I had though that the season change was off to an auspicious start when I was able to repair a purse for under $0.50. Surely this was a sign of good things to come! Not.
A quick perusal of other Winter gear showed a coat with definite cold spots. OK, it is at least 12 or 13 years old. Surely I could at least think about possibly finding a new one? Maybe one with a hood?
Thinking is about as far as you can go these days about new things. With all of the talk I hear about the flourishing economy and American-made pride, I thought I would be overwhelmed with great choices. Choices yes, but certainly not great ones.
Anyone who lives up north knows the value of a warm coat. Sadly now I do too. It is approximately a mortgage payment. I had always been lucky enough to find something at an outlet store, but there don’t seem to be any around here anymore.
A check online showed that not only are coats super expensive, but for some reason every manufacturer has decided that current coats must a) be very form-fitting and b) have a zippered turtleneck. Models demonstrate the coats’ attributes while wearing stilettos and nothing else. Really? Are we supposed to be wearing our down coats over cocktail dresses? What happened to dressing in layers? How are you supposed to fit a wool sweater under one of those? I find this level of stupidity very frustrating.
And then there’s zippered turtlenecks. That is all you can find. I loathe zippered turtlenecks. They catch on your hair. They catch on your earrings. They constantly poke you in the face. Seriously? No one could think to buck the trend and place a zipper to the collar bone then a snap-closed insulated collar? Even if I could afford a coat I would either have to hate it as-is or commit surgery and void its warranty.
So, my unfortunate puppies are closet orphans for another week as I try to once again fix what I have. Toby enjoys going through my fabric bin with me and pulling out different insulators trying to find something to help. If I can’t find anything, maybe I’ll just stuff him in there. After all, my boys are always bragging about how warm their fur is.
My fur is warm. N’yah, n’yah, n’yah!
**************************************************************************
Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Poopiter!
Available at Amazon. Makes a great holiday gift!
The Adventures of Bitey Dog 
I feel your pain! We have coats from LL Bean which is nearby. But those zippers are so complicated the clerk says they really should have classes on zipping winter coats!
I was reading about how “challenging” L.L. Bean’s zippers are. Why? Surely they can improve on the design.
Oooh dear. Hope you can fix it. I’m glad I don’t need a big winter coat very often since I haven’t had one in about 4 years. My last one was so old I donated it thinking I would get a new one. But like you I go into sticker shock and decide to do without.
I found that re-fluffing the down helped a lot. Now I am warm enough to take the pups on the long walks they love.