shoe failure, martin grant lust, and a purchase

1) I bought these shoes on anthropologie.com. They're wool/angora on the outside, leather on the inside, with a foot bed of lamb fur and a metal toe guard. They were a 38, a little too small but workable. The problem is in the elastic back. It dug into my poor little tendons and I feared they were unwearable. Happily, the color was more sombre, almost a spiced pumpkin. Oh well. So I returned them in the store (I'd already spent $12.95 on shipping), and decided to nip over to Barneys, where I found--



(www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com)

2) I have a Martin Grant problem. I bought a collarless black coat from him two years ago at Barneys and have been lusting after this hooded peacoat for quite awhile. Well, Barneys had it in a cream with pink undertones that looked fantastic with my complexion. The softest wool/cashmere blend possible and the back pleating is exactly what I've been dreaming of. But, I was concerned that the size Medium was too wide in the shoulders for such a simple front. Perhaps it just wasn't meant to be. So, I called Lyell, in NYC, to see if they had that purple short coat from months and months ago, expecting a negative answer. Well--



3) This is the tweed version. Imagine it buttoned up, in a deep aubergine, fitted in the waist with a subtle flare at the hips. Ok, so I know I complained about the thick cheap-feeling acetate lining. But that was when the coat was full price, and now things are different. I got over it in a half hearted way. You don't stand in the rain pining after a coat and then get over it. Who was I kidding? My Brooklyn friend will know which coat I'm speaking of. I hope it meets everyone's approval. I love the Martin Grant, but I wish it were in black. Cat hair wouldn't show as much, nor would the dirt accumulated over five months of winter wear. The cream color is for people who are driven from point A to point B, not for people who ride in funny smelling Chinatown buses to NYC because they can't bear to pay more than $15 for a ride. I want a coat that is rugged and will kick the shit out of other people's coats while looking sharp and put-together. Plus, today on the bus ride home from Newbury St., I noticed how ragged and forlorn my workhorse Built By Wendy coat is looking, with its occasional bare patches and faded grey color.

The most hilarious thing about all of this is that I ended up with BOTH short coats that I wanted back in October, both the brown Opening Ceremony and the aubergine Lyell. That just goes to show you, no matter how much rationalizing takes place, if I want it, I'm going to buy it somehow.

Since I'm leaving for Houston/Dallas/Ft Worth/Portland/Seattle on Tuesday, this should be the last of birthday shopping for now. Unless, of course, Impulse has something I want. And you know me, I rarely meet an offer I can refuse.

Damage done:
Lyell miki coat--$290, marked down from $570

Damage thwarted:
Tashkent by Cheyenne flats--$149, marked down from $298
Martin Grant hooded peacoat--$367, marked down from $1465 (hell yeah, 75% off!)