Living in Minnesota and new to being paralyzed, I learned quickly that wearing a winter coat in my wheelchair was NOT going to be easy.
It was 1993 and I was 14 years old. There were no adapted clothing companies and I didn’t know a seamstress. I gave up trying to look good and wore my puffy teal and purple Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket until it was threadbare.
Well folks, such a fashion sacrifice is no longer necessary thanks to the latest coats from IZ Adaptive (an adapted clothing label). Her sheik winter coats are designed using seated mannequins, not standing mannequins, so they fit wheelchair-users perfectly. From her site (describing my favorite, the Wool Trench):
The coat is cut to follow the curve of the body while seated. The length of the back and sides fall only to the seat of the chair, while the front has more length. All bulk has been removed for a sleek, stylish look.
It isn’t easy not resembling a pool of fabric while sitting down in a jacket. It just isn’t. It takes extra attention, an extra design element for example, to highlight a woman’s waist in a jacket while she’s seated. But it IS possible. And these coats prove that. They’ll not only keep you warm (she has a killer wool/leather combo trench jacket that’s amaaazing), they’ll actually show off your figure.
If you’re currently on the hunt for a new winter coat (so not looking forward to the snow!), and use a wheelchair too, I highly recommend at the very least giving IZ Adaptive a look. Her coats perfectly encapsulate what a classic, timeless design should be (a good thing too since these coats will last multiple winters). And above all, they’re guaranteed to look great ON from your wheelchair (Sears and JC Penney can’t give you that promise). I’ll take that anyday.
Coats by IZ Adaptive: Wool Trench, Wool Funnel Neck Trench, Leather Trench Coat, Short Cape with Seperate Sleeves, and Izzy’s very first adapted design (created for a female quadriplegic), her signature Leather Jacket.
