Serendipity!

     Do you believe in shopping serendipity?  I do.  This coat is one of the reasons I believe in it.  Every once in a while I'll stumble upon something absolutely fabulous that fits perfectly and is placed nicely within my price range.  This coat is one of those things.  Several months ago, just after I graduated from law school, I went to my local consignment store to look around.  Just randomly I pulled this coat out and almost died.  It fit perfectly so I checked the price tag.  It was originally $40, but was on sale for $25 or something.  My sister had $15 worth of store credit and in conjunction with my student discount, all I paid for this coat was $5.  Yup, $5!  

     The price alone is fabulous, but the fit and silhouette is what really makes it.  Thinking on these pictures, I was trying to figure out why I loved this coat so much.  I wouldn't normally think that a coat that was fitted to my waist and flared out would be so flattering.  In theory it should make my hips look HUGE.  But it doesn't.  It makes me look super duper tall.  And the reason is an optical illusion.  By making the waist as high as it is, it makes it look like my legs start at my waist and keep on going until forever.  Add to that illusion that it also nips me in at the waist and presto we've got shopping serendipity!

     Seriously though, this coat made me re-examine a few of the things that I thought were off-limits.  These being different silhouettes, winter white, and long winter coats for my short frame.  And a major reason for my going out of my safe zone is the wonderful fashion bloggers out there that showcase how they go out on limb and even though they may not always look their best, they still try their best.  Thank you to all of you for providing an example for me to follow in trying new things.  

The Details:
Coat: Tahari (Consignment) 
Pants: Gap
Sweater: Forever 21
Scarf: Target
Heels: Aldo