Is it a dress? Is it a coat? This Griffin Coat from Artful Home is both!

 

When I received the small box from Artful Home that had my gifted Griffin Coat by Spirithouse in it, I pulled it out and immediately thought, “Oh, I hope I can wear this coat as a dress!” It took me about five minutes to get it over my head and pull on some tights. The biggest decision was whether to wear my almond toe patent ankle boot or my pointy-toed suede ankle boot. The patent boot won by a hair. Boom, boom, boom. Done, done, done.

 

You have to admit, wearing a dress is so easy! No moving pieces. Just one item, a few accessories perhaps and you’re out the door. All I wanted to do in this relaxed but shaped coat dress was twirl, dance, and play. In my body, I felt like I was running in the hills of Austria with Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music or scooting around Rome with Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday or dancing in the streets of NYC with Natalie Wood in West Side Story. I felt free!

I also felt like that sixteen-year-old growing up in North Dakota doing something on the sly and getting away with it…well, until the principal found out and suspended me from school. But wearing a coat as a dress isn’t going to get me in trouble like writing for an underground newspaper did. If someone stops me and asks if that dress I’m wearing is a coat, I won’t deny it. In fact, I’ll probably take it off and say, “Here, you try it!”

It’s always fun to discover that one piece of clothing can transform into two pieces of clothing. It’s like buying one and getting the second one for free.

Let me share with you how I styled both the dress version of the Griffin Coat and the coat version of the Griffin Coat.

 

Wearing my Griffin coat as a dress

The charcoal, olive, and ivory plaid fabric is definitely cut in the shape of a coat. It has buttons down the front and great pleated detail in the back. Although it’s a relaxed, easy fit, it’s not boxy; it’s shaped in the waist and has open pockets. The knit fabric drapes beautifully.

 

 

Yesterday I wore it as a dress while making fabulous holiday outfits for our client. By the time we finished with that appointment I was reaching for my “real” coat to wear over my coat-as-dress because temperatures had dropped.

But yesterday when I wore it for photographs, it was mild in Sonoma. I added my taupe muffler to my neck and my leopard print fuzzy tam cap on my head and that was all the warmth I needed for the outdoors.

 

 

Layering underneath the dress

Like I said, dresses are easy. But I did have some layering going on underneath. I wore a full-length black slip and over the slip, I added an elbow-length mesh Sleevey Wonder in black. Remember, Sleevey Wonders give you sleeves for when you want to add sleeves to a sleeveless top or dress. The reason I wanted to add a sleeve was really just for some warmth. I could have worn a T-shirt but I didn’t want to add the bulk. Remember, Sleevey Wonders fasten in front under your bra. This is the model I wore.

I kept the jewels simple. I’m wearing my Victor Sanz ring, my Dotted Pebble Dangle Earrings by Wendy Stauffer and my Diamond Autus bracelet by Christine Mackellar. (The earrings, bracelet, and the Griffin Coat are from Artful Home.) And I pulled out a slim crossbody bag in a warm taupe/sort of olive color. I felt put together and sophisticated in a kicky, I’m-breaking-rules kind of way.

By all accounts, this is a dress, a special occasion dress. What’s the special occasion? Enjoying life!

Wearing my Griffin coat as a coat

Next up, the opportunity for the Griffin Coat to be worn as a coat! Because of the weight of this fabric, it would be a great coat to wear in Arizona, Southern California, Texas, and Florida right now. Or, if you live in the Bay Area like I do, you can wear this coat open, more like a duster, so it’s part of your ensemble. (Oh, I love that word! I think we should all be wearing more ensembles!) And when it’s cold, you add a coat over this one.

To use the Griffin Coat in this ensemble outfit, I started with a black knit pant that’s a basic in my wardrobe. Mine is a pull-on pant by Stella Carakasi and has jodhpur details. I bet you have something similar to it in your closet already. I wanted to pull out the ivory part of the charcoal, olive, and ivory plaid. I didn’t want to match the color exactly so I grabbed my Etro blouse with the metallic gold stripes and high/low hem. I LOVED the result. The blouse had an alchemical reaction to the coat. They look better together than they do apart! I don’t know if you can tell by my sublime smile but this outfit feels so good! 

 

 

When worn open as a duster, the Griffin Coat has a grace that’s confidence building. Do you experience that feeling with fabrics that move with you? I feel like I’m exuding a feminine, smart allure in the way Rosalind Russell did playing against Cary Grant in His Girl Friday. I think of the assurance Catherine Denueve has in, well, clothes!

 

 

In the sunlight, you can see how well this goldy-colored, sheer blouse plays with the plaid coat. Isn’t it divine? They’re two fabrics that engage with each other but hold their own as well, like Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn.

 

 

Finishing this outfit was really easy. I wore my tall L.K.Bennett boots and carried my charcoal gray frame handbag. I used the same ring, bracelet, and earrings with this outfit as I did with the dress version.

 

 

It’s amazing how wearing fabrics that feel good and aren’t restricting make us feel like we can do anything! Both of these outfits make me feel that way.

Do you have certain clothes that make you feel delicious from the inside out? I’m all ears! Please share your delights!

XO

 

This post was sponsored by Artful Home. All the reported joy from wearing the Griffin Coat by Spirithouse in these two outfits is mine, mine, mine.