A Canuck without a puffer? Say it ai'nt so! - YouLookFab Forum

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A Canuck without a puffer? Say it ai'nt so!

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

So one of the many things I've pudge right out of in recent months is my black quilted puffer. That, as most Canadians can attest, is a slight problem. :p

As if on cue, that popular puffer purveyer Lands End goes and has itself an outerwear sale offering 30 per cent off everything. That sounds just about right...but which one do I choose?

I had a look through the options vailable and didn't find them quite as plentiful as I have in the past, but they've hardly left me high and dry. But as usual, I could use a couple of descriptive assists from you ladies if you don't mind.

The front-runner for me at this point is this one, due mainly to waist definition, length and lack of bulk. I also run very warm and don't ever want to feel like I'm cacooned in an Outward Bound-worthy sleeping bag. I'm interested to know what the "regiment navy" blue shade looks like. Is it ink? Something else?
http://www.landsend.com/produc....._274235_57

There's a patterned version too in something they call "black tweed." How exactly does one achieve a tweed look on a nylon shell?
http://www.landsend.com/produc....._274237_57

The other option that sounds like it *could* have some appeal is the Shimmer Down Parka. Thoughts on the overall style + best colour?
http://www.landsend.com/produc....._274231_57

Thanks for the guidance, ladies!

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27 replies

Latest reply was from Michelle

Isabel

Veteran

hahahahahahah....I simply cannot stand by and let a Canuk NOT have puffer. I must act !

The regiment navy is a bright navy. Some navies are hard to separate from black unless you are close up or in bright light. This is a navy that says, " Hey. I am navy. I know you can see me. "

I am not liking the "tweed". I have no idea how it is done. It just seems confusing to me. Like, "Hey, you two don't belong together : tweed and nylon."

I really like this last puffer. If you don't need a longer one, I think this would look good on you. This season has all my favorite colors. And the choices here embody it. The navy is fab. I also LOVE the berry color. It is a berry that would go with everything. Except maybe yellow and oranges and things like that. But I don't recall every seeing you in those colors. But then the green is just beautiful and very rich....ok...no help here. LOL

amiable

Veteran

What Isabel said.

The tweed looks like it was printed on to the nylon - it's still shiny, like nylon - and not textured, just a small scale black and white print.

The last one is my favorite for you too - but the first is also great. In the picture, the 'classic navy' of the last one is very similar to the 'regiment navy' of the first one. The 'brandywine' is also very lovely.

The last one is shorter - so if you need the length, the first one may be better. The first one is definitely also puffier than the last, and less flattering on the model, in my opinion.

I think either one would be lovely on you

Elly

Veteran

The last one is my favorite-- a bit more lux looking and a bit more flattering in the pictures. If you don't mind hip length versus mid-thigh, I would try that first. The tweed is graphic printed and I would like it, but it seems kinda shiny and weird.

abc

Veteran

Love the last one as long as the shorter length is ok. Love it in the blue and burgundy. Has the potential to be flattering and functional!

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Thanks ladies. I'm a little confused about something to do with the shimmer parka. The description says it hits at mid-thigh, which would be totally acceptable for me despite the fact that I do prefer a bit of length. However all you guys and the review seem to indicate that it hits at the hip. Is that the case?

If I do go for the third parka, would you recommend shimmery black or shimmery navy? A dark neutral appeals to me more in this instance, as my wool coat is quite colourful and variety is the spice of life.

Your reply

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Here I come to confuse the issue. Because while I really like the last item you linked to and it appears to be high quality, it's definitely a jacket, not a coat. If you are only ever going to wear it with trousers and you don't mind that it is a bit casual looking, then it would be a great option. Or if you know you're going to get two puffers, this would be great in a puffer capsule.

But if you only have one puffer and you want a commuting coat for going to work in, I don't think it is the one. Too short. I'd be wearing that jacket mostly on weekends with jeans (and I don't even work in an office). Whereas the first one you linked to is more versatile.

The navy is just as Isabel describes (assuming the photos don't lie). It's a bright navy, not an ink. It would look good with black. I also really like the berry colour for you. Some of the reviewers said that the belt did not suit their apple shape so they took it off (which seems to suggest it might look good both ways.) I really like the Brandywine colour for you, also. It's a sort of rich deep magenta, not purple, not red, but something in between.

As for the "tweed," the less said about that one, the better. If anyone could make that coat look good, it would be you, but I think you can do better.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Michelle, it's not a high hip short jacket. In fact, they are probably right that it hits on the thigh, but in the way that a utility jacket does, if you know what I mean. The cut is such that it definitely reads "jacket" to me. I guess that's what a "parka" is, technically speaking.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

So I just looked again -- it covers the model's bottom but only just. So that is where it ends -- at the end of your bottom.

Again, it looks like a terrific jacket. But jacket it is.

Elly

Veteran

I like it in navy--- Suz's comment on "bum length" is spot on---- my winter coat is that length, but I don't wear skirts and dresses much in the winter and commute mostly by car.

Sheila

Veteran

I prefer #1 for color and styling as it appears more refined to me. The jacket #3 is more casual and has a hood with faux fur. There are TWO shades of navy on this jacket, as the placket (the piece up the front where the snaps or zipper will be) is a darker, less shiny color. Did not study the photos too much but I think there may be other trim areas of the jacket that have this contrasting fabric. Again, they are both navy but have slightly different hues. Hope this helps.

Beth Ann

Veteran

Michelle:

I like the first one too, both in Navy and the maroon (burgundy) version, which is also pretty.

In the U.S., we have Lands End items in our Sears stores, so I've seen the second coat. That print is actually alarmingly garish --- and I made a special trip to look at it, since I liked it on my monitor. I felt like I looked like I had some sort of skin infection!

The last coat, or jacket, it great looking in the Navy and the Brandywine. Suz is right, though, that it reads as a luxe casual jacket. On the model, it barely covers her bum. Now, of course, she could be 5'11"!

Here's to a mild winter!

marianna

Veteran

My vote goes for #1. The third option used to come in a longer length as I actually have that coat in the long version. At this current length, it won't keep you warm enough… your thighs will get cold (at least mine would).

For #1, I actually really like the Brandywine color choice, as burgundy tones are very in this year and it's a very pretty color. My puffer (an Eddie Bauer from last year) is burgundy and I wear it with a black and white polka dot scarf. I can see you wearing something similar. That said, if you are really craving a more neutral puffer, the navy is really pretty and you wear blues to perfection.

Glory

Veteran

Fellow canadian! I like the first one in the wine or the navy. It seems like a wonderful length for our cold climate.

thimblelina

(website)

Veteran

Yes, that last coat has marvelous colors. Lovely depth of color. In the first coat the navy & brandy wine are both nice but without the richness of your third choice. Skip the second coat. You know those bathroom counters that are molded plastic made to look like marble? Well this is the tweed coat equivalent. Avoid!

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Hhaha, everyone's descriptions of the tweed-esque thing they've got going are hilarious enough to make up for the ugliness! I know LE has upped its game in recent years, but this sounds like a wayback playback that someone forgot to turn off. :p

I definitely prefer a bbit more length. I assure you that riding the bus in the dead of a Canadian winter would make you feel the same.

I'm wondering...Could someone talk me through the differences between the first coat I linked to and the one that Sveta is pondering? I thought it sounded a bit too long, but if someone with the likes of her style quotient is eyeing it, then who am I to ignore it as an option? I'd also be grateful for a plain english translation of the term "Neptune Blue."

http://www.landsend.com/produc...../id_243920
Your reply

Sheila

Veteran

Neptune Blue = a toned-down version of Cobalt Blue (to my eye).

Definitely not Navy.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Michelle, the coat from my link is longer and it has been featured as Angie's pick last year. This is what she wrote on it:

This is the puffer coat for Team Tall with Long Arms. The length is
divine and the quilted squares are surprisingly flattering and
fashionable. Comes with a removable hood.

The coat from your link had horizontal quilting and I find the quilting squares more flattering than horizontal lines.

The coat from your link has belt all around and this Chalet coat has a belt on the back only. If you get regular size I think it should hit you just over the knees which is a good length for our winter.

The purple color wold look great on you, it is more reddish- purple and the color from your first link is more burgundy. it is good too but I like the purple better, it is closer to jewel tone you wear so well. I am not sure about the blue. It seems a medium blue - not dark like navy and not intense like cobalt. Suz thinks it can be difficult to pair with other blues.

I hope this helps - I am not very good on descriptions

Liz

Veteran

Neptune blue: on my screen, it looks like its a couple of notches lighter than a navy would be. "Neptune blue" skews ever so slightly toward teal, as if there is a tiny hint of green/ yellow in it. It's a beautiful color, but it would likely be hard to pair another blue with it. (Actually, the color is aptly named; I have seen water in this shade of blue -- and seen sky this color after a sunset fades.)

Elly

Veteran

The Sveta coat is nice--- looks very warm. The plum color is very nice, while the blue would better suit a ashy blonde, imo.

Isabel

Veteran

I actually saw the LE coats today. I took my daughter and sister to the mall and I popped into the Land's End "boutique" at Sears. The coats are stunning...except for the weird printed ones. They reminded me of Michelin Man as Lady Gaga. Bizarrely shiny as if they are trying really, really hard to tell you that they are really, really happy.

But back to the good ones - the colors are absolutely divine. The Neptune blue is absolutely a toned down cobalt. The coat is just beautiful. They did a great job with the shaping of it. Michelle, it is a toned down primary color..almost like a powdery, opaque cobalt blue. A true cobalt is much more saturated in color. It is very, very pretty. It is not what I would consider a "neutral " color like a navy color. But again, I think that the only colors I wouldn't like with it are other primary colors. I think that this would look good with the colors that I have seen you wear over the years.

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Wow, you guys are awesome with your descriptions of neptune blue. Thank you all very much.
If I were to go with that shade, my inclination would be to keep things very simple and just pair it with a scarf in winter white. Black and white at the utmost. Thoughts? Or should I just go with another colour altogether?
Sveta, I saw on your own puffer thread that the weekend promo doesn't apply to this coat??? I never caught that. What's the story?
Your reply

jackiec

Veteran

Hi Michelle,

Another Canadian puffer-wearer, but I'm on the "wet-coast" so I don't wear them as much

I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as the others, but thought I'd chime in to say I prefer the first coat, and do like the blue colour. I think a winter white scarf would be lovely (but other colours would work!).

Good luck on the puffer-hunt....

frannieb

Veteran

Not a puffer but here is another option from Landend that is rated to -45. The other jackets are only rated to -15 not from Canada but MN and when investing in a puffer I would need it to be warmer to below -15.
http://www.landsend.com/pp/Sty.....1-_-419412#
I'm actually considering adding this coat to my rotation after last years crazy winter where I took to wearing snowpants on a daily basis in Jan with my jacket.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Michelle, after I entered the code it said: you need to buy another qualified item" or something to this effect. I think this 30% apply to selected items, not to everything and these puffers are not selected ;-(

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

BOOOOO!! Not ok, LandsEnd, not ok!
Sveta, would you mind breaking the differences,, as you see them, between the one you're considering and the first one I linked to?
Your reply

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

First of all "my" puffer is much warmer: -40F vs -15F. This fact alone would be a decisive factor for me: our winters can get much lower than -15F with windchill.
Secondly "my" had quilted squares and your has quilted horizontal lines: I see squares more flattering and slimming than horizontal likes on a puffer.
Thirdly I like the belt on the back only more than belt all way around - but this is a personal preference.
Then the color. "My" is a reddish purple, amethyst color. "Yours" is more burgundy red. But if you lean towards blue it is a moot point
And then the length: "mine" is below the knee and yours is several inches above the knee. Again - whatever you are looking for but I prefer longer puffer.
I hope this helps.

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

It does help. Very much. Thank you! I'm now leaning towards yours for the quailting style alone. And I am considering the blue, but am waiting for an opinon on how that shade could look on me.
Your reply