When I first bought this coat there weren't any reviews on it, so I was taking a chance. Now that I've put it to the test for about 3 months I can say that I really love this coat.
It really is very eye-catching and unique, especially with all the buttons. I took it with me on a trip to Paris over the holidays and it even got looks and compliments from our fashion-forward friends over there. Unfortunately, that's also where I lost my first button, which I had to replace with the single extra button that comes with the coat.
Ah, yes, the buttons. Do yourself a favor and go get some heavy duty black thread and a good needle. This isn't something you do with the emergency sewing kit you keep in your bag--you need that extra heavy thread. The key is to sew all all the way through the coat; as purchased, the thread is just going through the top layer and not all the way through. Put on a movie or something and sit down with your needle, heavy thread and your new coat, and reinforce those buttons. There are a lot of buttons, so it'll take a while. But trust me it will be worth the effort when you can wear your lovely new coat with confidence that the buttons aren't going to go flying off.
It's been pretty frigid here in Chicago this winter, and I'm very pleased with my coat. I bought a medium and found it to fit a little larger than expected, but this works out great for me because it fits well over my sweaters. It's also nice and long (I'm not particularly tall anyway) and keeps my legs warm.
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars, since a truly excellent product wouldn't have the button issue. I still love it, though, and do recommend!