A winter in the cold (Kerry)

I remember that donkey-brown coat, bought with my first ever paycheque.

My very first pay-cheque? Now I don’t remember that. I don’t think I ever got a pay-cheque in my life. Always the little paper packet of notes and coins. Maybe that’s why I don’t recall how much I earned. It required counting every time.

But the coat is very familiar. Donkey-brown is the description I gave for the colour only after it was no longer possible to wear the coat. It has hung forlornly in my wardrobe now for years. Since I’ve grown too large, shall we say, for it to fit me. Donkey-brown is actually a rather delicate tawny grey which I really loved in the beginning. When I still had fresh young skin and bright eyes. It rather complemented my dark hair I thought.

It was a daring purchase in some ways. But at the same time a necessary one. I was living in New York and it was coming on winter so I needed something to keep the chills out. I had had a beautiful coat that I’d worn for years through my schooling but it was so dated and so not-New-York that I refused to wear it when I moved from up-state.

I remember now the shopping trip with my new work-mate, Christy. She was the daring one actually. Took me to a part of town I’d never have ventured into. This was the first coat I tried on and fell in love with straight away. Such gorgeous slim lines. Beautiful tailoring around the collar. And that little fur trim on the collar and sleeves. Very elegant. And fitting for a new up-and-coming executive assistant.

The first day I wore it to work my colleagues whistled as I walked into the office. These days that may have been referred to as sexual harassment but actually I was quite chuffed to be noticed. Better than being ignored I reckoned. I wore it every day after that throughout the winter. Through snow storms, ice storms, rain storms. On the metro, in taxis, walking in the park. You couldn’t separate me from that coat.

I even bought a pair of boots later that winter to match the soft grey of the coat. These were specially for Sundays only. Otherwise I stuck to my black serviceable boots for work and about town.

The coat remains my favourite piece of clothing.