We just got 43 centimeters of glorious fluffy snow here in Montreal. This in itself is a vintage experience and reminds me of the snowfalls we used to get around here back when I was a kid and of those my parents described playing in when they were young too. This kind of scenery puts me in the mood to talk about vintage winter fashion and the first thing that comes to mind is the princess coat!
Princess coat? What is a princess coat you ask? Well, you won’t find a definition of such a thing anywhere, but in the vintage scene, it is well understood. The first characteristic that defines a princess coat is that it is flared at the waist. Next is fur trim; this can come in many variations with the most quintessential pieces having trim along all the edges of the coat. They come most commonly in wool, leather, suede or shearling with fur of various kinds. The most glorious pieces are of course the ones from the 40s to 70s. Here are some available on Etsy:
Unadorned:
Fur trimmed:
There are many shearling princess coats available from the 1970s, the decade that really embraced this style. My favourites are the little short ones with fur trim all around but there are several variations and they are all fashionable and cozy!
Another popular version is the Russian princess coat. These are more a-line in cut and are double breasted like a pea coat or some variation on that theme. They usually have fur trim on the collar and/or cuffs. The red and black versions of these are truly classic Russian style, but all of these coats are amazing and are great timeless investments. Keep in mind too that you could add trim yourself to a coat that you already have. Faux fur is available in any fabric store, and you can always find real fur cuffs & collars in vintage shops.
If you prefer not to wear real fur you are not out of luck, and you will be far less out-of-pocket (usually ;)).
What is the perfect companion to a princess coat? Clearly a fur muff and hat set!
Happy winter & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
dandy lioness 