In cooler weather, your coat is often the first and sometimes the only part of your outfit people see, so it’s fun to wear something special–and vintage coats certainly fit the bill!

Inspired by Meggstatus at Another Day to Dress Up‘s lovely leopard coat, we found our own favorites for when the temperature drops:

70′s pumpkin maxi coat, 1stlove on etsy

Surely Mary Tyler Moore would approve of the unusual color and furry cuffs and collar!

50′s flared trapeze coat, Posh Girl Vintage

This should obviously be worn with pointy-toe heels and a fur muff. Obviously.

60′s green cloak, Pinupdresses on eBay

It’s green,  fuzzy, and can be worn as a cape. What more could you want?

60′s Spy Girl trench coat, FabVintage on etsy

007 is on his way to pick you up for a top secret mission. Luckily, the detachable cape transforms into a parachute!

60′s faux fur leopard coat, Chiffonier on etsy

Get thee over to Carnaby Street to show off your boss coat. It’ll be a gas!

40′s New Look wool coat, Antique Dress

If you’re really serious about blowing everyone else out of the water without even taking your coat off, this is the one.

What are you wearing to stay warm?

See how it’s done:

Top, L to R: Flashes of Style, The Styling Dutchman, Night Lights, City of Bugs. Bottom, L to R: Fashion Hijack, Only the Marvelous, 華麗袍上釘蚤子, Christeric

Worn with booties, wedges, cage heels, clogs, or lace-ups, socks with heels seems to work best when you show a little leg. How would you wear it?

Left to right: Greatest Friend, Shop Ruche, Queen’s Wardrobe

Making the right connections and cultivating trust with area retailers can help you create a base of stores from which to pull clothing and accessories for photo shoots, fashion shows, and other opportunities that may arise.

So, what’s the best way to go about doing such a thing? Let’s go over some basic tactics:

Know the shops in your area

Do a good ol’ Google search, ask around, or–really, if you’re into fashion, you probably already know the local hotspots. Subscribe to store’s email list, set up a Google Alert for “(your city) boutique”, or subscribe to the feed of a publication that covers local retailers to stay up to date on sales and events.

Make contact

Plan a trip! If you have a blog, contact owner ahead of time and let them know you’re interested in writing about their store or covering their event. I ran into trouble at an event when there was a paid professional photographer there who felt threatened when I took photos (even though I’m not a photographer), so make sure it’s okay to take pictures.

This blogging thing is still pretty new for a lot of people, so you may need to explain what you do. Send a link to your site so they can check it out before you arrive.

Take a trip

Dress the part for your visit, and when you arrive be friendly and professional. Bring your camera (or your photographer if you’re lucky enough to have one) as well as plenty of business cards to distribute.

Take pictures of the shop, the merchandise, the owner and employees, or whatever images best fit your site content. When taking pictures of other people, make sure you have their permission to post their photo and be sure write down their names–with the correct spelling!

If they’re not too busy, chat with the people running the shop. Ask when they get shipments in, what services they offer, and if they have any special sales or events coming up. The more interested you are, the better!

Buy a little something if see something you like and you can afford it–people support people who support them.

Blog it

If you had a good experience, post a write-up on your site. Talk about your visit in first person, and make sure the post is attractive–use clear pictures and proper grammar and spelling. If you use a direct quote, make sure it’s accurate.

Easy things to write about include the location, store setup/atmosphere, clothing brands, your favorite finds, good deals, and how you’d style certain pieces. Always write in your own voice and keep it real–your readers are still your first priority.

Follow up

Send a follow-up “great meeting you” email with a link to the published post to the shop owner. It also helps to attach a few pictures if you got any good ones–people love to receive pictures of themselves. I usually email one or two images of the store owner and employees, along with a link to a Flickr set with the pictures taken. If you’re open to it, let them know they’re welcome to use the photos as long as they’re credited to you.

Keep in touch

If the boutique has social media accounts, follow them on Twitter or Like them on Facebook. Send a quick request to link to the shop owner on LinkedIn. If you’re forgetful (welcome to the club!), set up an email group list of all the shops you’ve contacted, and set a reminder on your calendar to contact the list every 4-6 weeks. Sending a quick email to ask if they received anything new or interesting is a simple way to stay in the loop!

Allowing designers to pool their resources and get real-world experience selling their merchandise, these local boutiques are fertile ground for emerging talent:

MPLS Design Collective (Minneapolis, MN)

The Cloud Factory Design Collective (San Francisco, CA)

Cambridge Design Collective (Cambridge, UK)

Painfully Hip Design Collective (Online)

Fresh Collective (Toronto, Canada)

LA Fashion Collective (Los Angeles, CA)

Neon Collective (Brighton, England)

Conscious Designers Collective (UK)

Vitae Design Collective (Des Moines, IA)

Who did we miss?

When I first had the brainchild of an intern-produced monthly photo shoot, the people I initially shared this idea with just nodded their heads and said “Hmmm” with a smile and quickly moved onto the next subject, or asked,“Well, where are you going to post these pics?,” in a very “duh” manner. However, I knew that it would be a viable idea and give young creatives the opportunity to perfect their craft. If anything, we’d just post it on our blog. Heck, that’s publishing isn’t it?

Here’s how everything was put together:
Early September 2009: Post on our website that we are seeking a Fashion Editor Intern, responsible for creating and executing a monthly photo shoot for organization’s blog.

Late September 2009: Haley Githens is selected to be our Fashion Editor Intern. She comes to her interview with a story board that painted a vivid picture of her ideal photo shoot and the aesthetic. I was stoked and equally impressed!

Late September 2009: Begin marketing a model casting call.

Late September 2009: Began pitching this endeavor to local boutiques to agree for them to loan clothes from the shoot. We got many “Are you nuts?” facial expressions, fake smiles, and “Who are you again?” responses.

October 10, 2009: Casting Call held at my dear friend’s vintage boutique, Parkerhawn Vintage. The casting call was attended by Haley, our marketing interns, and student make-up artist. We had over 15 real models attend and we were only looking for two! After the casting call, Haley selected her top three.

October 13, 2009: Selected models were notified. They were thrilled, to say the least!

Mid October 2009: Began mini-marketing campaign to announce the upcoming “The Secret Garden” intern produced photo shoot on Facebook, Twitter, and in our monthly newsletter.
Mid October 2009: After more explanation, several gracious boutiques agreed to provide clothes on loan for the shoot!

Mid October 2009: I visited and scouted a wonderful area of our local nature park for the site. An awesome photographer agrees to shoot “The Secret Garden” for free!

October 22, 2009: Starting early, I drove all over town to pick up the loaned apparel from participating boutiques. Then Haley, the models, our student make-up artist, myself, and my PR firm’s staff met at Parkerhawn Vintage for a styling session to curate the “looks” for the models and do fittings.