By Marsie Hall Newbold
Enquirer contributor

Tara Singh, 22, has more than 30 coats. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

Who: Tara Singh, 22, of Hyde Park, a self-described "temporary waitress/aspiring lawyer" who loves coats.

On display: More than 30 coats, both functional and "mutilated."

Where: As Singh is an apartment dweller with a roommate, space is at a premium. The ones that are deemed "hanger-worthy" go in the closet; the others are scattered on the floor.

A collector and a scholar: Singh's affection for outer garments began several years ago when she was in Boston and attending Brandeis University. (She holds a bachelor's degree in political science.)

"It was so cold there," she says. "Coats were the only clothing item you needed because it seemed like you never took them off."

All in the attitude: "My favorite is an Eskimo-looking, retro, late '60s heather-gray coat," she says. "It has fluffy fringe around the edges and on the bottom. I'd say it comes down maybe three inches below my hips and sort of fans out.

"It's an absolute secret weapon," she confides. "A lot more guys ask me out on dates when I wear it."

Shopping secrets: Singh buys her coats in vintage clothing stores and thrift shops. Most were purchased in Boston before her move to Cincinnati in June.

Among her "hanger-worthy" coats is a beige trench coat that makes her feel like a detective.

"It's as if I put on a different identity whenever I put on a different coat," she says.

Singh says that her best thrift store find is a calf-length, deep wine-colored leather coat.

Dream on: Singh hopes that the income from her hoped-for career in law will afford her the means to have a walk-in closet filled with coats. But for now, her plans include moving somewhere cold. "That's so," she says, "I can wear coats all year round."

Share your prize possessions with Marsie Hall Newbold by mail: c/o The Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; e-mail: marsolete@aol.com. Include a daytime phone.