Style File: Ready for Spring

Winter wound down kind of early for New England this year, but you need to keep the sweaters and one or two heavier coats available in case the weather does a sudden shift back to colder stuff. Now, though, we're a week away from the start of May, and it's safe to put the winter stuff in storage and transition to the spring wardrobe.

Because of how retail cycles work, spring clothes appear in stores starting in January, so I had actually started thinking about my spring needs back then. This jacket caught my eye from the moment it appeared on the Martin + Osa web site. I happened to be at the store shortly afterward and was able to get a closer look at it and try it on, so I knew it was something I was interested in. I had seen another orange jacket I liked, at Brooks Brothers of all places, but it was $400! Eventually it went on sale, but never went below $200, and I didn't even like it as much as this one.

What I like about this jacket is that, unlike most "sporty" outerwear and rain gear, this has a distinct, fold-over collar, i.e. a separate piece of material that is attached to the garment. I've come to the conclusion that I do not care for coats and jackets that have the sort of self-collar that is meant to be worn standing up, like those typically found on parkas and fleece. Last year I replaced my winter parka with a collared coat from L.L. Bean that provides equivalent warmth but looks more dignified (meaning, more suitable to a guy my age), and this goes in that category as well.

The fabric is a lightweight cotton/nylon blend, so it provides some measure of water resistance. Orange is definitely an unusual choice for me. I was surprised at first that I liked it, but the color (which this picture represents fairly well) is not the more typical hi-vis orange, but deeper, with a little red to it, almost like a blood-orange shade. With the large matte-finish metal buttons, it's quite distinctive. I got it for less than half its original price, thanks to an early markdown (probably precipitated by the announcement that M+O would be shutting down this summer). Two weeks after I ordered it, all sizes were sold out from the web site, so I'm glad I ordered it when I did.

One peculiar thing about this: it came with a detachable hood, perhaps a concession to those who are more used to wearing the type of jacket I referred to above. It looked ridiculous, and I knew I would never use it (this is not a serious rain garment anyway). So I discarded it and removed the buttons under the collar that held it in place.

The other thing I need to be mindful of is that when I wear this, the rest of my outfit for that day needs to be fairly toned down. No bold stripes, no bright plaids; khakis or dark jeans, and a solid or small-scale pattern shirt.

Addendum: On my way home from work Friday, a guy stopped me on the street to ask where I'd gotten this coat, and he declared it "gorgeous." I thanked him.