UPDATE -- Additional J.Crew Coat Reviews:

Review for the J.Crew Tipped Peacoat
Review for the J. Crew Double-cloth Funnel Coat 
Review for the J. Crew Thinsulate Double-cloth Metro Coat

The east coast is hit by Ms. Sandy this week. As I look outside, holed up in this house, I know Sandy isn't playing around. The wind is gusting pretty hard and I’m afraid my car is going to get totaled by a tree! I even saw a couple of guys on CNN scuba diving / canoeing in their own back yard this morning... Compared to Ms. Irene a year ago, Sandy is definitely more of a heavy hitter.

The colder nights (and of course the J. Crew coat ads that spammed my mailbox literally every other day) reminded me it’s time to pull out my winter outwear again. If I remember it correctly, the Double-Cloth Slim Trench was the first winter coat J. Crew featured on their homepage this season. At first glance, I was not floored by it when i saw it on their website mainly because of the color pink. When I saw the same coat sold in store, my curiosity got the best of me and fell in love with the fit after trying it on! 

J. Crew Double-cloth Metro Coat from 2011

I owned a few winter coats, including a J. Crew one I got last year (UPDATE: review for the coat), but none of them were slim fit. The color of this coat is nothing out of ordinary. My winter fashion quest this year was to search for a yellow coat, not bright yellow, but more of the color between yellow and gold. However, the fit of it totally caught my eye! I have tried both wearing a thin dress and wearing sweater plus jeans inside; the coat fits perfectly on either way. The only thing I would not wear inside is a dress/skirt that is below your knees. As you can tell, the coat is on the relatively shorter side (3”- 4” above my knees).

J. Crew is really big on their colorful coats this winter, but I don’t think I am ready for a vibrant green or orange coat over my everyday business look yet. Not sure what to do, start with black or blue! That’s what I always tell myself.

Just discovered the joy of taking bokeh photos. I was trying it tonight with the street lights and rain...
 








My friend forwarded me this email from American Apparel earlier. What a clever marketing strategy! I was browsing different online stores today and we sure are bored. However, if you have no power and no internet, maybe this is the best time to catch up on some much needed sleep!



************************
Coat (2012): Double-cloth Slim Trench - J. Crew
Dress: Jules Dress in Snowcat - J. Crew
Pumps: Perfect Cutout Pumps - Ann Taylor
Coat (2011): Double-cloth Metro Coat with Thinsulate - J. Crew (2012 sold here)
Scarf: from street vendors when I visited China last year
Bag: Oxford Cross-body Bag - Kate Spade 
Old Boots - Cole Haan (similar)

Update: Julia's Picks on 2015 Winter Collection: