Last night, I was trying to decide what to wear to the Portland Art Museum’s member party. Since this was the first time I’ve gone to an event like this in Portland, I wasn’t sure exactly what would constitute an appropriate ensemble; all I knew was that it was in the evening, there would be food, wine, live music, and dancing. A dress seemed indicated. However…

You know how sometimes you base an entire outfit around a fabulous pair of shoes? Well, as I was trying to get ready, it dawned on me that I might just have to choose my dress to go with a coat, instead of the other way around. To the coat closet I went, only to discover that anything that could remotely be construed as “evening” was not going to work with any of my dresses. (In my defense, I have been uncharacteristically ruthless with my recent closet purges, and it was warm and dry for so long this year that this issue really hadn’t come up.)

What kinds of coats actually do work for evening? I suspect most of us don’t really want to invest in coats we’ll only wear occasionally, so is it possible to find coats that work for day as well as for dressier events? If so, where can we find these happy hybrids?

Just this morning, Who What Wear was kind enough to send me a slideshow of evening coats!  (This past week was apparently designated “Coat Week” — where have I been?) What I love about their choices is that every one of them could easily be worn with daytime looks, but each has something extra-special about it, from luxurious texture and shine to fabulous shapes and colors.  Here’s one of my favorites:

I could see myself wearing this coat almost daily; it’s classic and neutral enough to work with everything without being boring, but also more than special enough to go out at night! I am also intrigued by the coats that use 2 different fabrics to look like a shorter jacket over a longer one; I think I might try making something like that. Might be a good repurposing project, now that I think about it!

What are your favorites? What would you wear them with? And I’d love to hear about coats you already own that work well for you!