Day 3: HOLY CATS! #1 Find Vintage Faux Fur Coat

There seems to be some sort of connection that Operation Sparkle has with the rest of the universe, because as luck would have it, we are in the third day of the countdown, and it is the third, glorious day of old man winter. Synchronicity in numbering aside, yesterday I made a pact to stop the dangerous winter fashion slope I had been heading down—resorting to wearing only jeans, hoodies, sweatpants (I do not practice Nina Garcia's "rules of fashion" and thereby leave the house wearing whatever I want. I have no illusions about the possibility of someone taking a picture of me and putting it on the internet.), my down parka and Sorels.* I am not taking winter laying down! Instead, I am going to take advantage of my vast thrifted wardrobe to keep the magic alive all winter long.

Which brings me to my #1 pick, one which thanks to Laurie's post on wanting to punch me in the face, I am sure you were all anticipating eagerly: the vintage, faux fur coat. I can't wait to wear this tonight on public transport to pick up my littlest brother from the airport this evening—talk about classy!







While I found a great faux fur coat earlier this fall, it does not compare to the beauty that is my #1 pick.** The silky, black, faux fur is so thick and sensuous that my boss was almost duped by its (non)authenticity. She also told me that the coat's brand, I.Magnin, was some sort of big deal back in the day (a little bit of wikipedia research taught me that I.Magnin used to be a fancy department store and was later bought by Macy's. I've also learned that a I.Magnin real fur jacket can sell for over a grand. Yowzah!).

Beyond its pedigree, my #1 pick wins extra points for the amazing gold details (adorable black double breasted buttons trimmed in gold, and the forgettaboutit chain that links across the waist to finish the belt, which is made up of the faux fur on the backside), a huge furry collar that I can pop up, and a perfect***satiny, floral print lining.

I can clearly understand why Laurie wanted to punch me in the face.

*When people complain about how Midwesterners have no style, I would like them to try being stylish and living in the coldest metropolitan area in the continental United States.
**Another great thing about thrifting? There is no limit to the number of fabulous vintage fur coats you can have!
***While the coat fits me very nicely, it is a bit tight in the armpits and apparently was made for someone who was not expected to have to grab things from their backseat, scrap ice off windshields or do movement of any kind.