FashBlog.com

By Christina VanGinkel

Shopping for a spring coat is best done when the first styles start to hit the store shelves, often a few weeks before Easter, when the cold of winter is still knocking on the door. A spring coat can be one of the most difficult outerwear items to purchase though, so shopping with a strategy in place for a new spring coat can assure you that you will still be satisfied with your purchase after you get it home to join your existing wardrobe and wear it a few times.

Two springs ago, I bought a Columbia hooded spring jacket. It was on sale, and I did not intend to buy a spring jacket that particular shopping trip, but there it was, the price was right, and after a quick try on, I bought it and brought it home, hung it in the closet, and did not take it out to wear it for several weeks. Zoom ahead those few weeks, and the first time I took it out to wear it, it felt like it was at least a full size too big. I had not lost any weight, yet the jacket that fit comfortably in the store just a few short weeks before, was now very big. I looked ridiculous in it. Then I remembered how I was dressed that day and could not believe I had not considered how the heavy sweater I was wearing that day would affect the fit of this thin styled jacket. I learned a very good lesson that day, never shop for a spring coat in a heavy winter outfit. If you try on a spring coat over layers, or a heavy sweater, you have a good chance of buying a coat that is just too large on you. Sure, it might look good when you try it on, but the first time you go to wear it with an average weight garment, it will hang and sag on you. Even the length of it will be misleading, as the thickness of a winter sweater or a couple of layers will hold up the jacket at the shoulder, and you will not have the same length at the hip when you wear it with your spring clothes. If you live where spring can mean the occasional cold day where you might want to wear your spring styled jacket with a sweater, then consider wearing one of your thinner sweaters on shopping day, something that could be worn on those colder days, but not so heavy that it will make the jacket not fit with your other spring clothes. One way to avoid the above scenario altogether is to look for a spring jacket that is layered itself, with a zip in lining for those colder days, or purchase two separate jackets, one a size up from your normal size so that it will fit comfortably over those thick sweaters.

Color is also a big choice. We are often still stuck in winter mode, and do not consider how the color choices we choose may look with our spring clothes. All of the pastels or fun colors look great on the hangars, but consider what many of the colors you will be wearing in the spring when you wear the coat. Also, consider where you will mostly be wearing the jacket. If it is to be worn mainly to work, and you work in an office, then look for a neutral color. If you are a stay at home mom, and you will be mainly wearing it to drop your kids off at play dates, then go ahead and pick something a bit more fun colored.

Fabric is another major consideration, and you should consider the climate of your average spring. Some climates call for a spring jacket that is nothing more than a thin cover up, where other places require you to shop with some warmth in the fabric a necessity. If you live in a climate where spring means week after week of rain, then be sure to look for a jacket that is water repellant, but at the same time, do not think that you have to shop for a rain slicker. With the wide variety of fabrics available, you should be able to find a suitable style that fits all of your spring needs.