Buying a coat this season just isn’t what it used to be. Thank God!

Circa 1995-2006, the routine was: enter store… feel force of pull to the racks laden with black wool… select shapeless style in the name of warmth and utility… hope for sale price… justify boring purchase with “It will go with everything!”… check out, go home, envy other people’s cool coats all season long.

Not this year. I’ve decided to forgo shapeless for a waist-cinching belt. I’ve decided to go for a 3/4 style so that the look is sophisticated, not like wearing the same wool peacoat I purchased in college or the long coats that make short people (like me!) look frumpy. I’m looking for color — maybe even pattern! And I’m willing to buy two — a conservative style as a classic investment piece, and then a moderate or cheap one “for fun.”

Here’s the catch — neither coat can be black, unless that black is in a pattern. That’s the whole point of this style update — break out! I’d like the investment piece to be neutral — after all, I do have to look professional and a bubble-gum pink wool coat likely won’t have me taken very seriously. But the “fun” piece can be as bold as I dare.

So right now starts the No-Frump Winter Coat Challenge. I’ve started adding a few contenders to my StyleFeed… let me know what you think.

Should I go for a to-die-for color?

Fun pattern and a belt?

Frilly, feminine details?

Hurry, people! It’s getting chilly!