A word or two about my coat closet.... the statement coat closet, that is

I currently have a closet for my coats. Alright, I say that and you're thinking, "well, that's normal - almost everyone has a coat closet." Yes, this is true. Only my coat closet isn't one that has room enough in it to house the coats of my guests. I imagine most coat closets around the world are rather the same. They are filled with overcoats in muted colours. They are the coats we grab as we head out the door, the coats we use for inclement weather or the coats we throw on to run to the door mid-morning to great the Fedex man. Am I am an expert on coat closets? Hardly. But I've been to enough houses to have the lay of the land. These are general storage closets. That all being said, my coat closet is anything but normal. In fact, it might just be my favorite "room" in the house. Keep in mind I live in London and my "house" falls more in the category of shoebox than actual house, if we're keeping things honest here. 

My coat closet is a rainbow of colour, a stew of texture and a storybook of my life. For over a decade now I have collected and cherished every loud, proud and out of control coat I could get my hands on. I always wanted something that, when thrown on, could instantly transform my mood. I have soft and cuddly for moments when I need to be hugged (man, that makes me sound sad). I have loud and colorful for grey days, which we are very familiar with in London. I even have oversized and impressive for the fat days (am I the only one that has those days?). My coats have become my trusted companions. Don't worry, I haven't gone as far as to give them all names... yet.

But, this all brings me to a recent discover in the form of two new additions to my coat closet - both from the power fashion house Marina Rinaldi. Now, I'm just going to come out and address the elephant in the room here as I think this is a brand that many shoppers tend to stroll past because they believe it's just a "plus size" label. In truth, yes, it is a brand that carries their sizes through into larger numbers. Imagine that... a brand that actually wants to cater to the average women walking amongst us. How dare they be so fabulous? Well, these fabulous people caught my attention pre-fashion week and I was drawn in by two coats that are, well, they are just miraculous and exactly what I needed to get me through the fashion week that is filled with rain and grey weather days. One is from an artist's collaboration with the brand, and the other is part of the spring summer collection - both are the best new sparkly friends my coat closet has ever seen. And yes, they are both worthy of mention and praise. So there you have it. 

Now, I'm off to my next meeting. Which coat to wear...