This is a story inspired by @Mio86 who scored her holy grail bag (Congratulations!). It is about one man’s obsession with a women’s coat.
What would be your dream piece of RTW?
Perhaps it was a piece that got away: reserved and bought before you had a chance; an item you’ve been mulling over, and when you were ready to pull the trigger, it was long gone; or something you didn’t even know you needed until you happened upon it.
On one fateful day I ventured into the Chanel boutique to browse. My advisor presented a few options - emphasis on the few, as 95% of the selections don’t fit me, a 6-foot, 180-lb man.
Then something *sparkly* caught my eye from a distance.
It was a truly magnificent showstopper: a cream patchwork cashmere peacoat, with glittering sequins interwoven throughout the tweed. AND it looked like it could fit me. I felt my heart stop.
I tried to play it cool with my advisor, who at the time didn’t know outerwear was my weakness. To me, Fall-Winter is layering and coats, coats, COATS: my true Achilles' heel!
« That is beautiful. » I pointed out the coat *nonchalantly*.
« Yeah, too bad it’s 15,000 euros. » My advisor raised a brow.
« That’s fine. Whatever. » I shrugged and gave a neutral reaction, but my palms were sweating.
Now, I wasn’t really put off by my advisor’s seemingly condescending reply, which can be interpreted to mean I was not the type of client who could afford a 15K coat. And she was right: my closet doesn’t have anything remotely close to that astronomical price tag.
So I tried on the darn thing, fell in love, told her I’d think about it, and went on my merry way. Thus began an unhealthy obsession over this coat.
Couple weeks later, I went back and the coat wasn’t on the floor anymore. The merchandising team had changed the visuals, and a new collection had been rolled out. The coat, my advisor said, is quietly tucked away in the back, obviously unspoken for thanks to its price tag. As we went through the racks of embroidered tweeds and bedazzled sweaters, she whispered:
« You know, it also comes in black. »
No. NO! Internally I could barely contain my excitement. But on the outside I still tried to stay calm. I had to see it.
She quickly disappeared in the back and pulled out the black peacoat. It was even more impressive than the cream version. The patchwork pattern on the black was more subtle than the cream; in addition to the sparkly sequins, there were tiny glass beads woven into the tweed. The lining was also quilted, something I’ve not seen before in Chanel jackets and coats. As I was trying it on, the handwarmer pockets hit exactly at the waist where it was supposed to hit. The coat was perfection.
A seamstress who was with another client, glanced my way and gasped, « wowwww, that is a nice one on you. » The sales manager who was also present followed: « Isn’t this Lesage spectacular? The buttons are made from the highest quality resin, and the lining uses an old school Chanel technique… »
And suddenly the 17,000 euro price tag made a little more sense. You read that right: it was even more expensive than the cream coat. Of course it was Lesage. It had to be. In my size too.
My advisor then explained that the coats were special orders for VIP clients, who didn’t end up taking them mostly likely due to the oversized, boxy cut. However, it works perfectly for a dude with a rather brawny frame! She also pulled out the cream version, and we compared the two coats side by side. « Get both. » the sales manager joked. I chuckled nervously alongside everyone, then said I’ll think about it.
And long and hard I did think. I just couldn’t stop lusting over the coat. Every time I thought, I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna buy the darn thing. Every time the prohibitive cost pulled me back to reality.
Months went by, my advisor messaged me. « Here’s your chance. It’s on sale! » Even after the reduction, the coat was over 10K euros. Fighting the urge - luckily I was out of the country at the time - I politely declined for a second time.
Fast forward to this summer, while shopping in a consignment shop with the Mrs., I spotted the exact coat hidden in a rack of preloved Chanel RTW. It was a couple sizes smaller than the one I had tried on at the boutique, but it still fit! Besides minor wears and pilling of the cashmere, it was in great condition, and the consignment shop was asking for 6,300 euros. While tempted, I held back but at this point a seed was planted in my head. This was my chance.
So I became a stalker: every week I would check the consignment shop’s website, and I was betting on an end-of- season markdown. It was the only way I could justify buying the coat. Couple of weeks after I first visited the shop, I finally saw a 20% off on the website; a month later, it was 30% off. Then before I knew it, the coat was marked as sold on the website. As disappointed as I was, I pat myself in the back for having the restrain and discipline to be financially responsible. It just wasn’t meant to be. And now it was just a distant memory.
Lo and behold, two days after « sold », the coat was relisted for its original consignment price. Then it sat there on the site for months, one markdown after another, until it was reduced to about 2,000 euros.
It is now with my tailor who is taking out the shoulder pads and lengthening the sleeves for me. I finally understood what many members in the Chanel threads refer to as the Chanel Happy Feeling.
It was love, at first sight.
What would be your dream piece of RTW?
Perhaps it was a piece that got away: reserved and bought before you had a chance; an item you’ve been mulling over, and when you were ready to pull the trigger, it was long gone; or something you didn’t even know you needed until you happened upon it.
On one fateful day I ventured into the Chanel boutique to browse. My advisor presented a few options - emphasis on the few, as 95% of the selections don’t fit me, a 6-foot, 180-lb man.
Then something *sparkly* caught my eye from a distance.
It was a truly magnificent showstopper: a cream patchwork cashmere peacoat, with glittering sequins interwoven throughout the tweed. AND it looked like it could fit me. I felt my heart stop.
I tried to play it cool with my advisor, who at the time didn’t know outerwear was my weakness. To me, Fall-Winter is layering and coats, coats, COATS: my true Achilles' heel!
« That is beautiful. » I pointed out the coat *nonchalantly*.
« Yeah, too bad it’s 15,000 euros. » My advisor raised a brow.
« That’s fine. Whatever. » I shrugged and gave a neutral reaction, but my palms were sweating.
Now, I wasn’t really put off by my advisor’s seemingly condescending reply, which can be interpreted to mean I was not the type of client who could afford a 15K coat. And she was right: my closet doesn’t have anything remotely close to that astronomical price tag.
So I tried on the darn thing, fell in love, told her I’d think about it, and went on my merry way. Thus began an unhealthy obsession over this coat.
Couple weeks later, I went back and the coat wasn’t on the floor anymore. The merchandising team had changed the visuals, and a new collection had been rolled out. The coat, my advisor said, is quietly tucked away in the back, obviously unspoken for thanks to its price tag. As we went through the racks of embroidered tweeds and bedazzled sweaters, she whispered:
« You know, it also comes in black. »
No. NO! Internally I could barely contain my excitement. But on the outside I still tried to stay calm. I had to see it.
She quickly disappeared in the back and pulled out the black peacoat. It was even more impressive than the cream version. The patchwork pattern on the black was more subtle than the cream; in addition to the sparkly sequins, there were tiny glass beads woven into the tweed. The lining was also quilted, something I’ve not seen before in Chanel jackets and coats. As I was trying it on, the handwarmer pockets hit exactly at the waist where it was supposed to hit. The coat was perfection.
A seamstress who was with another client, glanced my way and gasped, « wowwww, that is a nice one on you. » The sales manager who was also present followed: « Isn’t this Lesage spectacular? The buttons are made from the highest quality resin, and the lining uses an old school Chanel technique… »
And suddenly the 17,000 euro price tag made a little more sense. You read that right: it was even more expensive than the cream coat. Of course it was Lesage. It had to be. In my size too.
My advisor then explained that the coats were special orders for VIP clients, who didn’t end up taking them mostly likely due to the oversized, boxy cut. However, it works perfectly for a dude with a rather brawny frame! She also pulled out the cream version, and we compared the two coats side by side. « Get both. » the sales manager joked. I chuckled nervously alongside everyone, then said I’ll think about it.
And long and hard I did think. I just couldn’t stop lusting over the coat. Every time I thought, I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna buy the darn thing. Every time the prohibitive cost pulled me back to reality.
Months went by, my advisor messaged me. « Here’s your chance. It’s on sale! » Even after the reduction, the coat was over 10K euros. Fighting the urge - luckily I was out of the country at the time - I politely declined for a second time.
Fast forward to this summer, while shopping in a consignment shop with the Mrs., I spotted the exact coat hidden in a rack of preloved Chanel RTW. It was a couple sizes smaller than the one I had tried on at the boutique, but it still fit! Besides minor wears and pilling of the cashmere, it was in great condition, and the consignment shop was asking for 6,300 euros. While tempted, I held back but at this point a seed was planted in my head. This was my chance.
So I became a stalker: every week I would check the consignment shop’s website, and I was betting on an end-of- season markdown. It was the only way I could justify buying the coat. Couple of weeks after I first visited the shop, I finally saw a 20% off on the website; a month later, it was 30% off. Then before I knew it, the coat was marked as sold on the website. As disappointed as I was, I pat myself in the back for having the restrain and discipline to be financially responsible. It just wasn’t meant to be. And now it was just a distant memory.
Lo and behold, two days after « sold », the coat was relisted for its original consignment price. Then it sat there on the site for months, one markdown after another, until it was reduced to about 2,000 euros.
It is now with my tailor who is taking out the shoulder pads and lengthening the sleeves for me. I finally understood what many members in the Chanel threads refer to as the Chanel Happy Feeling.
It was love, at first sight.
Huge congrats!!!!
Congrats!!!!
