Challenge: Finding a Puffy Winter Coat that's flattering

[Ravenclaw]

Thanks for all the great tips! So Eddie Bauer, Patagonia, The North Face, Land's End, Spiewalk (never heard of that one!), and Columbia. I'm leaning towards one of the ones that have temp ratings, i.e. Land's End because warmth is definitely more important than looking cute but I'm still trying to do both. We'll see. I'll update when I get one.

Oh and Vishenka great tip to check out the stores and see if any of the discount websites will have them. medpedspouse I saw the Tahari ones but they were sold out by the time I could get on the laptop!

Lands End, REI, Eddie Bauer are all on ebates, too.

[Ravenclaw]

I think it becomes cold enough that at some point you won't even care how you look. I'm short, and I bought a full-length down coat at Lands End. It stopped just below my knees, and was around $100. The North Face also has these full-length ones. They go almost down to your ankles. They're pretty pricey, but I wish I had had the extra calve coverage, because they always got so cold!

This North Face one? http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/w...ariationId=74A

I know it won't be flattering at all especially on all 5'1 of me but if it really gets to -20 like I've heard, I probably won't care! I'd hate to spend that much on something not cute though. Does anyone know of any other brands that have ones with that length but maybe with a better fit around the waist? I didn't see any that long on LE, EB, Patagonia or Columbia's websites.

[Ravenclaw]

lsw - did you buy it online or does sears carry le stuff? i want to try it on before buying. if i don't splurge and get the north face super long one, lands end and eddie bauer are at the top of my list due to them being cheaper and having the weather ratings.

[radwife]

I have The North Face Arctic Parka that I bought at REI . http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/...tic-parka.html I love this coat. It's down filled so super warm, but has a waterproof layer which is key on the wet snowy days. I wouldn't recommend getting just the down jacket for fear that the filling would get damp. It comes in at the waist which I think makes it look more feminine even though it's still puffy.

[Ravenclaw]

I ended up getting this coat - http://www.landsend.com/pp/LuxeDownC...02__0000000142
since it has a belt to make it a little more feminine, its warm temp rating and LE's great return policy. Since it's already gotten so cold here, I've already tested it out and it's great at keeping me warm. Thanks for all the advice!

[Phoebe]

I ended up getting this coat - http://www.landsend.com/pp/LuxeDownC...02__0000000142
since it has a belt to make it a little more feminine, its warm temp rating and LE's great return policy. Since it's already gotten so cold here, I've already tested it out and it's great at keeping me warm. Thanks for all the advice!

I just got this coat too! DH is giving it to me for Christmas. The website had a friends and family 30% sale and free shipping. Of course, I tried it on at Sears first. Love it.

[diggitydot]

You might also consider snowboarding brands. We've had really great luck with Roxy, Burton, 686, Volcom, etc. They're typically waterproof, well-made, well-insulated, and can be found in cute and flattering styles for all different age ranges. They're surprisingly heavy-duty (without looking like they are), too.

[Ravenclaw]

I just got this coat too! DH is giving it to me for Christmas. The website had a friends and family 30% sale and free shipping. Of course, I tried it on at Sears first. Love it.

I think they are having a 40% off sale right now! I hope you like it. The belt is actually a little annoying for me since I'm usually trying to wrangle a tiger cub/almost 2 year old, so I usually don't wear that unfortunately. I ended up finding knee high winter boots that I liked so save for a couple inches of my knees, I'm all covered up without it being ankle length.