Winter white from Kenneth Cole Reaction.

No white after Labor Day?  Please.  One of my favorite trends of recent years is the white or cream-colored winter coat.  Living in an urban area where I go everywhere on foot, they’re 100% impractical.  Which is probably why I love them so much.  There are few things as gorgeous on an awful winter day as a woman chicly bundled in a winter-white coat, defying the elements and the gray street slush.  Sure, they require a little extra effort to keep clean, but they’re that little bit of luxury and cheer in the most depressing of seasons.

I, um, already own one (a long Soia & Kyo coat from a couple of years ago), but that has not kept me from desperately lusting after this great number from Royal Underground.  (The chevron detailing on the sleeves?  Shoot me now.)  After the jump, the results of my vicarious romp through the online stores in search of this season’s best.

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Nothing like a bright tartan print to perk up your winter!

We, um, won’t count the number of winter jackets I own.  But suffice it to say that after filling wardrobe holes over the course of the last several years, I don’t have a reason to buy winter coats this year.  This has of course not kept me from shopping for them.  What I don’t have, aside from an excuse to buy more coats, is a coat in one of this season’s great plaids.  Admittedly, there are a lot of ways that plaid can go bad.  But some of these coats are gorgeous, rich, and interesting — just the little something different your winter wardrobe needs.  After the jump, some of the best of this season’s offerings.

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