Dressing for the January Cold. . .

Said 'polo coat,' found via Ebay and acquired for pennies on the dollar.

Dressing for the cold in a professional sense can sometimes be a challenge in our age of so called athleisure technical gear that looks like it might be more at home on the ski slopes, or tobogganing at the local park than in a quasi-white collar setting. Sure, there are still companies that produce classic men's overcoats of one kind or another, but too often these items are obscenely expensive when purchased new at full retail price. While I no longer shop thrift and charity establishments, let's be reasonable.

Luckily, there are other options though, for instance Ebay, where I stumbled onto this vintage Polo University Club double-breasted 'polo coat' (in a wool and camel hair blend) at the end of November 2018. I've been on the lookout for one of these for several years, and given the ridiculously low asking price, I made an offer, which the seller accepted. Yes! Call it a late birthday gift to myself.

The coat looked anything but inspiring when it arrived at the start of December. But following a visit to the dry-cleaner, it came home cleaned, pressed, and in plastic. I hung it in the front hall closet to wait for the the start of the new semester in January. Well, here we are. Today was its inaugural wearing.

The verdict? Very warm, extremely comfortable, and classically stylish in a 1930s sense. In short, I'm pleased with the purchase. There are three of four tiny holes, yes, but these are not blatantly obvious unless you know where to look for them. I have done some research since the coat arrived last month and found a few places with an online presence that handle reweaving to repair, among other things, moth damage. I'll talk to them before determining where to send the coat once spring arrives. In the meantime, I'll wear and enjoy it.

Incidentally, the attire beneath the overcoat shown included some dark red dress corduroy pants, a mid-brown Harris Tweed jacket with a red, blue, and mustard windowpane overlay, chocolate suede quarter brogues and belt, maroon wool dress socks, a light blue oxford cloth button-down shirt, and the brown necktie with silvery gray and red foulard pattern. Who says you can't have fun with your attire when it's cold out?

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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