This is probably the best made piece of clothing I''ve ever owned. I mean, time will tell, but it seems ridiculously tough, certainly tougher than me. The other woolen coat that I own is more of a bomber style, and it wasn''t working for me for the office. Or, more accurately, it wasn''t working for me for the train ride in, being very tight from top to bottom, with no pleating. It would just bunch right up when I sat down, and it would devour my head. It was also difficult to bundle a scarf into. So, I figured I''d treat myself to a new coat, and this was what I stumbled upon. And while I expect a modicum of quality in a $400 piece of apparel, I absolutely did not expect this. To start, it looks great. I generally prefer everything I own to have rather tight/slim fits, and this is much more relaxed than my very slim bomber. But the cut of it is excellent, and it almost appears to conform to the body even when it isn''t. You can wear it a few different ways, there are four standard buttons, and then the collar buttons in two different stages, so you can bundle your neck up tight or leave it a bit more open for a scarf. It manages to look good in all configurations. The buttons are quality, thick and large and easy to handle with cold or gloved hands, and understated in appearance (the Icebreaker name is on the edge, a subtle touch). There are two pockets down around the waist that you can stuff your hands in on a cold day, and then two more pockets. Both of these are on the left breast, one inside and one outside the coat. The exterior pocket has a flap, a button, and a zipper, so you can be pretty sure your goods aren''t going anywhere. The internal one is just a zipper, oriented vertically. This pocket is very large, and quite useful. It''s lined up with the topmost of the four ''normal'' buttons, so you can easily undo this button only for access. The zippers used are high quality, I''ve not seen anything quite like them. They lie flat when flipped one way, and stand off at a 15 degree or so angle when flipped the other. They snap into either position reassuringly, it''s shocking how engineered the zippers feel. The coat itself is warm. It''s high quality merino, soft to the touch, and lined with a nice feeling poly liner. The sleeves have elastic on the liner to keep out the wind. This is nice and very effective, but it does tend to make the (long) sleeves of a dress shirt bunch up, which tends to make the whole shirt kind of bunch up, and I find I spend a bit of time adjusting my top half after I put it on. So, really, it does everything I need a coat to do keep me warm, hold some gloves and a hat, and look good doing it all the while keeping me convinced that it''ll outlive me. Worth every penny.
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