A Simply Beautiful Coat By Candida Eittreim on Sep 19, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

When my husband announced he was tired of freezing to death because I kept stealing his jackets, I knew the time had come to buy a coat of my own. The fleece hoodie look was getting tired, so off I went online to see what was on offer.

After searching through Nordstroms, Macy's Dillards, Sears and Neiman Marcus, I went to LL Bean. And.. there she was. A beautiful Italian wool duffle coat priced at an amazing $199.00. Now, I'm used to hype and mistruth in advertising, so I called LL Bean to inquire about this particular coat. After the poor saleswoman endured 10 minutes of questioning about whether this was REALLY Italian wool, I decided to buy it. Honestly, I didn't believe this coat would stand up to close inspection.

When it arrived, I carefully removed it from the box, shook it out and looked it over carefully. This is a simply beautiful coat. The fabric is a lovely wool gabardine, with a light purple lining. The stitching is expert, and the fit is perfect. Every time I wear this coat I get comments and questions about where I purchased it.

The little details count here. From the drape of the hood to the horn toggle buttons and leather closings. This is a classic and classy casual coat that has years of wear to it. It looks lovely with a skirt and heels or just as at home paired with jeans and a sweater.

If you are looking for high quality, durablity and classic good looks in a casual coat, you can't do better than this coat from LL Bean.