Glam in Gray: an H&M Coat Review

Photos: Katie Derus | Coat: H&M (available online in the U.K. here)| Sunglasses: Prada | Shoes: Nine West (last seen in the last Petite Fashion Challenge) | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff

I bought this glam-looking H&M coat at the beginning of the fall, so I was somewhat surprised to see a few of them still lingering in the store when I popped in recently. After wearing it a few times, I think I know why there are still some left on the racks: this is kind of an odd duck of a coat.

I'll begin by saying that it's usually important to me to not have my coat be a big hassle to put on. I generally want to get out the door quickly, and spending a bunch of time figuring out collars and buttons and sashes isn't really my thing. I was willing to set my usual requirements aside for this coat because I loved the unique collar and adorable bow belt so much. However, practically speaking, I've found never want to wear it since getting into it is such a production. The collar has to be threaded through itself, the snaps are difficult to align and snap properly, and the bow belt has a tendency to whip its little elasticized self everywhere but where I want it to go when trying to snap it into place.

Since I have ended up not wearing this coat much, I decided not to fork over the money it would take to alter the sleeves, which are a bit too long for me. It was interesting to me, though, that when I looked at H&M's catalog shots of the coat, it seemed like the sleeves were also long on the models (I'm guessing both have a solid 10-12 inches of height on me). I'm not sure if this was the intended look, but it seems as if the sleeve length issue is universal across sizes.

Finally, the coat seems to only fall or lie properly when one doesn't walk, sit, or otherwise move around much. As soon as I begin moving, the pockets gape with the lining peeking out, the hem alignment looks off, and it bunches in odd places.

While this coat may still be available in some stores, I wish I had returned it while I could. The overall look, the interesting detailing, and the price were all very attractive, but the wearability and fit will probably cut short this item's life in my closet.