These wool town coats are absolutely lovely. Like many mixed fabric things they don't last forever, but most people would tell you to expect something like this to last 2-4 years, especially in brighter colours. Whilst its something of a luxury for some, I'd brand it an absolute necessity for others. The coat is medium in length, so just goes to the top of my thighs. Its belted, so helps to create or enhance your shape nicely. The collar is brilliant, allowing for scarves, stylish, but warm in its own right. I have a red one, and they're superb, but I've seen them in other colours and even in black. It starts to defeat the point in black, but if for example you dress all in black it could be worthwhile.
As far as durability, I have worn it most days in the winter/wintery months for about two and a half years. It had one minor tear along a seam which I got fixed professionally, and after that it held together. The threads on the buttons have a tendency to have issues, I do need to cut them somewhat regularly. Clear nail polish helped the problem but didn't stop it. None of the buttons has ever fallen off, though. It fits closely or allows thinner jumpers, struggles with thicker ones, but can be forgiving of a bit of extra fat centrally. After two and a half years it has definitely started to show some wear patches, but probably can be gotten away with for errands in this age of austerity without being entirely shabby.
I'd love to replace it but can't afford to so am wearing country coats in London right now - my tweed or my waterproof riding/hacking/hiking one. I would class it as essential to have this or similar for someone who lives/works/studies exclusively in a city or large town (I originally lived in York.) I would class it as a luxury for someone who is mostly village or countryside, and if you go between the two only you can say. Its a perfect fashion point, but not an infinitely durable one.
Also, when I wear it with a shorter skirt or shorts teamed with leg warmers I get called 'manga detective' owing in part to the cute japanese leg warmers and utter lack of being able to tell I'm wearing a skirt/shorts. This is by someone more into anime than fashion - its a good belted wool coat with buttons and a flashy quasi-military collar. Still, its fun.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 5
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 4 (I do want to give it more, but I'm forced to admit its lower)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 5
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 8
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 7 (With variability from 2-10)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 8
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
*Do I think its the best in its field: NO
*Could I live without it: YES, BUT MY LIFE WOULDN'T BE AS GOOD
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Adults, Female, Teenagers, People living in cities / large towns, People who regularly travel to cities/towns, Fashion conscious
Disclaimer: No financial interest in this company and no-one else asked me to do this review.
Showing posts with label bright colours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bright colours. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Sharpie Markers (Multi-coloured)
Disclaimer: No financial interest in this company and no-one else asked me to do this review.
It just needs to be said - if you need a marking pen, buy Sharpies. I've tried so many random off brands for so many reasons, and some of them haven't even been remotely useable. Even the ones that wrote at all, weren't anywhere near as good as sharpies. You can find good deals on them, too, if you look in the right places.
My original motivations for buying the multi-coloured ones were to use in the lab, it helped me tell apart experiments/days more easily, and since everyone else had black ones, they were harder to steal (in fact I didn't lose a single one). But they are great for labelling food in shared fridges (more versatile than black) and labelling boxes, and they have a super cool smile factor when you can use random colours for things. Its one of those not very expensive but not strictly necessary purchases that has just been full of win. And win. And win!
I'll have a quick run down of the colours in case you're thinking of buying an individual colour or a small pack instead of the large one. Navy, Purple, and Brown are essentially a cooler version of black, sometimes with more versatility. Nothing else is as solidly good for when you need a dark colour. Red and Magenta are also useful on a large variety of surfaces / tend to stand out. I have used Teal, Orange, and Turquoise and enjoyed them, but they only take to certain surfaces / background colours. Light green and Yellow are both very hard to use, and surprisingly the standard green isn't loads better.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 3
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 8
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 10
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 4 (Lets be honest you can get around sharpies in most situations, and can always get around coloured ones)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 9 (They bring me SO much grin)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 7 (There is a geek cool element in play here, but that counts. And even non-geeks like them!)
*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: YES, BUT MY LIFE WOULDN'T BE AS GOOD
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male & Female, Any age over about 14 years of age, definitely anyone who has to label things a lot for any reason, otherwise for fun, moving, or similar!
It just needs to be said - if you need a marking pen, buy Sharpies. I've tried so many random off brands for so many reasons, and some of them haven't even been remotely useable. Even the ones that wrote at all, weren't anywhere near as good as sharpies. You can find good deals on them, too, if you look in the right places.
My original motivations for buying the multi-coloured ones were to use in the lab, it helped me tell apart experiments/days more easily, and since everyone else had black ones, they were harder to steal (in fact I didn't lose a single one). But they are great for labelling food in shared fridges (more versatile than black) and labelling boxes, and they have a super cool smile factor when you can use random colours for things. Its one of those not very expensive but not strictly necessary purchases that has just been full of win. And win. And win!
I'll have a quick run down of the colours in case you're thinking of buying an individual colour or a small pack instead of the large one. Navy, Purple, and Brown are essentially a cooler version of black, sometimes with more versatility. Nothing else is as solidly good for when you need a dark colour. Red and Magenta are also useful on a large variety of surfaces / tend to stand out. I have used Teal, Orange, and Turquoise and enjoyed them, but they only take to certain surfaces / background colours. Light green and Yellow are both very hard to use, and surprisingly the standard green isn't loads better.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 3
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 8
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 10
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 4 (Lets be honest you can get around sharpies in most situations, and can always get around coloured ones)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 9 (They bring me SO much grin)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 7 (There is a geek cool element in play here, but that counts. And even non-geeks like them!)
*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: YES, BUT MY LIFE WOULDN'T BE AS GOOD
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male & Female, Any age over about 14 years of age, definitely anyone who has to label things a lot for any reason, otherwise for fun, moving, or similar!
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