My Favourite Outfit: Emily
In this series, I ask the contributor to share an image of their favourite outfit – maybe a pair of pants they wore every day, maybe a special party dress – and write about where they were in their life and why this outfit has such significance. Today we welcome Emily. We met as early-twentysomethings new to Toronto. A few years later she moved to Winnipeg and we kept up a regular penpalship until I followed her west – right into the apartment next door. This is her favourite outfit.
The story of this coat, my favourite piece of clothing, is also the story of my relationship. It was the first gift given to me by my boyfriend, who became my fiancé, who became my partner. He’s the only person I’ve ever dated, and because I’m a bit of a coward that meant he had to lead me through all the firsts in a relationship, including the first time we bought gifts for each other.
I first spotted this beautiful jacket in the window of a thrift shop on my bus ride to work. I passed it every day, each time thinking “I really should get off the bus and try that on sometime.”
One day, in the very early stages of our relationship, Bruce was giving me a ride home (we worked together and lived two blocks apart). As we drove by the thrift shop I mentioned in passing how much I liked the coat—the point of the story being how silly it was that I didn’t just go try it on. For a few more weeks I continued to look at the coat in the window without stopping to try it on. Until one day it was gone.
Then it was Christmas, and we each went our separate ways to spend time with our families. I suggested since we weren’t going to be together we didn’t need to exchange gifts. But he suggested we should just do them afterwards. Come January I was at his house and it was time to receive my present. He went into his bedroom, closed the door, and then emerged wearing the coat! It is to this day the best gift I’ve ever received. (I will admit that since I’m not good at dating, my gift to him was so late we called it a Valentines day present instead.)
I do love this coat for some practical reasons. It’s really well made—I know this because there’s a tag inside that reads “Handmade by Canadian derogatory racial term I won’t repeat.” While the tag is offensive, it also tells me it was made carefully here in Canada. The coat was originally a few sizes too big, and the seamstress who altered it told me I would have this coat for years.
It’s also incredibly warm. Being a British Columbia girl in Winnipeg, I’m really not good with the cold. While nothing will make -40 feel great (lets be real), this coat keeps me warmer than anything else. It makes going outside in February seem possible.
But really, I love the coat for sentimental reasons. It was the first gift given to me by someone I love who was not related to me. And, when you get to 26 without having dated anyone that’s a big deal. It reminds me of that fun time at the beginning of our relationship when I was both freaked out and excited all the time.
Every winter I save the first wearing of this coat until it gets truly cold outside. Snot freezing, eyes watering, teeth-chattering cold. And in the dead of winter pulling this jacket out of the closet makes me smile. And anything that can do that when there’s a windchill warning in effect is one powerful piece of clothing.