The Return of Pimpin Coat: Pimpin Accessories

[elSicomoro]

You might recall me buying a new coat back in October. It is one of the best purchases I've ever made...right up there with the domain name for Sycamoreland, Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Nog, and a round trip airline ticket from St. Louis to Baltimore in May 1999.

Now, pimpin coat is quite awesome, but there is only one small flaw with it (and this applies to many wool overcoats that I've seen): When you button the coat up, it leaves the upper part of your chest exposed. Now, what good is that overcoat going to be if you wind up catching a cold?

And you need to have a good pair of gloves...don't need to lose any fingers to frostbite. I've lost 2 pair of gloves in the past 2 years--one pair on a SEPTA bus, the other somewhere here in the apartment. I can be incredibly forgetful sometimes...

And then there are the ears. I'm not fond of hats, but I'll wear earmuffs...and I haven't seen my earmuffs in God knows how long. It's time for a new pair.

So, when the Delaware Valley was hit with a vicious cold spell right after Thanksgiving, I decided to get myself a new pair of gloves, a new pair of earmuffs, and a scarf. Given that I have a relatively nice coat, I wanted nice stuff that would match. Yet, given finances, I had to be thrifty.

One night after work, I headed down the street to The Gallery (our downtown mall, with 230 shops and restaurants) for a bit of shopping. I stopped in Big K (yes, one of the anchors in the Gallery is K-mart), figuring I could find a decent pair of gloves for $10 or $15. And sure enough, I found a nice pair of Thinsulate gloves for $13. They appear to be part leather and part space-age looking material...they match pimpin coat and keep my hands nice and warm. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything decent in terms of scarfs and muffs, so...

The next night, I headed over to Strawbridge's (another Gallery anchor)...depending on where you live, you might have one of their sister stores (Foley's, Kaufmann's, Famous-Barr, Robinson's-May, Hecht's, and many others). They tend to be a bit on the pricey side, but it was the holiday season, and retailers want me to spend money, so...

The whole damned store seemed to be on sale. I found myself an outstanding scarf...$24. Then, there are these new type of earmuffs called 180s. They're very slim (i.e. the actual ear covers aren't poofed out) and the band wraps around the back of your head (thereby not messing up your hair). And they keep your ears super warm, yet you don't even feel like you're wearing them. And your hearing isn't compromised at all. Apparently, these things are all the rage, as I see people in Center City wearing them all the time now. $30.

Oh, you don't actually think I paid $54 for those items, do you? Of course not...el sicómoro isn't stupid. All men's accessories were 33% off that day, plus an additional 15% off that 33% off price. Total cost: $30.58...a savings of over 40%. Not too shabby.

Then, there is the bonus. My mom knows about my forgetfulness, so she sent a second pair of gloves. And these weren't just another pair of gloves...they're Isotoners! Wow! These things are super sweet...they make the pair I bought look wimpy. They have a ton of insulation in them, yet I can still use my fingers relatively well while wearing them (i.e. smoking). My mom happened to leave the price tag on them--$22. Shit...hope she got them on discount.

So, if you thought I was macking in pimpin coat before, I just took it to another level. The ultimate level will be when I finally get my platinum-coated cane, a fedora, and a fur stollen. I'm working on it...