Wardrobe Staple: The Camel Coat

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Late last year while I was in France, I passed by a Max Mara shop and remembered that I was supposed to pick up a camel coat for my mom for winter. I went in to do some shopping, and ended up leaving with not one, but two camel coats. An excellent moment for my closet, a terrible packing conundrum (I never check baggage if I can help it).

Since then, I’ve been wearing my camel coat quite a bit, and it’s been a wonderful item to have through winter. My only regret is that I didn’t pick up a camel coat sooner – it’s definitely (in my opinion, if it works for you) a wardrobe staple!

Here’s mine, which I like to wear it both open and closed. I ended up buying my mom the classic Rialto style with the hood, and I chose a more oversized model.

I like the big sleeves, even though Mr. Feather muttered “Jedi Knight” when I was taking these pictures. I’ll need to get them shortened at the tailor at some point!

This is my first camel hair item (I think) and I was debating between black and tan. I felt that the classic tan showed off the texture of the fabric perfectly.

I tried to find less expensive versions of camel hair coats, but after some research it seems that Max Mara is actually (gulp) quite fairly priced. So if you’re looking for one, it might make sense just to stick with the classic.

The coat I purchased isn’t available online, but you can find one of the most classic versions of this coat, the Manuel, at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales.