Ogle, Obsess, Own: Stay Warm with New Coats

Up until now, I had been thinking that we would have a mild winter here in New York...a few storms later, I'm taking that back.

When I was walking out of my apartment yesterday to brave the cold, I looked in the mirror and I looked like a mess- I had lost all my individuality behind this black puffy coat and pom pom beanie.  My winter jacket was boring and tired.  My knit hat was looking ragged from enduring all the rain and snow.  My scarf is awesome.  It's probably the only awesome thing about my winter uniform.

Roaming the streets all I could see was a sea of Canada Goose jackets and LL Bean boots.  Nothing wrong with those things- they keep you nice and warm when the weather is awful, but there's more out there in the world of winter outerwear.

So what now?  It's time to do some shopping!  Here are things I would choose to spruce up my winter wear that are functional and still cute!

So, prices for coats range from affordably Ownable to overly expensive Ogle-able.  Here are the ones that I love:

This is a really cute and unique patterned coat from Dirk Bikkembergs at under $300

From my Obsess category, here's a pretty red coat by Jil Sander for under $600!

I also love this Camel/Black mixed coat by Atto.

And if you want to go REALLY luxe, here are my two choices.  Break that bank!

I love this ultra LUXE version of the winter parka by Mr. & Mrs.- the black fur on black parka is so classic and pretty.

If you want something a little more fitted, Givenchy has this beautiful option

Look, I know the last two coast are black, but I love black after all and if I was going to shell out bucks for an Ogle-worthy coat, it would be black, but there are a lot of really beautiful colorful coats out there for those of you who want to bring a little color to the winter.

Get shopping!  It's snowing again in NYC already...

Obsess until I pick one...winter boots

Now that it's been five solid years that I've faced the New York City winter, I think it's time for me to upgrade my regular, ugly winter duds to ones that are actually stylish.  Some might say that task is virtually impossible, but hear me out here.

Let's start with shoes!  In my opinion, when the winter comes, I feel warmer if my feet stay warm and dry.  While everyone swears by Hunter boots, I just don't think they do the trick!  They don't really keep your feet warm (even if you have those welly socks things) and they are not comfortable.  I'm sure some people out there will disagree with me, but I'm standing my ground on my opinion of Hunter boots.

There are a lot of really cute winter boot alternatives out there.  Just doing a quick browse on some of my usual sites, here are a few that I really like:

Pretty classic Sorel boots.  I like these because they are simple and functional, but not too clunky.

If you like the Sorel boots above, but want something a little more fashionable, then these Sorel boots might do the trick.  They have a little bit of faux fur at the top.

These Tretorn boots are a little more utilitarian looking, but I have a pair of Tretorn sneakers and they are awesome so I have to think that these will be equally awesome.

Tired of all the black?  Well, these Sperry Flannel boots are a cute way to do something a little more colorful. Also, I think that when flannel gets dirty, it's still really cute.

None of the above boots doing it for you?  Then how about these ASOS Heeled Duck Boots?  I know that it seems silly to rock a heeled shoe when the weather outside is dismal, but these look pretty substantial and you might be okay in them!  If you get them and test them out, let me know how it goes.

Now, off you go to equip yourselves!   Don't wait until it starts to snow again.  I'm torn.  These are all great options.  Which ones do you like best?!?  Help me decide!