When the list of requirements is longer than the coat itself, finding the perfect winter coat can become an arduous task, as DEPESHA discovered.
It’s getting colder, winter’s coming, and I need a coat. I don’t want to walk around in one of those shapeless, padded things that looks like I’ve taken my duvet and sewed on sleeves. Nor like I’ve just come from the snowfields. I want a coat that is below the knee but above the calf or ankle, waterproof, arctic-weather-proof, long in the sleeve, ideally leather or sheepskin but I will consider other materials, although no pleather, under any circumstance, and no puffa jackets. Despite the unique virtues of the puffa — like being able to hide a full-term pregnancy and as a shoplifting aide, they are just not my thing. And I’ve set myself a budget. Difficult, but not impossible.
I don’t know why I entered Henry Bendel. It contains many things I would like to own but never will, including a heavy brown sheepskin duffel with a belted front and high neck, and a gorgeous ‘40s black fur jacket with three-quarter-length sleeves. In Barney's COOP, a grey sheepskin range by 6267 caught my eye. The coats came in below-the-knee length and waist length, both with an oversized military style collar, an asymmetrical zip, and both totally chic. I did not try these on, I probably would have stained them.
Up there with “control gusset” and “mucus,” “anorak” is one of the least sexy words in the English language. Audrey Hepburn never wore an anorak; Kevin Costner wears an anorak every day. The coats are neither warm or waterproof with the exception of their sensible, shapeless anoraks , available with or without detachable faux-fur trim. They come in a range of dull colours that would only catch a mother’s eye. Does it not get cold in Kate Moss’s world?
THANKSGIVING MOSCOW STYLE
Samobranka
Marriott Grand Hotel’s restaurant is doing double holiday duty on Nov. 26. Thanksgiving enthusiasts can dig into a special, turkey-laden brunch from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. (2,400 rubles per person), while their Santa-loving comrades may prematurely savor the familiar sounds of Christmas music playing in the background.
Doug’s Steakhouse
On Nov. 23, the new steakhouse presents a traditional holiday dinner that would make any American homestead proud. Sit down for corn bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, fried turkey and apple cobbler starting at 4 p.m. or 7 p.m The cost is 1,600 rubles per person, and reservations are required.
Terraneo
Variety is the spice of life, and Terraneo of Marriott Courtyard is planning a buffet that will deliver it in abundance. Sample: Thanksgiving treats with a twist, like the roasted bourbon yams and corn crepes with smoked salmon. The celebration runs from 6 to 11 p.m. on Nov. 23, and costs 1,050 rubles per person.
