This morning before I took the dog outside at 6am my iPhone said it was 7 degrees out. When I got downtown at 8:15am and passed a bank, their thermometer said -7 degrees. Welcome to another long and arduous Chicago winter, suffering from frozen nostrils while shivering in the corner waiting for a train.
That's what I would have though before I had a winter coat breakthrough. I normally buy coats based on looks and looks alone. My vanity has gotten me to the point of owning a (very cute!) green coat made of the thinnest wool possible, so fitted you can barely fit a sweater underneath with non-functional pockets. Who buys this stuff? Me. Why do I buy this stuff? Because I want to look cute. However, shopping just for cute can be a big FAIL in the winter.
I made the decision this year to buy a coat to last more than a season that will actually keep me happy and warm. Enter the puffer coat.
Why didn't anyone ever tell me about puffers before?!
Yes, I am 100% serious that I totally missed the boat on these. I must have seen a million puffers in the past but just never registered that there was a reason women across the city were running around in these during the coldest months. I wish someone had just pulled me aside and told me I was an idiot for tromping around in anything less.
After searching online at practically every puffer ever made, I kept on coming back to one coat - a Calvin Klein Charcoal Puffer with a big (fake) fur trimmed hood. I found it on Rue La La and for $90 it was all mine (I've found it online in other places for $150+, so I feel even more fantastic that I got a great deal).
That's what I would have though before I had a winter coat breakthrough. I normally buy coats based on looks and looks alone. My vanity has gotten me to the point of owning a (very cute!) green coat made of the thinnest wool possible, so fitted you can barely fit a sweater underneath with non-functional pockets. Who buys this stuff? Me. Why do I buy this stuff? Because I want to look cute. However, shopping just for cute can be a big FAIL in the winter.
I made the decision this year to buy a coat to last more than a season that will actually keep me happy and warm. Enter the puffer coat.
Why didn't anyone ever tell me about puffers before?!
Yes, I am 100% serious that I totally missed the boat on these. I must have seen a million puffers in the past but just never registered that there was a reason women across the city were running around in these during the coldest months. I wish someone had just pulled me aside and told me I was an idiot for tromping around in anything less.
After searching online at practically every puffer ever made, I kept on coming back to one coat - a Calvin Klein Charcoal Puffer with a big (fake) fur trimmed hood. I found it on Rue La La and for $90 it was all mine (I've found it online in other places for $150+, so I feel even more fantastic that I got a great deal).
{Source}This coat has seriously changed my wintry life. It's fluffy, matches my gray Emu boots, and is so warm. In the coldest of cold temperatures we've faced thus far this winter, I've barely felt a thing. And despite my pre-puffer views that coast like this were oversized and awkward to wear, this coat has absolutely no bulk to it.
And, dare I say, it's rather cute, don't you think?
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5 comments:
I spent two Chicago winters in a peacoat before I got over looking cute in the winter. :)
p.s. I love your blog but don't comment that often b/c I can't sign in with Name & URL - I don't really use WP or Blogger. Just a thought!
That's so cute! I have three levels of puffer coat. A short evergreen one, for days above 15 degrees or so. A medium length white one, for about 0 to 15 degree weather (the bulk of our winters), and a massive black one that goes nearly to my ankles and is like zipping into a down comforter with sleeves and a hood. That's for the 0 and below weather. I just had to have the zipper replaced on that one (after wearing it while removing my car battery -- which I used to bring inside in the winters when I lived in apartments). I'm wearing it today and I love it. Pea coats and trenches just don't cut it in some winter climates, and as I'm sure you know, you could be wearing the cutest coat in the world and be completely jealous of some girl in an arctic cat snowsuit, some days!!
I need to get one of these. I have a short puffer that is horribly bulky for walking the dogs and any time I'm outside for any extended period of time (not often if I can help it). Most other times I'm just walking to and from the car, so I can deal with a cuter, not as warm jacket. It's only mid December and this winter is already brutal. I think I may need to get me one of these. I didn't really realize there were warm, not bulky puffy jackets!
very cute! I've been loving gray this winter.
Like you I tend towards lovely (thin) wool coats, but when I moved to Chicago 6 years ago I got a puffer so that I could deal with commuting in the brutal cold. It was warm, but kind of a bulky short black one that I really did not care for. Then 2 years ago I found a much sleeker, purple one at Macy's and snapped that baby up! Still warm, and I feel like I have some semblance of style! Makes the cold days a little more bearable :)
totally cute! I'm happy you discovered warmth. The crusty nostrils is the worst and there's not much that can be done about that. Stay warm.
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