In Search of My One True Coat (a.k.a. The Fellowship of the Coat)
Why I bought, wore, and resold so many white coats before finding the right one.
Paying a fortune for a coat doesn't automatically make it "the one." It took buying, wearing, and reselling several coats before I finally found the white I'd been looking for all along.
I love the color white. But when it comes to coats specifically, everyone tries to talk me out of it. "That'll get stained so easily," "just get a black one instead" — I've heard it all.
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| Atelier coat modeled on lookbook fitting |
Why I Choose Pretty Over Practical
I know, I know. White coats are a hassle to maintain. But for me, looking good still comes first.
Here's why: you only wear a coat a handful of times a year. Out of those few precious chances, I want to wear the prettiest one I own. If it's not pretty enough, I simply won't reach for it — and a coat that just hangs in the closet is, to me, the real waste.
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| beige cashmere coat |
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| Atelier beige cashmere coat |
The Long Road to Finding "The One"
So this search for my "ultimate white coat" turned into a pretty long journey.
I started with Max Mara Atelier's "Disegno" coat. As I recall, the retail price in Korea was around 9.58 million KRW (roughly $6,900), and I bought mine through a personal shopping agent for what I remember as somewhere in the high 3-million-KRW range (about $2,700–$2,800). This was several years ago now, so I'm going off memory here. It was ivory, size IT36 or 38 if I remember correctly, made of double-layered 100% cashmere — which meant it was seriously heavy. The fabric was used so generously that wearing it felt like wrapping myself in a blanket. The waist tie was made of leather cord, which was a genuinely stylish detail.
Everyone told me how elegant I looked in it, but honestly, I was too exhausted by the weight to enjoy the compliments. It was even awkward to drive in. As much as I'd hoped for it, this wasn't quite "the one" either.
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| MerciBien Rosé pure cashmere coat by Colombo and inner label |
I tried several other brands too. There was Merci Bien, a Korean designer label — great fabric, and a lighter take on that Disegno silhouette, with a more moderate lapel that I actually preferred. I still own this one and wear it once or twice every winter.
But over time, I noticed it has a slightly "princess" vibe rather than a chic one. The fabric is clearly high quality, but the whole look feels like it suits someone in their 20s or 30s more. Now that I'm approaching 50, I don't reach for it as often. The color also sits in an awkward in-between of ivory, oatmeal, and white.
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| Outfit fitting of Mercibien Rosé cashmere coat |
Then there was Enfold, a Japanese brand. I got a great deal on this one — as best I remember, I paid around 400,000 KRW (about $290), which would sound unbelievable to anyone who knows Enfold's usual pricing. It's been a few years, so the exact number might be a little off, but that's roughly it. I still have it, but it's become the kind of coat where winter quietly ends and I realize, "oh, I never even wore that this year." I actually bought two of these — sold one secondhand, kept the other.
And then there's a bouclé coat from Shrimps, a brand known for its shrimp-shaped logo and its faux fur pieces. This one is white/ivory too. But the brand skews younger, so instead of elegant, it leans unique and playful. My taste has shifted over the years, and now it mostly just takes up closet space. I've thought about passing it to my daughter, but she's about 7–8 cm taller than me, so it doesn't quite work. A pretty coat, sadly going to waste.
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| Shrimps faux fur coat and ENFOLD coat outfit comparison |
Looking at all these coats side by side, I noticed something funny: the Disegno, the Merci Bien, and the Enfold are all shawl-collar styles. Shawl collars were trendy back then, sure, but thinking about it more, maybe I just always wanted to wrap myself in a blanket even when going outside.
There were a few other brands too, ones that each had some small dealbreaker. Those I ended up reselling secondhand.
Where I Finally Landed: Fabiana Filippi's Monili Coat
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| white coat |
After all that back and forth, my "ultimate coat" turned out to be Fabiana Filippi's Monili white coat.
I bought it from an overseas personal shopper who specializes in Fabiana Filippi — I buy quite a lot from her, actually. These days, I've also spotted the brand at Korean outlet malls like Yeoju Premium Outlets and Hyundai Outlet, and occasionally at discounted prices on Yoox. I paid, as best I recall, somewhere in the high 3-million-KRW range for mine; I'm not sure of the exact retail price, but I'd guess somewhere around 7–8 million KRW.
Despite being cashmere, it's surprisingly lightweight, and the color is a true, pure white — just the faintest hint of ivory, but essentially the kind of white that makes you think, "this would be a disaster if it got splashed with mud." Not a cool-toned white either, just white.
The Monili detail is one of Fabiana Filippi's signature design elements. Delicate beading along the sleeves and closures adds a quiet point of detail to an otherwise simple white coat — refined without being flashy, with details that reward a closer look. Exactly what I'd been searching for.
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| Outfit fitting of Fabiana Filippi's Monili white coat |
Wearing this coat out, I can genuinely feel people looking. Once, I wore it into a Max Mara store, and the salesperson told me the coat I was wearing looked better than the one they were selling. It was a slightly awkward but pretty satisfying moment.
It's funny that after going through that pricey Atelier line and trial-and-error with so many other brands, this is where I ended up. What I eventually realized was that I wasn't really looking for the most luxurious coat. I was looking for the coat that made me want to wear it. I guess there really are no shortcuts to finding what actually suits you.
Wrapping Up
A white coat is definitely not the low-maintenance choice. But if it's something you only wear a handful of times a year, I'd still rather choose pretty over practical. Getting to this coat through so much trial and error feels like it was part of finding my own taste all along. In the end, my "one true coat" wasn't the most expensive one. It was simply the one I kept wanting to wear.
Honestly, putting this post together gave me a good excuse to pull every coat out of my closet and try them all on again — and that alone was surprisingly fun. Seeing them again, I remembered exactly why I bought each one.
Let me show you the subtle sparkle of the Monili detailing in this video.
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