When I was in high school, I had a think for long coats. I had a leopard print trench coat that old school friends I run into still remember… But my favorite coat of all was barely a coat at all. A thin, suede-like knit that hit me at the mid-calf in a deep chocolate brown with a faux-fur collar and lapels. It had three buttons at the waist, and was trimmed with more faux-fur at the hemline. Swoon… It was the perfect coat.

I remember the day I donated it to Goodwill – it was 2007 and I was packing up my life to move to Chicago. I could only take 5 bags, 50 lbs. each, and the coat just had to go. I remember every detail from examining it, to putting it delicately in the bag, to dropping it off at the donation center.

Can you hear my Donator’s Remorse?

My duster-related sadness saw a glimmer of hope when I pawed through Rodarte’s Fall 2011 collection…

How perfect are these gorgeous, bohemian, easy, prairie coats? I’m on a major prowl to find some beautiful ones for fall. I’ve seen a few striped sweaters – one for $20 at Marshalls! – but they’re tough to find! It’s going to take a lot of wading through flyaway and draped cardigans to find these excellent fall pieces, I think. I did, however, stumble across this super deal at Tilly’s:

What do you think of this style? How would you wear it?