I just bought a new winter coat here in Paris. It's my first one since, oh, 1993 or so. I didn't need one in SF and in Minneapolis, two lighter jackets worn together did the trick. I'm glad I was able to find one here because one of the main reasons I haven't purchased a winter coat in 9 years is the difficulty in finding one with an appropriate style for me. Compared to the simply-cut French coats, the (more expensive) American coats look like stock cars, with racing stripes, company logos (What kind of coat is that? IT'S NORTH FACE!!!!), and all sorts of empty flair. I'm just not a race car person.
