We call it the Evelyn. It is a hooded zip-up coat lined with soft sherpa, and Mom keeps hers on the hook by the front door for the mornings when the wind comes straight down the street.

She liked the lining first. It feels soft and warm the moment you put the coat on, so you are wrapped up without the weight of a winter coat.

Then the hood. It is lined with the same sherpa, so when the wind picks up, your head and neck stay warm. No more digging through her bag for a hat between the car and the shop.

And the length. It comes down over the hips, and the fit is relaxed enough for a sweater underneath. A zipper that runs all the way down and two roomy pockets for her phone, keys and cold hands finish it off.

When the last shipment of the Evelyn arrived, Mom opened the box on the front porch instead of waiting to carry it inside. She does that with the pieces she cares about.

Navy, bordeaux and khaki, folded with the hoods on top. She lifted each one, pressed her hand into the lining and said what she always says about a good coat: "You can tell by the inside."

I have learned to trust that. Anyone can make a coat look nice on a hanger. The inside is what you feel on a cold morning, and this one feels like a blanket.

That Saturday she wore the navy one to my nephew's football game with dark jeans and her brown boots. No hat and no scarf, just the coat zipped up.

It was one of those gray October mornings that never really warms up. When the wind came across the field, she pulled the hood up, put her hands in her pockets and stayed right at the sideline while everyone on the bleachers was stamping their feet.

She stayed for the whole game. For someone who used to spend halftime warming up in the car, that was the part she talked about all the way home.

A few days later she met two of her oldest friends for lunch at the little bistro near the shop. This time she wore the bordeaux.

The place was full, so they waited outside for a table. Normally Mom would have been the one shivering in a thin jacket. This time it was a cream sweater, gray slacks and her loafers, with the coat open and the hood down.

What I noticed was that she never once mentioned the cold. She laughed through the whole wait and forgot about what she was wearing. That is my favorite thing a piece of clothing can do.

If you asked me which color to pick, I would tell you what I told Mom: start with one classic and one favorite.

The Black is timeless and goes with anything. The Navy is the classic, and it is lovely with denim. The Coffee Brown is the warm one, made for fall boots. The Khaki is soft and neutral and works with every outfit. The Bordeaux is the deep fall color that gets her the most compliments.

Same sherpa lining, same hood, same easy fit. One coat you don't have to think about on cold mornings.

The Evelyn is part of Mom's Clearance Sale, and that whole collection is marked down while I take over the boutique.

I would rather see the pieces she chose herself go to women who will wear them than sit in a stockroom while the shop changes hands.

If you have been looking for one coat for the weeks when a light jacket isn't enough and a winter coat is too much, this is the one I would start with.

She has worn hers more this fall than any other coat in her closet. I can't tell you it will suit everyone. I can only tell you what I see when she walks out the door: she looks warm, comfortable and like herself.

The Evelyn is $74.95 right now, down from $249.95. These are Clearance Sale prices for this season, and colors and sizes come and go as the collection sells. If one of them is calling to you, I wouldn't wait too long to look.