the coat hunt. But something made me go "ooh!" and I had to stop and find out a little more about these coats. I think you know you're on to something when the feel alone grabs your attention.
The coat I had fondled was a wool and cashmere blend, extremely soft and happened to be in the exact colour I was looking for, camel. It was, alas, a little too tight under all my many layers, but the very helpful assistant advised me that the pure wool versions of the coat tend to come a little bigger because they are made from a thicker material. She also told me that all of the coats I could see were cut from the exact same pattern, the only thing that differed were the materials and patterns. I knew I was going to buy one of these coats from that moment. There were quite a few different varieties to choose from, but knowing I loved the classic shape of the coat and that I only had to choose a material and colour meant this would be as easy as picking out a pot of Dulux.
As I mentioned, a coat is an investment, a staple item, and I wanted one that I could wear with or without my winter warming layers, so I opted for the pure wool version which fit perfectly. The camel equivalent came a little darker in the pure wool and I wasn't as keen on this colour, but I did however find this dark military green very appealing. I also want to add at this point that what I found helpful from the assistant was her honesty...I'd tried on the bigger size in the cashmere, and she told me instantly, it was no good, you can't seen the darting detail like you could in the smaller size. Honesty is definitely the best policy as far as I'm concerned, I'm not shopping for validity from others, I want something that fits and actually looks good! So kudos to her.
So, this coat had so far checked all of my boxes, perfect length, perfect shape (what's not to love about a classic?) and the sleeves weren't too long! The only thing I needed to know was the price. For the cashmere/wool blend, a coat would cost you £95, for a pure wool version: £80. Now there was the thrifty part of me shouting "No that's too expensive." I paid £20 for this wool coat in the sales two winters ago...
but then there was the realistic side of me that knew this is exactly what I would have paid in the high street. Yet here I would be buying a coat that I was unlikely to encounter somebody else wearing (I'll brush over the fact that I kept bumping into a woman who had just 5 minutes before me purchased the exact same coat). Not only this, but this is a British designed, British made coat which also means it ticks all my ethical consumer boxes. When you weigh it all up, this is a darn good buy, and deservedly, in the 10-15 minutes I was at the stall, at least another 5 coats had been sold.
You can find out more about Marvin Browne coats via http://www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/stalls/marvin-browne
I had given up on my hunt because none of the coats I had seen checked all of my said boxes. They were either too long, too short, sleeves too long, wrong material/colour, too expensive. I will accept that I am a fussy coat consumer.
Anywho, pottering around Spitalfields market, East London, fruitlessly looking for anything that could make a Christmas present for my loved ones, I stumbled upon a little coat stall. Now usually I do not associate market stall clothing with good quality but on closer inspection of Marvin Browne's coats I could tell something was different. This is exactly what I love about London markets, the wade through the numerous stalls of tat before finding those gems of good quality products that you just wouldn't get on the high street. I noticed the Marvin Browne coats hanging on a very unobtrusive rail and did what I can only describe as "copping a feel" as a I walked by. I had no intention of stopping and observing closer, as I said, I'd given up the coat hunt. But something made me go "ooh!" and I had to stop and find out a little more about these coats. I think you know you're on to something when the feel alone grabs your attention.
The coat I had fondled was a wool and cashmere blend, extremely soft and happened to be in the exact colour I was looking for, camel. It was, alas, a little too tight under all my many layers, but the very helpful assistant advised me that the pure wool versions of the coat tend to come a little bigger because they are made from a thicker material. She also told me that all of the coats I could see were cut from the exact same pattern, the only thing that differed were the materials and patterns. I knew I was going to buy one of these coats from that moment. There were quite a few different varieties to choose from, but knowing I loved the classic shape of the coat and that I only had to choose a material and colour meant this would be as easy as picking out a pot of Dulux.
So, this coat had so far checked all of my boxes, perfect length, perfect shape (what's not to love about a classic?) and the sleeves weren't too long! The only thing I needed to know was the price. For the cashmere/wool blend, a coat would cost you £95, for a pure wool version: £80. Now there was the thrifty part of me shouting "No that's too expensive." I paid £20 for this wool coat in the sales two winters ago...
