The Vine: December 7, 2011
When one needs baseball-related gift ideas, one turns to The Vine.
My gifting needs are for my uncle who is in his late 70s and works for the Texas Rangers. He reads a lot and I’ve gotten him various baseball and sports-related books over the years. Seeing as I don’t actually know what’s in his library already, I’m seeking a few book recommendations for baseball or general sports books that have been published recently with the hope that he won’t have gotten to more recent offerings.
Wendy
*****
Can anyone help me find this coat for my BF for Christmas? …As modeled by (my pretend other BF) Louis CK:
This should not be so hard, as it is a fairly standard and not particularly fashion-forward “regular” guys’ coat. But no luck at any of the usual suspects (not that I often shop for men’s coats). And the reason I want this one (or a reasonable facsimile) so bad is that the BF actually commented on it while we were watching Louie — and, as a jeans and t-shirt type, he rarely pays attention to clothes. But he needs a new coat and I really want to get him one for Christmas and, even though I am certain that I’ve probably seen this coat a million times on various boys throughout the years, now I can’t find it. Ugh. Thanks in advance!
N
Tags: Ask The Readers happy hellidays popcult retail
Google “Men’s shearling coat” and click on the Shopping tab. Millions of them in every price range, type, and color :)
Wendy — if your uncle likes fiction about baseball, he might enjoy The Art of Fielding, which came out this year and has been on all the “best of the year” lists. It’s about a college baseball player who loses his confidence. (But note that the book does include some sex (between men and women, and between men and men) as well as (prescription) drug use, so if your uncle is conservative, it might not be right.)
The Art of Fielding is a GREAT option if he enjoys reading fiction. Enough about baseball to be awesome if you like the sport, enough about the characters for those who don’t.
And also, I’m glad I’m not the only one who is smitten with Louis CK.
The most entertaining baseball book I own is Leo Mazzone’s Tales from the Mound. It’s not new, but since he’s AL and this is an NL book he may not have it. Honestly, it sounds like someone just sat Leo down with a tape recorder, told him to talk, and typed it up with very few edits. The stories he relates about the Braves’ big pitchers of the 90s are very amusing.
On the coat–
Here’s a shopstyle search for “men’s shearling double breasted”
http://www.shopstyle.com/browse?fts=men+shearling+double+breasted#12_0
There are three pages of results, which narrows things down enough to look through sanely. I didn’t see an exact match, but I didn’t check for color choices on wrong-color stuff.
Yes! “The Art of Fielding” was wonderful!
Thanks, everyone; it’s me, the coat-hunter. I’ve checked everywhere I can think of. I feel like I’ve have run out of Google — and I just can’t find it; everything is just… not casual enough. And to Jane: thanks for the link but my BF would have me committed if I spent even half of the cost of the least expensive coat shown (and I wouldn’t blame him).
And, Stephanie, no — you are not alone! Louis CK is the cutest!
Whoops — “I’ve have” should obviously be just “I’ve.”
I’m a newspaper copy editor and the 60-something sports editor at work, who has met both Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, loves “The Last Hero,” by Howard Byrant, which is about Aaron. It’s about a year old. My coworker says it’s one of the best baseball books he’s ever read. He also said “Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend,” by James S. Hirsch, is really good.
How about this for the coat: http://www.overstock.com/Clothing-Shoes/Lee-Mens-Button-Front-Faux-Shearling-Coat/2656823/product.html
It’s not *exactly* the thing, but it’s certainly affordable, and in the same vein (buttons instead of zip-front, color, etc.).
Also, this one from Amazon seems sort of like it: http://tinyurl.com/7krg45y
Wow, my oldest brother had that coat years and years ago. It’s a classic style, so I’d suggest checking some of the more old-school outdoor and farm-supply places: Cabela’s, Gander Mountain, L.L. Bean, Farm & Fleet (which might just be a Wisconsin chain, but worth a Google), and other places that cater to the outdoorsy/camping market and/or the farmer market. Plus, if you find it somewhere like that, It’ll probably be not too expensive. Another possible thought might be Army surplus-type places. Good Luck!
N,
Have you tried searching for a barn/field/chore coat? I think those tend to be canvas instead of corduroy, but the style seems fairly close
Or, there seem to be vintage car coats (brown, fleece-lined, corduroy) for sale that might be pretty close
For N,
http://tinyurl.com/levisherpa
Kind of similar, maybe?
OK N, I’m going to try… I think it is a “faux sherpa lined corduroy barn coat” but that search isn’t working… too specific perhaps. I don’t think its shearling because the coat itself doesn’t appear to be leather, which is generally what shearling indicates… in my searching I’ve found that sort of clumpy “looks like actual lambs wool” fabric to be called “Sherpa Lined” so I’m going from there. Now, none of these are perfect, but they are more casual than the prior search…
Here’s one on ebay
One at Sears
Here’s one that is leather, but it’s casual too…
Here’s another from Wilson’s
None of these are “right” but here’s some more that are way way more casual… again, I realize none of these are exact but hey, it’s a shot right?
Anyway I’m sorry I couldn’t find it exactly, but I’ve got to drive home in the snow now, regardless… subbing Sherpa instead of shearling helps. Add in Gap or corduroy seems to help as well… here’s one more from ebay and I’m quitting for now.
For coats… that reminds me of a corduroy coat my husband has, though it doesn’t have the yummy shearling collar. None of these looks exactly right, but maybe they’re closer?
Cabelas #1
Cabelas #2
Carhartt #1
Carhartt #2
I meant to mention this earlier, but Army/Navy stores often have Levi’s stuff, classic peacoats, et al. that you’d basically never find by Googling. You’d think a corduroy fuzzy-lined jean jacket would be a snap to find. Not so. I wound up buying it from some sketchball Levi’s factory-second outlet in western Massachusetts, but the thing is AWESOME. Love you, inside pockets!
I also had that style of coat on CK, but in a more caramel color, and I got it at a vintage store. Try these:
fashiondig.com
rustyzipper.com
oddtwin.com (run, I found out recently, by the sister of TWoP’s own Demian!)
Oooh, you guys are awesome! I have actually been to some of these exact links and have a mental “maybe” list running in my head, but you’ve all given me some new options! And, YES to the Army-Navy store; there’s actually a new one right near my BF’s house that I had completely forgotten about! I also forgot about RustyZipper!
And, I do sort of suspect that Louis CK’s coat is corduroy, though it’s not too clear in the photo. But you guys have also helped TONS with the search terms — maybe that’s the issue… (Lis: Last week, in my crazed state, I might have actually typed “clumpy lamb’s wool” into Google.)
He’s not a big fan of the lighter color (not that I’ve asked; I just have a feeling) and, for some crazy-ass reason, he does not like the “trucker” style that’s cut like a standard jean jacket (this is just nuts to me, and he would look so… right” in it, IMO. But, like I said, he’s not “into” clothes, so I tread the slippery slope of making him feel bad, like I am saying, “You look awful, now CHANGE!” He also has an aversion to pea coats, which he’d also look awesome in. What is with this guy? Now I’m rambling… anyway…)
Honestly, though, you’d think this type of coat would be so easy! But it’s not like I don’t run into this problem EVERY TIME I attempt to find a very specific piece of clothing. Once upon a very bad time, there was a dearth of — I am not even kidding — black cardigan sweaters! How the hell can that even be?
Ok, rambling again… thanks for all the help; I’m off to browse. I will come back with a report — or, if all else fails, a request for one of you to steal your husband’s coat and send it my way. (Just kidding… I hope.)
This search on eBay for car coats brings up some things that are similar:
http://tinyurl.com/bwxcyf9
I restricted the search to wool, leather, shearling, etc, so you might want to tinker with that or add corduroy as a search term.
How averse are you to thrift store shopping?
N, I don’t know how much help this might be, but I’ve had some luck looking through “workwear” brands like Dickies and Carhartt. No exact matches yet, but that might give you some browsing help.
For the coat, I agree with Kate, I’d try going more into the carhartt vein. Also, I’m not sure where you are, but if you have a cowboy store, like real western wear, stetsons and shit-kickers type place you will probably find something very similar there. It’s definitely a barn coat (I’ve also heard “chore coat”) in wide wale, dark brown corduroy, so if you want to call around a bit that’s what I’d ask for.
This isn’t corduroy, but it’s a similar style:
http://www.sheplers.com/mens-sherpa-lined-bomber-jacket.html
Coat:
http://www.rei.com/product/802246/rei-torridon-jacket-mens
http://www.rei.com/product/742550/kuhl-alpenwurx-jacket-mens
Good morning, everyone! So, I had to quit the search last night because I heard a key in the lock an in comes BF so I had to get all squirelly with the closing of all the open computer windows… but I keep finding myself checking out the jacket from Wilson’s that Lis posted (despite the lighter color) — it is so nice! And the one Loren posted from Overstock is so, so close to the lovely Louis CK’s… but out of stock at the moment. Bah.
I’ve looked at Dickies and Carhartt and I like them enough, but they seem to be generally shorter in length than the one I am looking for. And I myself am not averse to thrift-store stuff or used clothes in general (in fact, I just got me a pair of “lightly worn” Jeffrey Campbell boots from Ebay for a steal!) but he’s not as open to that as I am. And, because that might be more difficult to return in case it doesn’t fit, I’m going to stick with the brand-new stuff, I think.
I’d give up for now and just resume this hunt for his birthday… but that’s in April and hardly the best time for a spankin’ new coat (though you never know here in NJ with the weather lately — it’s weird!).
I’m going to the mall soon; maybe I’ll find something that didn’t appear on a store’s website but is there in in the actual store? And if there is a Wilson’s Leather, I am so checking out that one coat in person!
(Sorry again for the typos; I don’t know what’s with me. Probably residual shock from excitedly clicking on a coat that looked like a reasonable option… until I realized it was a John Varvatos and closed that window!)
N: after following some of the above links in curiosity myself, of course Amazon is now showing me things LIKE what I recently viewed. Therefore I bring to your attention:
BGSD Men’s Faux Shearling Car Coat.
Close? At the moment, looks like all sizes are in stock. (Oh, how I know the pain of finding something and it being out of stock and then all my Google-fu cannot find it available anywhere else!)
Good luck!
Thanks for the book recs! I think ‘The Art of Fielding’ might be out of his comfort zone (though I totally want to read it), but I’m definitely going to seek out the other ones. These are just the type of suggestions I was looking for. :)
Sorry about the misdirect, N–on my wee laptop screen, Louis C.K.’s coat looked like shearling! I did want to clarify, for other possible uses, that shopstyle includes plenty of inexpensive stuff in its searches if you’re not searching for stuff like shearling. Or mink.
N, I’m glad I could be of any assistance :) I should also mention that if you’re anywhere near a place that has a Wilson’s Outlet… well, they’re awesome and my husband got this super badass coat for like $75 there once, it’s so giant and warm and fuzzy I steal it all the time (it’s a faux shearling job, kind of like the one in the Amazon link above, but fuzzy on the outside and WAY thicker lining…)I have no clue how close you are to either Atlantic City or Jackson, but both of those outlet malls have Wilson’s stores… maybe in the future it would be worth a check… I bet that in the spring the sales would be insane. (BTW I do not work for Wilson’s Leather, I just really like their outlet shops!)
N,
This might seem like a crazy idea, but have you considered just emailing Louis directly? louisck [at] louisck.com (address is from his website)
Could be a total long shot, but when it doubt, go to the source, right? :) Who knows, he just might reply!
OMGpleasedothat
PS I just tweeted at him. Even longer shot, but hey.
Oh my goodness, Lisa — I totally did that the day I sent this letter in! I think I might have even giggled while doing so.
So, update: After four hours in the mall (Willowbrook, for you North Jerseyans), I did find a few similar ones (in Sears, of all places) but nothing I could make myself commit to (don’t worry, though; I got a lot of other shopping done, so the mall — which was not too bad yesterday — was not a total bust). I added my e-mail address to Overstock.com’s notification list for that one suggested up-thread, as it seems to be the most similar. It’s still early(ish), so maybe that will pan out. And maybe this is like that old saw about dating — something about not finding “it” when you’re looking too hard? I dunno. I’m sure there will be more shopping trips but I’m trying to remain calm because it’s not like BF is all, “Pleasepleaseplease, someone give me a new coat please!” (Wouldn’t it be awful if, after all this, I find it and then he’s like, “But… I have a coat?”)
Still, thanks for all the suggestions — I have a couple bookmarked and I still can’t keep my eyes off of that camel-colored Wilson’s one…
Thanks for the baseball book titles. The Leo Mazzone book is the perfect stocking stuffer gift for my hubby to round out his Christmas. Ordered it today. And put both the Hank Aaron and the Willie Mays book on hold at the library for me. Willie was my childhood hero and as a Braves fan, Hank is the man.
Did you ever find the make of the brown jacket louis had?