The other day, as I was throwing on my raincoat to run out for lunch, my colleague said "you have so many coats! It's like you have the perfect coat for every kind of weather!!" which I found a touch embarrassing (if a dude noticed, it must be very noticeable!) but mostly it just made me smile. "You're right!" I exclaimed, "I have a bit of a coat habit, but I wear them ALL so I think it's not such a bad habit to have!"
If you ask me, coats, like shoes, scarves, jeans, jewelry and hats are items one can never have enough of. There's the heavy coat, the ski coat, rain coat, dressy coat, lightweight winter coat, lightweight spring coat, puffy vest, stylish cape-let, the list goes on and on. Outerwear can easily be an extension of your outfit and what better way to polish your shine than with the perfect jacket (or shoes or statement necklace) for that particular day!? I mean I've got enough pashminas to run my own street vendor business, but always having the "perfect" color or print makes me happy every time. I think the key is to focus on occasion and variety... it's not "I have a hat already" it's "do I already have a hat that I'd wear when I would wear this one?" Variety is the spice of life and in my opinion, the spicier the better!
Ed. Note: I've also been told I'm excellent at justifying things... purchases in particular :)