Replacements: A Coat Review

I decided that I know exactly what I like to wear, so shopping has become a lot easier for me. Since I know which items I always reach for, I have been making a list of the items I wish to replace with something that will last me longer than a year. This coat is replacing one I bought for $20 last year at Forever 21. Unfortunately, despite that coat's warmth, it is a dirt magnet, and it's too short to wear with boyfriend cardigans. I know full well that coat will make it two seconds into dry cleaning before it disintegrates, becoming nothing but a pile of fibers.

I considered another Forever 21 replacement, but I didn't like the options for one of many reasons: cheetah-print fur inside, elastic sleeves, strings hanging all about (I have another coat from there, and all of the strings hanging around annoy me to no end), too short, more expensive than the one I got from AE, or sold out. They have a LOT of options, but none of them surpassed this coat for me.

I love any coat I can spend less than $100 on. Luckily, American Eagle had a Black Friday promotion for 40% off, so I decided to make this coat mine. I toyed with the rust version of this coat and decided it would not go with as many items in my closet. I also considered the black version of this coat, but then I wouldn't want to wear it with brown because I'm weird like that. I decided that the green would be versatile. If you are considering a coat like this one, I will tell you my pros and cons:

Pros:
* It covers below the butt, which means it works well with boyfriend cardigans, and I love wearing boyfriend cardigans.
* It sits a little higher in the front, which I like because it prevents me from feeling like a sausage.
* It's cinched in the waist, so it actually gives me a shape other than rectangle. (The one I'm replacing makes me feel like one shape.)
* From the chest upward, it is lined with some pseudo fur, making it much warmer. (I am always cold in the chest because I lack insulated flesh in that area.)
* The lining in the hood can be removed.
* I love the gold zipper and buttons.

Cons:
* The lining is only chest high, which might bother some people. However, it's lined in the same spot I am always coldest, so I am not sure how much it will bother me that it's not lined in a place I don't feel as cold.
* There are no side pockets. However, you can tuck the pockets' flaps inside of the pockets and stuff your hands into the pockets very easily.
* The sleeve length is a little short. I always wear gloves and my sweaters usually peek out of jacket sleeves, so I'm not sure how much of a problem this con will be.
* Sometimes, the lining pokes out of the sleeves, but I have this problem with pretty much EVERY coat ever.

For the record, I am allergic to both down and wool. (Some wool coats are okay, however.) So, coat shopping is not easy for me. Thankfully, this coat contains no allergens. Woo. Add it to the pro list.

The Look: Tee: Target Cardigan: Old Navy // exact? Scarf: Francesca's Pants: J.Brand via thredUP Boots: b.o.c. via DSW