Mamas, I have needs. And right now, these needs involve being warm. I am sick of standing outside, freezing, and stomping my feet to get warm. I am sick of huddling my face down into my jacket and tensing every muscle in an attempt to produce more body heat. I am sick of shivering. And it's only NOVEMBER. Madness, Mamas. I will be driven to madness by January 1.
The alternative, I suppose, is to simply keep the physically-minded, tree-climbing-obsessive boy of almost five indoors. Along with his slightly insane, but surprisingly strong almost-two year old brother. You know...just until it gets warmer out. In our dinky twin. We'll read books, bake some cookies,do some art...then emerge from our hibernation in the Spring, happy and peaceful.
BWAH HA HA HA HA
As it stands, I can set my clock by my two little guys' antics. If they are exploding off the walls and driving me F-ING CRAZY...it must be 10AM. I have until 10AM to get them out of the house, or all kinds of hell breaks loose. Hence my long hours standing outside, freezing.
Mamas, do you remember my cute Lands' End puffer from last year? I am seriously regretting my choice of length. If you recall, I picked one that barely covered my bum. And I paid for it, dearly. I froze all winter, and am now freezing again. So. I've been doing a little puffer "research" (my husband calls it "shopping" how dare he)....and thought you might like to see my favs? (Some of which, incidentally, are on sale.)
Steve Madden Packable Down Walking Coat, on sale for $129.90 (down from $198)
This is the one I took home. Primarily because it is much longer than my Lands' End, without being overwhelming. However, I'm not in love with how it looks on the model. So I attempted to take my own pic:
And it still looks a bit...puffy. Hunh. This is one of those coats that looks much better in person. Anyway, the color is gorg, the detail around the hood is really cool, and the seaming on the sleeves is well-placed and flattering, making the coat look much more expensive than it is. The extra length was key for me.
Ellen Tracy Quilted Walking Coat, on sale for $169.90 down from $228
I may end up wishing I had brought this one home. Unlike the model (who must be 7' tall) this coat hit well below my knees and was easily the warmest coat I tried. It is also the most gorgeous soft olive color (much prettier than the pic) and much, much sleeker than pictured. I ended up leaving it behind because it looked...fancy? Or something. I think I just wasn't ready to cave and buy the floor-length puffer yet. But this will be my first purchase should we ever move to Chicago or back to MI. (And I may end up with this coat yet, if my neighbor's predictions for a horrible winter come true.)
Patagonia's Ultralight Fiona Parka, $399
The color of the Fiona parka is amazing. It manages to feel bright, without being overwhelming. Also, this parka is paper thin and insanely comfortable. Literally paper thin. Personally, I wouldn't be warm enough wearing just this all winter...but it's thin enough to easily layer under a stylish wool coat (think J. Crew) - the kind that aren't nearly warm enough on a cold day.
Marc New York Medal Quilted Jacket, on sale for $119 (down from $178)
The cut on the Marc New York puffers is pretty amazing. It's sleek, it's fitted, it's....not puffy. Like I said, amazing. I particularly love this color, but it also comes in basic black, brown, orange, and a gorgeously bright blue. If the neck scares you a bit, try his hooded version. Equally great fit, with a hood instead of a huge neck in black, red, or white. This is a good coat for petite gals who tend to be swallowed up by puffers.
Moncler Chou Zip Pocket Down Coat, $1295
I tried this on just for giggles and...sigh. It was everything you'd expect from a $1000+ coat. It was, in short, crazy fabulous. I'm sure a pretty good price-per-wear argument could be made here, depending on where you live...but this was out of my budget. If you can swing it, however, you won't be sorry. This is truly a forever coat.
Mamas, what are you wearing to stay warm? Any other finds to share? I know many mainline moms seem to love this cream one....
xo,
S
