Why You’ll Never Catch Me in a Peacoat
This is the story of “Why You’ll Never Catch Me in a Peacoat” originally published on my blog in 2015, and recently updated. I thought reposting it would be the perfect compliment to Venus’s current transit through Capricorn from December 9th, 2022 – January 2nd, 2023.
Jean. She was an older woman of means, of great class, of generosity. (Mom, was it her who gifted me the Tom Tierney Balenciaga paper dolls as a tween?!) Her white-blonde hair was perfectly coiffed in a do a la Jackie Kennedy late 1960's.
I remember standing in the foyer of our home the December I was 14, watching Jean walk down the stairs in a fitted waist, full skirt, deep navy blue coat with, what seemed like, an endless train of wool-cashmere flowing behind her. It was the most elegant garment I had ever seen; reflecting a deep desire within me to possess and present the same.
Growing up, style was important to me. I wanted to be a fashion designer, and take the same graceful bows at the end of a runway show like the great Gianni Versace.
As early as 10, I was intentional with what I wore. My wardrobe had a specific M-F rotation. I was more interested in reading VOGUE than teen beat, and my notebooks were filled with sketch after sketch of Oscar-worthy gowns from a sixth grade imagination.
I would say my personal style was never trendy, but current with an air of alternative. (It was the 90’s.)
Some of my favorite outfits were: soft purple leggings paired with a canary yellow flannel from the Limited Too (that was in fifth grade); the dark denim maxi skirt with a sleeveless, ruched tank in some plastic-canvas type material from Diesel (which I eventually threw out because the shirt became sticky) and accessorized with red and off white striped bowling shoes I picked up in Florence (in the year 2000, before this style became popular in the US, mmm-hmm); and then there were my go-to aqua swash white Puma sneakers paired with a white Fruit of the Loom T and navy blue brushed cotton slacks. I still wear some version of this outfit today.
I also had a few pieces that probably teetered on the edge of what-not-to-wear. Don’t we all?
There was also a large percentage of my wardrobe influenced by my insecurity of never feeling good enough in what I wore and how I looked. This began to manifest more so in my junior and senior years of high school when I was 16 and 17 years of age, and when I started shopping Abercrombie and Arie B because I really wanted a taste of the confidence cocktail the girls at the cool lunch table were drinking. And besides, I couldn't afford the things I really wanted to wear.
Like Jean’s navy blue coat. I want to say it was...Armani.
So, when it was time to buy a new winter coat in my high school years, because that XL Perry Ellis puffer was screaming 1995, I opted for the pea coat.
And it was a nice pea coat. Black Wool. Sturdy. Warm. It's lifespan was that of two teens. The obvious choice. The mature choice. But, deep inside, I knew it wasn't me. What I really wanted was grandeur.
Like that Fall Fashion Blockbuster on Vogue’s 1997 September cover.
Heck, I’ll even take a mauve floor length bubble coat from the 1980's.
Just no pea coat, please.
Though, I continued to find myself in the peacoat for a number of years following. And, not just in my personal wardrobe, but in my business branding too. Because the personal self and the work of a small business owner are often intertwined.
As I entered my first full decade of adulthood, I wanted so badly to be ‘myself’ and yet, my default was to decline and deprive. Values like responsible, mature, professional, educated, appropriate, acceptable, and …nice…drove the direction of my first brand identity. Tell me, who gets excited over nice?
Believe it or not, every time I tried to fit myself into a mold of what I should be I felt so crappy. Something was always missing, for years and years.
Until I was near thirty and realized, “Oh wait, it’s me!”
And a flashy winter coat.
It took me nearly an additional decade to fully undress from this style of conforming. With Natal Saturn in my First House and Natal Pluto on my Ascendant, I’ve had to learn the self-destruction lesson the hard way: when you try to blend in, no one can see you – nor your business. Hence why, as I close in on age forty I now buy 90’s Moschino.
The fix? stand out!
In a world where we are practically consumed by the demands of consumerism to do this, copy that, and show up like sheep, people are thirsty for some nonconformity. Quench that thirst by rocking individuality. 100% Authenticity.
Guaranteed!
…Which is why you’ll never (again) catch me in a peacoat.
––––––
Did you know the origins of the peacoat are in naval dressing, making this post even more relevant for the Venus in Capricorn transit happening right now between December 9th, 2022 – January 2nd, 2023? Capricorn style often draws from the uniforms of seamen and women like fisherman and those in the navy. The symbol for Capricorn is the sea-goat, and a portion of the color palette for this sign is made up of stormy grays, navy, black and deep oceanic blues.
My Natal Venus is in the sign of Capricorn. Why am I not a fan of the peacoat? My Natal Venus happens to reside in the 2nd house, making it a lover of luxury. The peacoat doesn’t quite say luxury. It says basic and practical. But you know what does say luxury? That 1940’s Dior New Look Style of Jean’s Armani wool-cashmere coat!
