January can feel just so drab, right? I mean, when it comes to clothes, all the lovely autumnal hues of the fall lead into a bevy or tartans and rich jewel tones for December… but then January hits… And we got nothin’. Just cold windchills, grey skies, and slush. We haven’t yet reached February reds and pinks or all the nautical navy and yellow that seem to come out every early spring, so we’re in a bit of a no-man’s land of color choices.

So I am kinda loving this bright, happy color that doesn’t get much play from me the rest of the year. I have a hand-me-down wool coat that my sister-in-law gave me a couple of years back, and even though it is not a color I typically gravitate toward, it is just the happiest color for late winter!

[This is my attempt at a very serious “before” face, haha!]

Even though it is a size 4, it is tailored pretty loosely (a bit like all the 80’s flashback fashions I’m seeing). So I like the cut… save for one important detail: the collar. It lays wide and flat and it is just a bit too 70’s leisure suit-feeling for me… So it has set semi-neglected in the coat closet…

BUT it just got a great, simple, fast tweak that rocketed it straight to the top of my faves list! EEK!

I grabbed a bit of similarly-colored thread, and sewed the collar to the coat just at the collar tips, so it lays in a more upright style. [I did not pull the thread all the way through the top layer of the collar, so the stitch does not show.]

And I love it!! Now it has a nice tailored-looking collar. I am a happy camper.

It is just the happiest and merriest pops of color. I love that on cold wintery days! [Here it is with a scarf my four-year-old helped make–more on that another day!!]

I like it for work too–here it is tone on tone with a much deeper shade shirt plus slacks for teaching.

Or it works at the other end of the spectrum in uber-casual land… like with my loverly Matilda Jane black ruffle pants and a jcrew western cut denim top & print flats. All kinds of fun and funky.

Or my favorite everyday look combines simple solids with a bit of print and a bit of color and a bit of texture. Jcrew jeans and boots plus an old GAP shirt I cut up make the grade for me!

[As a side note, I would like to say that typically I would dazzle you (haha) with a beaming-smile after pic of me wearing the coat. But alas, January has been a wash for us health-wise, so I finally just laid the outfits out on my floor and hung the coat on the chalkboard. such is life. But believe me, it looks cute IRL!!]

So this coat is making me very happy! It went from neglected to loved in just a few minutes! I love seeing something come to life again! Huzzah!

So, anyone raiding your *own* closet for a “new” wardrobe this winter? Do tell! I’d love to know what tweaks and refashions are inspiring you!