The National Coat of Canada

Patrick calls this the National Coat of Canada. I think he might be on to something. The funny thing about this coat is that I found it a year or so ago hidden way back in a tiny musty Salvation Army store by our old apartment in Brooklyn. I knew it was a great find, it has a real fur collar with an embedded wire frame to shape it, a quilted feather down interior, giant front pockets that open from the top and the sides, a tough nylon weave exterior shell and the giant 50 pound jacket is trimmed with this charming old-school guitar strap style orange and blue print pattern. It even had this little pin on it up by the collar featuring a black and white photograph of the front of a bus - the kind used in public transport - you know, a regular old bus bus.

Even with all this I was still going back and forth. Patrick was exiled in Canada at the time, and I wasn't sure when or even if he would make it back, plus I had a lot of errands to run that day and the coat was truly ginormous. So I kind of squeezed it for a while, tried it on, zipped up the zipper, buttoned all the buttons, rummaged through the pockets, and took a closer look at the label. That was what sealed the deal. The coat was made by a (now defunct) company in Calgary, Alberta of all places! I would doublecheck the actual name right now but the P-man is out wearing the jacket at the moment so I can't. The tag is one of those really big ones like they used to make, with red sparkly script letters and everything. Calgary is where I moved when I was 19 to go to art school and where I met Patrick, who I have been with ever since. Lovestory right? Nostalgia overload. So I bought the coat, Pat came back to live with me in NYC, and now it gets used with love every day.

Happy 2010 everyone! Much excitement and big changes to come in the New Year. It's gonna be one to remember that is for sure.

xo :) xo

b.