I bought the charcoal color coat for a fall jacket to wear in New England, and it works really well for that. It's very stylish, and I like it so much that I wear it until it's absolutely too cold to wear it alone--which is much later in the winter than I anticipated. It's comfortable, the hood is roomy, it fits well both alone and over sweaters. I have not had the problems someone else had with buttons coming off, and I even wore it stretched and buttoned over my infant daughter in a front carrier. I've had this for over a year now, and I expect it will last quite a while.