I recently had the chance to check out the new American Living label designed by Ralph Lauren for J.C. Penney and was quite pleased with the results. Think Polo Ralph Lauren, but cheaper (though not as much cheaper as you might hope at J.C. Penney).

I wore this American Living classic coat dress, $110, as a topper for my Easter dress since it was about 40 degrees on Easter this year. So, obviously, I believe it can be worn as either a coat dress as intended or a smart trench. At first I thought I’d need it hemmed, but with heels it ended up looking fine and even allowed a little bit of my skirt to peek out.

This was the Easter dress underneath, the belted dress, $100. The wide belt straps wrap around a few times and tie with a cute bow or knot wherever you choose.

The quality of these pieces are definitely of a higher quality than standard J.C. Penney fare, but you’re certainly paying for it. In some cases you could probably find actual Ralph Lauren or Polo Ralph Lauren designs for less. But more people have access to J.C. Penney so hopefully this will be a good fit.