Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Little Red Raincoat

When Jasper was a puppy, I bought this raincoat to wear for rainy, doggy walks. I like it so much, though, that it graduated from dog-walking-wear to work-wear.


Raincoat, REI. Sweater, Outback Red. Skirt, Plenty by Tracy Reese (thrifted). Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Earrings, thrifted vintage. Bag, thrifted.

Attending college in rainy, western Washington State, my crew and I never carried umbrellas. We preferred our Gore-Tex jackets. It was far more practical to pull our hoods up and put our heads down as we humped our backpacks up and down hills, through the wind and rain.

Once I became a fancy office lady in Cincinnati, I accumulated an umbrella collection to see me to and from the bus stop and left my Gore-Tex in the closet. (Although I still have that waterproof coat from college.) Umbrellas seemed far more civilized and I could continue to wear the cute (but not rainproof) coats and jackets I'd wear on dry days.

I suppose things have come full circle. A proper Sacramento winter is a lot like one in Western Washington: mild and wet. Getting from the car to a salon with an umbrella, a purse, a tote, and miscellaneous samples in the pouring rain requires more than two hands. The waterproof coat and hood is a more elegant solution and guarantees that I arrive with dry hair. (Of no importance as a grungy college student but imperative as the representative of a hair care company.)

Are you an umbrella person or a raincoat person?


And . . . this happened today:


shudder

5 comments:

Lola said...

My fave sweater!! I don't enjoy cleanings, either, but I am religious about the twice a year gig. Hope you are, too.

Anonymous said...

Love the red and blue together! I'm definitely a raincoat person. I always have other things to carry, and I never know what to do with the umbrella when I get inside. With the coat, I can just flip the hood back and carry on.

~J

Anonymous said...

I live outside Portland, Oregon in what if fondly called the Gorge. It is one of the best places on earth for Wind surfing which leads one to expect a lot of wind! Umbrellas are entirely useless. We only have rain coats around here.

P.S. I love the puppy pics (Jackson AND Jasper!).

Sheila said...

Ooh, ick, dentists. I hope you got a happy pill.

I only do umbrellas when I know I won't have to carry anything. I hate having to use a hand to hold one. I am not a fan of hooded coats because the hoods are always way too big! I wear a wool bowler hat in the rain - it's waterproof, keeps my hair intact and I am hands-free!

Susan said...

I want that raincoat!
I like both: my red umbrella for work days, or my raincoat with hood for light rain when I don't have far to walk. I want to get some cute rain boots, but, alas, it almost never rains in Southern CA! :)