It was not long ago that we made an ironic finding…neither of us owned a bonafide, true-blue raincoat. Where’s the irony? Well, for starters, both of us were born and raised in the Vancouver suburbs. A raincoat could and should be considered a staple in any West Coast women’s closet! Truth be told, I’ve always balked at the sloppy, unstructured AND noisy (you know what i’m talking about…like a clown making animal balloons at a 3 year old’s bday party…) jackets that I’ve seen.
So, the hunt was on to find a raincoat that we could love. With one non-negotiable: it had to have a hood. I mean, really…how practical is a raincoat that fails at its very purpose: to keep you dry!
Success! Here’s our finds and some suggestions for those of you who see more wet than you’d like.
Pam's raincoat "steal" purchased just outside of Las Vegas at Neiman's Last Call Outlet
What sold Pam on this coat: lightweight material ~ the dark khaki/bayleaf color pretty much goes with anything~ the waist is defined for a slimming silhouette~ love the ruffle detail in the front~ and last, but not least: the hood is concealed but it’s there!!
What she paid: $113 (the retail price was $325 !). You can purchase almost the identical jacket at http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod95760036&ecid=NMALRFeedJ84DHJLQkR4&ci_src=14110925&ci_sku=T27B9&CS_003=5630585
Unfortunately it’s not on sale…it’s definitely a splurge at $375.
Laurel's Red Heritage Raincoat, purchased from Anthropologie. www.anthroplogie.com
What sold Laurel on this coat: People smile at me when I wear it! True! Red=HAPPY! ~ Soundless, soft and subtly structured fabric ~ waterproof, not just water resistant ~ It’s in the details: lined with great fabric, vents and longer back to keep your tosh dry!
What Laurel paid: $288 — now on sale for $201.60
Encore trench from jcrew.com $194
One of our dear friends, Andrea, joined in the challenge and purchased the above trench from J Crew! She is loving it and looks like a million bucks in it!
We’ve also found some great deals! Check out Bluefly’s Michael Kors $79 hooded trench http://www.bluefly.com/MICHAEL-Michael-Kors-british-khaki-cotton-blend-hooded-trench/SEARCH/311204201/detail.fly It’s a great deal, regularly priced at $200.
I’ve spotted a great trench by Joe Fresh as well…located at the Canadian Superstore for you locals!!
Rain coat from Joe Fresh, $69. Comes in gray, black and white.
The hood is detachable.
It IS possible to look stylish in the rain:)
