Debra M.
Good fit (size 10 - S/M) and I really like the coat, but there are a few things:
1. The label states "hand wash" in cold water, I made the mistake of putting it in the machine on a quick hand wash in cold water which resulted in a multitude of long threads unravelling - that wasn't too bad because I cut them off but I definitely would not wash it in the machine again. It's a weighty but not too heavy coat so would need to be washed on a hot or windy day, it wouldn't dry in one day otherwise.
2. The cut-out section at the bottom of the hem on the right side looks weird I think, like it's been torn. I knew it was there when I bought it but mistakenly thought I'd be able to fix it by making the hem shorter but that won't work because the white stripes on the front don't match up with the white stripes on the back of the coat. And, it would also take the hem up too close to the back pocket. I can fix it though by taking the back pocket off and putting it on the front cut out section - however, there's a fault in the material that you can't see until the back pocket is removed (which I did), but that can also be remedied with a bit of imagination. The same fault is in the material under the front right pocket (a thick black line not in keeping with the rest of the material - perhaps that's why the sewn on pockets were located where they are).
3. There's a piece of elastic sewn into part of the left-hand side of the hem which I think looked weird and served no purpose so I removed it; also removed it because it made the left hand side a different size to the right hand side.
4. The stitching stopping the frayed edges from fraying further are tiny and very close in places to the frayed edges, so I won't be relying on those tiny stitches to do that job long-term and intend reinforcing them.
The coat is as described on the website so anybody who is happy with that will be very pleased. I'm just being fussy because while I really like the coat, I want it to be functional first and foremost. I think it is over-priced even on sale but having said that, I don't regret buying it. I just think the quality of a coat worth nearly a couple of hundred dollars should be a bit sturdier. Perhaps it could be made clear on the website that under no circumstances should the coat be washed in a machine even on 'hand wash' cycle.
All in all, still really like the coat.
