How many vintage coats does it take to make it through a long Minnesota winter?

I'm a pretty sensible and practical woman most of the time, but when it comes to vintage winter coats, my head goes foggy and my heart takes over.   If I see a pretty coat at an estate sale for a reasonable price, I just can't seem to pass it up!

The crazy thing about it is that I already have [walking over to my closet to count right now] NINE vintage winter coats - and most of them I've never worn yet.   Nine coats!   That's a little overboard, don't you think?   I promise you that I'm not like this with other types of clothes - generally, I'm Ms. Frugal - but there's something about coats...
 
Here are two that I bought at a sale this past July.  I remember it was bleepin' hot out that day and the estate sale was crowded with hot, sweaty shoppers - and there I was in the middle of the chaos trying on these wonderful vintage coats, attempting to catch a glimpse of myself in a little mirror. I got lots of smiles (who is this crazy woman?) but nobody seemed to want to bother with lugging around a heavy winter coat on a hot day.  Nobody except me.  And so I got some great deals!
 
This black coat has a "Stuart's - Milwaukee" label and the sweetest ball-shaped fabric buttons.

I think that my favorite feature on this first coat - the thing that convinced me that I had to buy it - is the embroidered "arrows" detailing on the back and front.  I'm also a sucker for curly lamb trim.  (Thanks Kitty and Kim Bombshell for reminding me that "curly lamb" is more often called Astrakhan or Persian lamb.)

This next vintage coat (mid 1950's?) is a much longer style, in a navy blue - and the label is: "Made expressly for Bloomingdale's."

 

This one's perfect for keeping warm during a cold Minnesota winter.  It's long and heavy - and has the softest brown fur in the world on the collar and cuffs.  I love the look from the back, with the gentle folds...

What do you think - is it a keeper?

But wait until you see the sweetheart of a coat, in chocolate brown, that I bought a few weeks ago!  It's got a lovely "Brucewood - Maurice L. Rothschild - Young Quinlan Co" label.

(I have a thing for vintage clothing labels - anyone else with me on that obsession?) 

As for the rest of the coat...I'll share some photos soon.  Then maybe you would be willing to help me figure out which coat should be The Coat that will carry me through this winter?  And I can eventually sell the others. 

OR...I suppose I could keep all nine - one for each day of the week, plus a couple just for evenings - but that seems a bit on the greedy side, doesn't it?  And I don't want to give the impression that I am a Greedy Grinch. 

I'd like to think that my heart, like the Grinch's on Christmas Day, expands to three times its size at this time of year....

Narrator: "And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!"

Narrator: "Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand."



This song sends shivers up my spine, and puts tears in my eyes.   It's so joyful and uplifting! - one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time...

Silly me. I have no idea how I managed to turn the discussion from vintage coats to this 1966 Dr. Seuss Christmas television classic.  I guess it means that I must be starting to get into the Christmas spirit.  Hope you are too!

Warm holiday wishes, 

Susan