I'm in the market for another puffer coat. My Lole puffer (shown in Finds -- though mine has faux fur, not real fur trim) was one of my earliest YLF purchases and it will be going into its 5th season. (Hard to believe!) It is in excellent condition and I have no "need" of a new coat in the sense that this coat is still functional, not too dated, and it keeps me warm. It has sporty features that add to its functionality. I don't tend to wear it for outdoor sports activities. I could probably use something for that purpose in addition...hence I am trying on shorter coats as well as longer ones. But my primary desire is another everyday walking coat.
I wear my puffer for months at a time. Between mid to late December until mid-to-late-March I am pretty much limited to this type of outerwear except for special occasions. I walk almost everywhere and wool coats are not warm enough, plus any coat I wear is likely to get covered in slush from passing cars and require cleaning. A puffer can go into the wash (unless it has leather trim, as many of the ones in my Finds do...).
My current puffer is grey. A lovely slate-blue-grey, but grey nonetheless. Now, I live in a city built from grey limestone, where the winter skies are often grey and the lake and roads are equally grey and the green and gold are gone from all the trees for 6 months of the year. I need some light or colour in my winter life!
I am not sure if I require a full length coat. Maybe, maybe not. I do know that I would like one in a colour or in winter white. I tried on a few the other day at the local mall. These were the best I found.
The first two are Calvin Klein jackets. Jacket 1 is not down but poly. I don't think it would be warm enough. Jacket 2 is down but too short and sort of stupid for my climate, to be honest. I've ruled it out for sure.
Then there is the Danier white coat, currently on sale. It is very impractical because of the leather sleeves. Nice quality. Fits very small for Danier -- I had to size up two sizes from my regular Danier size.
And I've added in Finds some more possibilities available online from Danier or The Bay or other available-to-me-online sources. I would love to hear your thoughts on these and any other suggestions you might have. My problem: No more brick and mortar options, really -- except for sporty coats which might be available at our local Trailhead (that is where I purchased the Lole coat). So I will need to order and try on and probably return.
There is no huge rush for this purchase, so of course I can simply wait and watch and see what becomes available or what goes on sale. I'm not going to freeze in the meantime!
Notes: there are more Syo & Kyo and Mackage options available on their websites if I am willing to pay for shipping/ returns. Ideally I would like to know the fit before ordering any of those; I can be assured of quality there I think. Price tags to match of course. But if I find something I truly love, then I am willing.
Canada Goose gets very mixed reviews. People seem to love or hate them. Some are saying the Kensington isn't warm enough at all. They are ubiquitous around here and I'm not crazy about most of the available colours (too bright for me) but could be persuaded. Mr. Suz has one and loves it. And he runs very cold. But he also spends much less time outdoors than I do. I will be able to try on at least some of their styles locally or order in from Sportcheck and return if no good. So those can be options.
