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The Coat That Ate Fashion Week

Three pretty coats. Photo: Getty Images

The cold poses a unique challenge to those who attend Fashion Week in February. Street-style photographers are outside, so it doesn’t matter how fabulous your outfit is if your outerwear is drab. Enter the Saks Potts coat as this season’s solution.

It’s a coat so long and classically cut that almost looks anachronistic compared to other popular coat styles like the puffer. The shape is ladylike, with a cinched waist, and the oversize cuffs and collars are made from real fur. Plenty of fashion people borrow the clothes that they wear to the shows, or receive them as gifts, but if you wanted to buy the Saks Potts coat, it would set you back more than $1,000.

Saks Potts is a Danish brand that shows at Copenhagen Fashion Week, not New York. But with the rise of other Danish brands like Ganni and Cecilie Bahnsen in the U.S., Saks Potts coats have caught on. Like the Rejina Pyo dress that was the item a few seasons ago, it has all the right elements for peacocking in front of the cameras: It’s trendy but not too trendy, flattering in a traditional sense, and striking enough to get noticed over and over.

It’s different from the giant all-over fur coat that every other brand has, and its trademark cuffs and sleeves make it easy to spot, on the street or on Instagram. Plus there’s a rainbow of options available, provided you have the money or connections to get one for a show.

Whatever else you wear is pretty much irrelevant. I saw a woman outside of Sandy Liang wearing it with workout leggings and plain Nike Flyknits. The rest is an afterthought. The coat is the star. At least you won’t be cold.

Clockwise from top left: Photo: DANIEL ZUCHNIK/Getty ImagesPhoto: Matthew Sperzel/Getty ImagesPhoto: Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesPhoto: Timur Emek/Getty Images
Clockwise from top left: Photo: DANIEL ZUCHNIK/Getty ImagesPhoto: Matthew Sperzel/Getty ImagesPhoto: Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesPhoto: Timur Emek/Ge... Clockwise from top left: Photo: DANIEL ZUCHNIK/Getty ImagesPhoto: Matthew Sperzel/Getty ImagesPhoto: Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesPhoto: Timur Emek/Getty Images
Clockwise from left: Photo: Matthew Sperzel/Getty ImagesPhoto: Matthew Sperzel/Getty ImagesPhoto: Matthew Sperzel/Getty Images
Clockwise from left: Photo: Matthew Sperzel/Getty ImagesPhoto: Matthew Sperzel/Getty ImagesPhoto: Matthew Sperzel/Getty Images
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