"Is that supposed to be pretty?"
"That" was a coat. My coat. The questioner: Dennis Freedman, master of deadpan delivery and, at the time, creative director of W magazine, where we both worked. The coat, which is still in my repertoire more than 20 years later: a floor-sweeping, spliced-together leather shearling with a tribal warrior vibe, aggressive yet oddly elegant in the deand re-constructed manner of the genre's genius, Martin Margiela.
No, Dennis, it's not supposed to be pretty. It's supposed to be noticed.
Oh, the wonders of a great coat. Outerwear does more than keep you warm. It announces the wearer-it says something about who you are, particularly in cold, walkable climates. (Hence the oft-quoted line, "In New York, your coat is your car?") A fabulous coat can captivate. I once chased a woman across the street to find out who had made her coat. Oblivious, she eluded my pursuit, and I couldn't get her artful intarsia stunner out of my mind for days. A major case of coat envy? Yes, but I was hardly the first thus stricken.
That distinction dates way back to Genesis, which identified such envy as a malignant evil in a famous tale. Instigating the emotion: not power or thy neighbor's wife, but a coat an amazing, decorated, colorful coat that indicated a father's preference for one of his children so distinctly it led the others to plot fratricide. Admit it, you've been there. Surely you've seen a spectacular coat and thought, "I'd kill for it."
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Town & Country US.
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Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Town & Country US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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For Your Eyes Only
A small wedding has many charms. Here's the proof
Anatomy of a Classic
Ballet flats have been around since medieval times. They still know how to have fun.
It's the Capital Gains Tax, Stupid
In the battle for billionaire political donations, the presidential election finally turned Silicon Valley into Wall Street without the monocle.
I'll Have What She's Wearing
Refined neutrals, face-framing turtlenecks, a white coat that says: I've got 30 more. Twenty-five years on, Rene Russo's Thomas Crown Affair wardrobe remains the blueprint for grown-up glamour.
Isn't That RICH?
If fragrance is invisible jewelry, how do you smell as if you're wearing diamonds, not cubic zirconia?
THE MACKENZIE EFFECT
A $36 billion fortune made MacKenzie Scott one of the richest women in the world. How shes giving it away makes her fascinating.
Her Roman Empire
Seventeen floors up, across from the Vegas behemoth that bears her name, Elaine Wynn is charting a major cultural future for America's casino capital, and she's doing it from a Michael Smith-designed oasis in the middle of the neon desert.
Are You There, God? I'm at Harvard
Why on earth are a bunch of successful midcareer professionals quitting their jobs and applying to Harvard Divinity School? Hint: It has nothing to do with heaven.
Bryan Stevenson
He has dedicated his life to defending the unfairly incarcerated and condemned. But his vision for racial justice has always been about more than winning in court.
Emma Heming Willis
Once best known as a model and entrepreneur, today shes an advocate for patients and caretakers dealing with an incurable disease—one that hits very close to home. Here, she speaks with Katie Couric about her mission.
