to everyone who has responded to my thread... THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS!
usually when i can't decide between two items, i either (a) buy both and then suffer from buyer's remorse or (b) buy neither and then beat myself up for being so damn indecisive. while i originally opted for option (b), guess what? i ended up buying the zara coat today! i happened to be shopping at zara tonight and fell in love with it all over again. plus, i needed something warm and this coat will definitely do the job! thanks again, everyone!