I saw a post from W Magazine the other day that made me a bit nostalgic.  An interviewer asked several iconic Supers what their first fashion splurge was.  They most memorably mentioned Louis Vuitton luggage and Calvin Klein denim.  I immediately reflected back to mine—an A. Byer faux fur, leopard print coat.  It must have cost somewhere between fifty and seventy-five dollars—on sale.  This was a lot of money for an unemployed middle schooler.  I had pined after it for long enough to watch it sell out of almost every size, so by the time it was somewhat affordable only a larger size was available.  I didn’t care because I wanted it so badly.

I don’t know that I ever wore it anywhere outside the house until I went to college.  Even then I think I only wore it once, on Halloween, which is where I’m guessing it earned a small stain to the interior where a lining should have been.  Still, I have carried it around for years, schlepping it from dwelling to dwelling, forgetting about it and tearing apart the house to find it again, if only to know it’s safe.  I came upon the coat again recently, while checking for water damage in my closet.  The coat was dry and safe, so I hung it up.

I always thought I might belt it to give it a waist, or do something silly with the buttons to make it double breasted, but when I tried it on again, I realized it fit just fine as an over coat.  It’s bright enough to clash with a Buffalo plaid nicely, or just about any other jacquard or texture hanging around the shack I call home.  So I decided it was finally time.

You see, sometimes it just takes time for things to fall perfectly into place.  It may take years (or decades) for the stars to align, but when they do it can make for a very fashionable constellation.  So pull that trigger, and spend (what you believe to be) too much money.  It will save you paying even more for it in the future—thanks, inflation.