I have a love-hate relationship with statement coats. Some days, they’re my worst enemy when it comes to dressing, especially on a day I’m feeling fashionably burnt out and want to simply put on an all-black outfit and move on with my day. Other times, though, an eye-catching coat is the outfit, allowing everything else to come secondary and serving past its purpose of providing me warmth. While it’s hard to strike a balance between cute and hypothermia-proof, I think I’ve found it in the most unlikely of places: the Macy’s sale rack.
Before you stop reading, hear me out. The retailer isn’t the obvious choice when it comes to shopping for chic winter attire. I live down the street from the brand’s flagship New York City store, so I’ll occasionally pop in on my way back from work or when I need to do some retail therapy. It is, however, a far cry from the tried-and-true retailers I check every morning. When I saw this polka-dot trench at a recent event for the brand’s new womenswear launch, I was sold. It looks eerily similar to another coat by a well-known designer from years ago that sold out once, and I’ve been hunting at The RealReal ever since. After seeing it, I had to test it out myself.
From New York to Seoul to Porto, this trench coat came with the compliments attached. Everywhere I go, I get asked at least twice about it—mostly from other chic editors whose jaws drop when I tell them it’s from Macy’s. While wearing it during Seoul Fashion Week, I got flagged down by a group of fashion students, who asked where I bought it. When strangers start feeling your outfit, that’s when you know you did something right.
While you can shop the beloved trench coat above, there are also a ton of chic late fall and early winter pieces you can shop from Macy’s. Not only do they look 10 times their price, but they also feel casual and cool enough that I know I’ll get tons of compliments on them too.
