Thursday, January 5, 2012

Fashion mystery solved

I finally understand why even stylish people wear those long coats that look like sleeping bags.
Blake Lively: officially stylish
I guess I never lived anywhere cold enough to see the benefit before. But at -10c in Manhattan I'm starting to get it.
The sleeping bag coat. Not chic.

I had dinner at Puttanesca with my favourite New Yorker yesterday. The restaurant is a brisk half hour walk up Ninth Avenue and I thought the walk would keep me warm - plus I had my special cold weather clothes on.
The 'cropped' sleeping bag look
What a fool! My coat is too too short. Between the top of my furry snowboats and the bottom of my sleeping bag I lost all feeling. Even my heaviest, cosiest jeans couldn't keep that bitter NY chill out.

I should have known it was too cold to be outside. Earlier in the day I went for a run and lost all feeling in my fingers, so I tucked them inside my hoodie and walked for a while. While I was walking I lost all feeling on my behind, which gave me the odd sensation of walking down the Hudson riverside with a bare bottom. It was so convincing that I had to look down to check the seat of my leggings hadn't fallen out.

Brrr. There's only one thing for it. And it's not to go out and buy a floor length sleeping bag coat (despite Blake Lively's shining example).
Our puppy
Allow me to introduce our puppy. The puppy is a cheapo velour throw thing we bought for emergency crashing-on-the-sofa guests. It is called the puppy because when it gets all crumpled and heaped up and warm on top of you it feels sort of, well, like a puppy. (Guess who's never had a puppy).

Till the weather gets above freezing, I'm staying in snuggled under the puppy. I admit it, I'm too soft for this town. Take me back to the temperate climate of London!

2 comments:

  1. Those coats are undoubtedly hideous, but you’ll never be toastier. In fact, despite the fact that I look a bit like a slug, I wear mine even when it’s a balmy 5 degrees. It’s a bit like heels v. flats, I know that heels are far more flattering (forgive the pun) but I can’t bear the discomfort. I like to pretend that this is a sign that I am not vain.

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  2. There's a fine line between not being vain and not giving a monkey's, isn't there? I look forward to wearing knee socks with sandals in my old age.

    My friend the style-savvy trailing spouse (http://biteofthebigapple.wordpress.com)just pointed out that there's a direct relationship between age and puffa length. Older = longer. I pity the poor shivering teens in their little waist length numbers...

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