Right as rain
There are many more pressing matters, but few things bend a woman out of shape more than needing something and not being able to find it.
For around four years, I looked for a functional "city" raincoat. I searched from boutiques to department stores, e-tailers to eBay. Some looked good but didn't breathe. When I walk in a non-breathable raincoat, I feel like I'm in a Ziploc bag.
Last spring, I gave up. Then I remembered advice from Geneviève Dariaux in "A Guide to Elegance": Don't buy a raincoat; wear a light coat and carry an umbrella. (In case of a deluge, just nip into Ladurée and wait it out.)
I bought a can of Scotchguard, sprayed my J. Crew cotton twill peacoat, and voilà! If you have a soft field jacket or light cotton coat that you already own and enjoy, you might do the same. Re-spray after laundering, or once a year. (Similar fabric waterproofing products are made by Nikwax, Wood, and Rust-Oleum.) I was thrilled when raindrops fell off the peacoat.
The peacoat suits our cool Montreal spring, but for upcoming jaunts to milder locales, I needed a light, breathable layer to stash in a day pack. I found some useful choices by Montréal-based performance-wear label, Lolë.
Lolë's "Piper" is light (like a softshell), breathes, packs into a pouch: ticked all the boxes. I chose "Riverstone", a luminous pearl grey. The "Rainey" has a partial overlayer at the chest and upper back, so it's warmer, and has a two-way zipper, too. (It would fold into a suitcase but I wouldn't want to carry it all day.) I also tried the jacket length, the "Lainey", sportier but packable.
Sizing runs from XS to XL; the cut is not skimpy and tight. I also like Lolë's quality zippers and fastenings. Free shipping and returns, too.
I looked at many candidates, including two hip Swedish brands whose pieces cost two to four times Lolë's, but they were too heavy. Several models were "unisex" cuts which make me look like I'm in those raincoats provided on the "Maid of the Mist", to chug right up to the Niagara Falls.
When I visited the boutique on a quiet Monday morning, a woman about my age was buying a capsule wardrobe for a mid-May trip. I could see the sense: everything co-ordinated and washable. She told me about her walking tour in Italy; seventeen days of easy hikes, great meals, charming hotels, shoe shopping.
I wanted to book on the spot and test that raincoat in Ravello!
For around four years, I looked for a functional "city" raincoat. I searched from boutiques to department stores, e-tailers to eBay. Some looked good but didn't breathe. When I walk in a non-breathable raincoat, I feel like I'm in a Ziploc bag.
Last spring, I gave up. Then I remembered advice from Geneviève Dariaux in "A Guide to Elegance": Don't buy a raincoat; wear a light coat and carry an umbrella. (In case of a deluge, just nip into Ladurée and wait it out.)
I bought a can of Scotchguard, sprayed my J. Crew cotton twill peacoat, and voilà! If you have a soft field jacket or light cotton coat that you already own and enjoy, you might do the same. Re-spray after laundering, or once a year. (Similar fabric waterproofing products are made by Nikwax, Wood, and Rust-Oleum.) I was thrilled when raindrops fell off the peacoat.
The peacoat suits our cool Montreal spring, but for upcoming jaunts to milder locales, I needed a light, breathable layer to stash in a day pack. I found some useful choices by Montréal-based performance-wear label, Lolë.
Lolë's "Piper" is light (like a softshell), breathes, packs into a pouch: ticked all the boxes. I chose "Riverstone", a luminous pearl grey. The "Rainey" has a partial overlayer at the chest and upper back, so it's warmer, and has a two-way zipper, too. (It would fold into a suitcase but I wouldn't want to carry it all day.) I also tried the jacket length, the "Lainey", sportier but packable.
Sizing runs from XS to XL; the cut is not skimpy and tight. I also like Lolë's quality zippers and fastenings. Free shipping and returns, too.
I looked at many candidates, including two hip Swedish brands whose pieces cost two to four times Lolë's, but they were too heavy. Several models were "unisex" cuts which make me look like I'm in those raincoats provided on the "Maid of the Mist", to chug right up to the Niagara Falls.
When I visited the boutique on a quiet Monday morning, a woman about my age was buying a capsule wardrobe for a mid-May trip. I could see the sense: everything co-ordinated and washable. She told me about her walking tour in Italy; seventeen days of easy hikes, great meals, charming hotels, shoe shopping.
I wanted to book on the spot and test that raincoat in Ravello!
Comments
thanks,
Janice
I don't wear such pale tones; if they made a red Rainey I'd buy it tomorrow!
A red Rainey in Ravello...
PS - I'd love a Pink Coat!
You can find Scotchguard and similar items at Canadian Tire. Here's hoping you find a cheery pink coat - and I find my red one! I think that even in Toronto it has been very chilly and grey this spring.
If you can't use an umbrella, guess you only have a hood. Sometimes my umbrella blows inside out, but I find a good strong one does well in all but really gusty weather.
Waxing, in our family's experience, as you find on a Barbour or other more ruggedly made outerwear, lasts for awhile and must be renewed, either by the owner using a wax product, or by the manufacturer. That is a more "country" look than I wanted for this coat.
lagatta: IMO the Riverstone colour would look beautiful, given your hair; it's not a flat, "dead" gray. You could wear a scarf, too.
I also liked this one: https://ca-en.lolewomen.com/collections/new-arrivals/products/piper-jacket-luw0600?variant=1419460050963
The prices are comparable to MEC - Mountain Equipment Coop - which is much less stylish. I checked. Lolë garments are beautifully finished.
And I pretty much always wear a scarf.
The weather has turned so much better - sun - a bit more warmth. It is supposed to warm up enough for such rainwear to be appropriate for a spring shower.
At a minimum, I think a person should wear a proper mask (not a dust mask) when spraying, and do it in an area where the overspray won't be hanging in the air for family members to breathe in.
Once it's dry, the new formula doesn't build up in the body over time the way the old formulas did, but it is absorbed through the skin and some of its effects are not known. So as with many things, it's a question of balancing risks and benefits.
Some people might want to look up what the safety experts say. By the way, I have no vested interest in this, but I do have a family member with asthma so am somewhat cautious about this kind of thing.
A related issue is pollution, which is another think to think about- from any chemical product.