Fargo Coat

My mom grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and she used to tell me about the time she begged her parents to get her a plaid winter coat. She and her twin sister had been dressing identically since they were born, and this was the first time she'd pressed for self-expression. She finally got her way, and when she wore her new coat with her her red boots, hat and scarf, and walked to school with her long blond hair blowing in the frigid snowy wind, she got her fair share of honks from truck drivers and lonesome family men in Studebakers and Fords. (She'd kill me if she knew that I'd told you that she liked the attention her new look got her, but I think it's sweet to imagine my mom in the 50s when she was young and beauty-pageant pretty.) This fall, I want to channel my Midwestern mom and slip on this unique herringbone plaid jacket in warm coral, tan, blue and brown. I'll slip my hands into the front pockets, zip it all the way up to my neck, and pull the faux-fur fringed hood around my face for warmth. The elasticized collar, waistline and cuffs will keep out the chill as I forge ahead in the snowy leaves in an homage to my mother. By BB Dakota. -Turi Fesler,  Fashion Writer