How many black coats does one girl need? Every time I buy a new one, I ask myself this question, yet I am still no closer to the answer. It’s sort of like black shoes, (yes I know I am biased) – to the average Joe a black shoe is just another black shoe but to me, a black shoe has a thick or a thin heel, a pointed or round toe, an ankle strap, a Mary-Jane strap, no strap at all. It can be patent black, or matte. Maybe a suede or a shiny Melissa rubber version. The possibilities are endless, and the same is true for coats.

I have a number of black coats, the oldest dating back to when I was in Year 12 and I bought my first wool coat – a dark charcoal black with a grey fleck. I remember feeling so grown up and warm in that coat, layered over my school jumper and skirt. It was only from Target but I recall the satisfaction I got buying it, wearing it to school for the first time and while the other girls sat on the side of the footy oval at lunch shivering from the Melbourne cold, I was toasty warm.

Looking back now, I recall the coat was very straight up and down, a size too big and completely shapeless. Which further amuses me today about the coat I am currently wearing, a 2009 Wayne Cooper cashmere number that, in essence, is also pretty shapeless and ‘up and down’, yet has a timeless elegance about it, a 50s Audrey Hepburn style with a higher collar that gives it a classic feel rather than a dowdy schoolgirl one.

The Wayne Cooper coat also brings back memories of purchases past, an invite to an exclusive ‘one night only’ designer sale at my local Myer – an invitation not meant for me that ended up in my hands. A girlfriend and I tried on designer threads with no intention of purchasing, until I set eyes upon this coat and I was sold. It was, and is, an investment piece. That is the beauty of such a classic shape. Wear it season after season and just change your stockings. Worth every penny.

The Year 12 wool number recently made an appearance when I was stranded at Mum and Dads, coatless and freezing. From the ‘I’ll wear it again one day’ storage facility (aka the rumpus room at my parents) I emerged with the coat, now 2 sizes too big and still shapeless, but warm. With a few turns of the sleeves, a waist cinching belt, a flick of the collar and oversized sunglasses, all of a sudden I was Jackie O and ready to take on the world (or at least the crowds at the Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs game).

My recent trip to Sydney again emphasised the beauty of black in Melbourne. While my other black coats range from fitted trenches to typical blazers, there is no shortage of black coats and jackets on offer in Melbourne to fit nicely into every fashionistas wardrobe, regardless of how many are already there.

Image One: Soia & Kyo black wool ‘Anissa’ short belted coat $230.00$206.99 by Soia & Kyo at Bluefly
Image Two: Narciso Rodriguez Wool-Mohair Dolman Coat $2,375.00 by Narciso Rodriguez at Neiman Marcus
Image Three: Knit coat  $850.00 at Emporio Armani