Sheepskin coats? Still a good idea for cold winters?

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tjchung

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I live in New York City, Manhattan to be exact.

During the depths of winter, you can tell the locals from the tourists by the coats they wear. Locals wear knee or ankle length wool coats or Goretex parkas. The tourists wear colorful polyester ski parkas and can also be identified by their blue skin and half frozen faces. Needless the say, the cold weather is really crappy here. Not only does the mercury drop a dozen and more degrees below freezing, the cold jetstream wind howling through the buildings can literally freeze you in your tracks or blow you down the sidewalk in directions you never wanted to go. Windchill factors of below zero farenheit are nothing new here.

Up till now I've been wearing a Gen II Army Goretex parka and its been holding up well. It really keeps the freezing wind out. But I've been moving up in the world, and my new job has forced me into the company of high brow NYC metrosexuals who look down with effete upturned lips on my mil surplus wardrobe as they walk by in their Burberry cashmere coats, Dunhill silk scarves and Gucci loafers. In fact I've been lately getting hints that if I don't become more of a "team player" this winter, I might be looking for a new job before X-mas.

So since I can't afford the posh 2-3 thousand dollar cashmere, wool or even polyester coats and jackets that these guys can seem to afford despite the financial meltdown, I've been thinking about getting a sheepskin coat. I'm not talking about the cowboy-like Marlboro man coats, but something a little more conservatively cut, looks stylish in a GQ sort of way but still with the leather outside and the deep pile sheepfuzz inside. I've found a few that look nice, are genuine sheepskin shearling and cost under 1000$.

So long story short, is this a good idea? I need a good looking sub 1000$ coat that will keep me warm in cold weather, but more importantly keep out the freezing 30-40mph wind that we get between the buildings in Manhattan's winter. And it has to look grown up, not mil-surplus or something some teenaged snowboarder wears to the X-games.

So is Sheepskin/shearling still up to the task, or would it be better to invest in some of the more exotic micro-fiber/goretex/thinsulate/ployfill/goosedown/cost more than my kidney type of coat? If anybody can give me some advice or relate some experiences, I'd be really grateful.
 
Oh, sheepskin's "up to the task" alright. I've gone through many a Colorado winter with one, and we laugh at your "wind-chill temperatures below zero" - the real temperatures can get significantly below that here.

It's not perfect, and won't keep you nearly as warm as a goose-down arctic parka, for example, but it ought to be just fine for NYC (and yes, I've been in New York in the winter plenty of times).
 
Layering.

Get something stylish enough to impress the snobs, and light enough to wear when the temperatures aren't too bad. Then put on a decent sweater under it to add warmth without suffocation or sweating.

A hat and warm scarf and gloves also go a long way to fight the windchill. I spent most of my life in New York, mostly Manhattan. A heavy coat was too much for me, too warm most of the time. And I had quite a few outdoor assignments.
 
Sheepskin is plenty warm -- the only disadvantage is weight. You won't notice that much while you're wearing it, but if you have to walk around carrying your coat you'll notice it.
 
I haven't seen any head-to-head tests recently, but I remember an old test that found that goose down was still the most-efficient insulator, but that dacron fiberfill came in a close second and cost vastly less...
Parka-style garments still are among the most-efficient designs, as they can be adjusted to conditions.
 
Thanks for all the info, guys. I've only been in NYC 2 years and this will be my third winter, which I really dread. To those guys who say NYC winters aren't so bad, I salute you. You must have thicker skin than me!

Anyway, I've got a line on this Orvis sheepskin parka for much much less than the MSRP, and the reviews are really good. It looks stylish enough to satisfy the girlymen (hopefully!), and I'm told isn't a full-thickness sheepskin like those original sheepskin bomber jackets that weighed a ton, so it'll be light enough for everyday/all day wear.

http://www.orvis.com/store/productchoice.aspx?pf_id=82L4

Does anybody have any experience with Orvis clothing, their sheepskin clothing in particular?
 
Sheepskin is tried and true no doubt. I sleep on a Sams Club sheepskin, (actually four sewn together) all winter long most every year. I also wrap my leather recliner with one of the same and have been known to snore away there a time or two during the day in the winters. Those are usually at Sam's every year around this time. I bought four for us. They are huge since it is actually four skins sewn together to make one big one, and by that I mean plenty to cover a twin bed fully and mine were a mere $160 each. A steal at that believe me and they are great quality! Great warmth and comfort also. I love having them. Honestly my cats like them too and fight over sleeping in my recliner when its got the sheepskin on it. :D

Here is a picture of my bedroom on wheels when I had my Pinzgauer. I'd simply take one of the skins along with me for my bed. ;)

STR
 

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Why don't you run the jacket past your co-workers who are giving you grief and see what they have to say about it?
 
What the other guys have said. Layering is still most important. If you can't wear goose feathers as an outer layer, wear it as a an inner layer. Get a nice black goose down vest. I have one and it works very well keeping your "core" warm. It slips easily under your coat and is extremely lightweight/compressible. A dozen degrees below freezing? Har Har. Try -40. Anyway, don't forget a good hat and something to keep cold air off your neck. Scarf, neck warmer etc.
 
Samael said:
Why don't you run the jacket past your co-workers who are giving you grief and see what they have to say about it?
Click to expand...

Exactly. It would be a shame to fork out a grand only to find out that you're still not up to uniform standards.

Some folks may question the whole dress code thing, but, in some industries, it is expected and important. It's also an unfortunate fact that, in many cases, if you want to get promoted (or retained in this economy) you have to dress the part.
 
Ok, here's a quick update.

I asked a few of the managers in the office over the past week, and the general consensus is that since there are a lot of clients coming and going, its usually adviseable and professional to wear something that doesn't freak them out. This applies to all employees, even those like me who have no interaction at all with clients.

When asked what was adviseable in a non-client-freaking coat, things got a little surreal. "Nothing too military", said one manager as he put on his tan Burberry trench coat, not knowing that his coat is basically unchanged from the WWI infantryman's coat, hence "Trench Coat".

"Just don't wear anything too blue collar," said another manager as he buttoned up his navy blue cashmere pea coat, not realizing that the pea coat was the mainstay outer wear for practically every sailor, longshoreman and dockyard worker in the western world for the better part of the last century.

I saw one of the graphics guys leaving work today wearing a dark green coat over his suit, and it was virtually indistinguishable from an OD US Army M-65 field coat, except that is had a fur collar and silver snaps and probably cost more than my weekly pay.

I think everyone here can appreciate the irony. I can basically wear military and blue collar inspired coats, so long as I'm not paying mil-surp or blue collar prices. And as long as the clothing is JUST sissified enough, all will be forgiven. Not to mention that all these senior guys have expense accounts that cover their taxi fares to and from work, while I'm stuck waiting for the M5 bus. So it looks like a sheepskin coat for this newbie New Yorker, since its probably the most un-military or blue collar looking coat out of everything I've seen in the office this week.
 
Cashmere top coats can be bought online for a grand. Or less. Maybe even half a grand.

IMO, this is pretty much the standard in cold weather gear for the New York set. Cut longer than a pea coat, it helps keep your legs warm during that early morning wait for the bus or the train.

Nothing wrong with a sheepskin coat, but what if you change jobs and the folks at the new place give you grief for looking like an urban cowboy?
 
A simple top coat or trench coat, with a liner for really cold days, will give you the most flexibility in comfort and invisibility.
 
When I went to Manhattan last Christmas, I brought what I typically wear, performance layering, OD Green Mountain Hardware shell parka...you know, all the cool stuff you take backpacking in the winter time. While I saw an absolute crap load of North Face everything on just about every third person, I felt like I was standing out. Plus, the damn layering sucked. Every bar, restaurant, store, etc was hot as hell, and I was sick of feeling like Ralphie's little brother, so I ditched all the outdoor gear.

I bought a wool coat and blended in with everyone who wasn't wearing a black North Face jacket. The wool coat actually was warmer, more comfortable, and more practical than wearing the layer/shell combo. The temp was 15 degrees, and felt great outside. My sister, who lives there, and I walked around for most of the day and night for several days, and the wool coat was great.

I would look for a wool coat from a designer that your metrohomo coworkers will recognize, similar to a P-coat, but cut trimmer, and not black or dark blue. You should be able to find an excellent coat for under $300.

Think about what you like about the military clothing; pockets for organization, utility, toughness, blending in to your environment. In NYC, your environment is almost exclusively urban, with hard, muted, solid colors; grays, black, blues, burgundy, OD-hunter greens, etc. These are the colors to focus on, in my opinion.
 
Check Sierra Trading Post for a long wool dress coat.
Or a nice trench coat, with the USGI wool liner.
I had a long camel hair(?) hand-me-down coat that was great for years.
Warm, not too heavy and classy.

Don't forget a hat.
A fur "mad bomber" hat (they're in style now) for the brutal days and a felt brimmed hat for just plain cold with rain/snow.

If STP doesn't have something, take a trip down to the lower east side and check out the leather coat stores down there. Just look the garments over very carefully.
There are bargains and there is cheap.

Maybe you could score a leather trench coat and freak them out with style!
 
You can get a fairly genteel looking Barbour ( English company of note ) coat for significantly less than 600 dollars. I've got a non-waxed thigh length field coat that I wore while in NY 3 years ago, didn't attract any attention.
 
I'm sorry to have to say this, but the conversation you reported with the trenchcoated manager makes it clear that your office is sensitive to these sorts of things and that your coat selection could prove career-limiting. Go to the Men's Warehouse and get the closest thing to that manager's trench coat. I'll cost about $250. Put the $750 toward a second coat for you to wear off-hours and on weekends. This will send the right "team player" "want to fit in" "willing to follow the rules" message to your boss.

It's not about being metrosexual; it's about being employed. The old saying, "When in Rome, do as the Roman's do" comes to mind... especially if you want to stay in and be promoted in Rome.
 
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